Why do we get so much irreconcilable religious conflict do you think?

Question

Richard Dawkins says this...
"Disagreements between incompatible beliefs cannot be settled by reasoned argument because reasoned argument is drummed out of those trained in religion from the cradle. Instead, disagreements are settled by other means which, in extreme cases, inevitably become violent. Scientists disagree among themselves but they never fight over their disagreements. They argue about evidence or go out and seek new evidence. Much the same is true of philosophers, historians and literary critics."

So it seems the religious are always going to be more prone to resort to violence because peaceful reasoned argument is rejected by their religious belief...as we have seen recently this puts the world in a dangerous position and shows religious people to be a real threat...what do you think?

Reply to Paklo:
Well you know we don't seem to get whole nations in conflict over recipes but over religion we certainly do.

Answer 1

because following anything other than Gods laws and commandments is to follow some ones opinion,someones ideas.

Answer 2

------It's about ego not religion.------
Having been raised by a stereo-typical "Shotgun Christian" father, and having grown up in a Oklahoman slum, I have some deep insight. I am a Christian and a Republican, and also very
live and let live. I should have either ended up the same as my
Southern relatives or, rebelled like so many and become the opposite.
My father could have been a Buddhist, he still would have been the same. Most people cannot concede, no matter race, religion,
gender, etc. It's ego that causes a person to see their beliefs and their selves to be infallible.
I am a republican but without democrats there would be no balance. I am a Christian but, I also believe that our understanding of the hereafter may be flawed.
Some people can compromise, some can't. It's about ego.

Oh, and the huns were atheists, they were also the most evil oppressive and uncompromising people ever. People could fight over differences in baking recipes. It is a flaw of man not belief.

Answer 3

Religion as a means of explanation and personal security had a certain nobility in its conception. However, once the people in charge realized that it could be used as a means of control, it became deadly. Unfortunately over the centuries it has become even more corrupted, and been so thoroughly indoctrinated into most societies that even the differences are seen as means for division. Because the dogma of the various faiths only allow strict adherence to the social custom, there can be little room to question and thus little room to alter your belief without compromise. This has lead to a growing atheist community throughout the world, people of thought who have questions for which they receive trite, or contradictory answeres. However you will find that the poorer the population, the higher the religious belief, usually because they are told the life in the hereafter is going to be better than this one. Unfortunately it has also lead to an us and them mentality, in which one section of society believes themselves in the right and all other concepts are wrong. It is the right and wrong of it that create the problems, when there truly is no right or wrong, only concepts subject to interpretation.

Answer 4

There is always a potential for conflict in belief systems at a fundamental level, when each sect believes that their viewpoint comes endorsed by, if not directly from, the highest authority in the universe. Some of the liberal clerics from all religions can go around spouting messages of love and reconciliation, which helps to calm a few equally liberal believers.

In Gulliver's Travels, Swift depicted two nations at perpetual war because they disagreed over which end of a boiled egg to crack the top off. Now if your religion tells you that this is important and correct, this becomes an obvious point of conflict.

As RD alludes, Faith does not encourage or require reasoned argument and in many ways discourages it.

Answer 5

Argument and debate are seldom purely intellectual. Something deeper is always at stake. Example: pride ("Are you telling me I believe in rubbish all the while?") To some, such challenge is good enough reason to resort to violence.

Personally I list Pride as the number one reason for conflict.
Secret agenda and Ignorance coming in as second and third.

Answer 6

Before I read the quote, I was going to make the same argument, but since you answered your own question,
I am redundant.

Answer 7

Due to the pride of men desiring to be right, and then trying to enforce their beliefs. I wish we were more tolerant and loving, it solves so many issues.

Answer 8

actually all these differences are caused by Humans themself.. there's only one God, all accept thid but one say God, the other Allah and some se ishwar...wat every one misses out is that all religions are from God and it is a evolution that God undertook to make humans understand and come to him...its all the same... differences our just caused by us or the ones who been teaching us

Answer 9

because there is only one linear way between two points
any other way will be different