i mean you hear quite a bit of the crusades but what about religious wars for pagan religions?
2006-10-06 11:02:32 · 12 answers · asked by god_of_the_accursed 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Well, Rome went to war alot, but it wasn't really religious. They didn't force anybody to convert and they adopted whatever they thought was cool. Prior to the idealistic wars there were wars, certainly. Mostly over land and women and for glory. Many of these people were of different faiths, but they weren't fighting over religion like these do and didn't bother trying to convert people they conquered. Though in some cases their religion encouraged them to earn glory in battle.
Native Americans didn't go to war to spread religion. Neither did the Greeks, or the Nordic tribes. Nor did the Celts. Some Eastern religions did, but not on the scale we see with the Abrahamic religions. Every clan had a different religion, different Gods and ancestors and, of course, they helped them out in battle and in life. If you think people with different religions who go to war are always going to war over religion, you're stupid. That's like saying women are always bitchy because they have PMS.
(I am the queen of the bad analogy;))
The reason for this is simple. Christianity and Islam represent a religious mindset that simply didn't exist in the Western world before. (Even Judaism remains free of it) and that is that of conversion. The idea of religion prior to this was that your Gods were your personal Gods. You inherited them from your parents. In some cases their blood actually flowed in your veins from some seduced great great grandmother. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever you should try to convert someone else because they probably aren't worthy anyway.
The Jews are the chosen people of the God of Abraham. Why if you're the chosen people would you presume to run around chosing other people to be chosen with you?? So thought just about every person following a pre-Christian belief system. There were so many Gods and plenty of people to go around too. The Christian God is the first "Jealous" God who extended his jealousy beyond his "Chosen" i.e. the lineage of Abraham.
2006-10-10 06:35:30 · answer #1 · answered by kaplah 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sure. Native Americans on the American continents had tribal wars long before European influence (thus introduction to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism).
2006-10-06 18:06:49 · answer #2 · answered by reverenceofme 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes. People and religion go together.
Ancient Pagans with different beliefs bitterly fough each other.
People have always used religion to promote wars.
2006-10-06 18:07:48 · answer #3 · answered by Fatima 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm sure that there have been wars since the two monkeys found a single banana hanging from a tree.
2006-10-06 18:09:49 · answer #4 · answered by Alan 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes people were always fighting. the reason you hear about the crusades is the totalitarian way in which the catholics acted
2006-10-06 18:13:15 · answer #5 · answered by . 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Islam has existed since Adam
2006-10-06 18:05:38 · answer #6 · answered by abdulaziiz 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
To spread the religion? Probably not.
To take land and women? Of course.
2006-10-06 18:04:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Oh, yea. Read about Ur and the first civilizations. Everyone had a GOD to help them beat up on the 'BAD' guys.
2006-10-06 18:10:08 · answer #8 · answered by eantaelor 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Probably--smaller scale, and more obscure religions though. It was before history was written down though, so we can't know for sure.
2006-10-06 18:05:02 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
greeks are one warred neighboring nations with other beliefs. native americans warred with eachother.
2006-10-06 18:11:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋