Is religion *really* the cause of most war?

Question

We hear over and over by the anti-religious how religion is the cause of most wars.

Facts about modern wars:

There were roughly 62 wars over the last 150 years with casualties over 100,000 people.

Those wars account for about 180 million people being killed.

55 non-religious wars accounting for 175 Million deaths
5 wars where religion played some part, but reason for war was primarily non-religious. 4 Million deaths
2 religious wars accounting for 1.3 million deaths

I’ll list the wars and amount killed as an edit to the question if I can fit into the character limits.

* non-religious
% somewhat religious
# religious

*1860-65: American civil war (360,000)
*1886-1908: Belgium-Congo Free State (3 million)
*1899-02: British-Boer war (100,000)
*1899-03: Colombian civil war (120,000)
*1904-05: Japan vs Russia (150,000)
*1910-20: Mexican revolution (250,000)
*1911: Chinese Revolution (2.4 million)
*1912-13: Balkan wars (150,000)

#1915: the Ottoman empire slaughters Armenians (1.2 million) Muslim vs Christian
*1914-18: World War I (8 million)
*1916: Kyrgyz revolt against Russia (120,000)
*1917-21: Soviet revolution (5 million)
*1928-37: Chinese civil war (2 million)
*1931: Japanese Manchurian War (1.1 million)
*1932-33: Soviet Union vs Ukraine (7 million)
*1934: Mao's Long March (170,000)
*1936: Italy's invasion of Ethiopia (200,000)
*1936-37: Stalin's purges (13 million)
*1936-39: Spanish civil war (600,000)
*1939-45: World War II (55 million) including holocaust and Chinese revolution
*1946-49: Chinese civil war (1.2 million)
*1946-54: France-Vietnam war (600,000)
%1947: Partition of India and Pakistan (1 million) Pakistan as an Islamic state and India as a secular one
*1948-1958: Colombian civil war (250,000)
*1950-53: Korean war (4 million)
%1954-62: French-Algerian war (368,000) Muslim against secular France
*1958-61: Mao's "Great Leap Forward" (38 million)

*1960-96: Guatemala's civil war (200,000)
*1961-2003: Kurds vs Iraq (180,000)
*1964-73: USA-Vietnam war (3 million)
*1965-66: Indonesian civil war (200,000)
*1966-69: Mao's "Cultural Revolution" (11 million)
*1967-70: Nigeria-Biafra civil war (800,000)
*1969-79: Idi Amin, Uganda (300,000)
*1971: Pakistan-Bangladesh civil war (500,000)
#1972-: Philippines vs Muslim separatists (120,000)
*1972: Burundi's civil war (300,000)
*1974-91: Ethiopian civil war (1,000,000)
*1975-78: Menghitsu, Ethiopia (1.5 million)
*1975-79: Khmer Rouge, Cambodia (1.7 million)
*1975-89: Boat people, Vietnam (250,000)
*1975-87: Laos' civil war (184,000)
*1975-2002: Angolan civil war (500,000)
*1976-93: Mozambique's civil war (900,000)
*1976-98: Indonesia-East Timor civil war (600,000)
*1979-88: the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan (1.3 million)
*1980-88: Iraq-Iran war (1 million)
%1983-2002: Sudanese civil war (2 million)
%1988-2001: Afghanistan civil war (400,000)

*1988-2004: Somalia's civil war (550,000)
*1989-: Liberian civil war (220,000)
*1991-97: Congo's civil war (800,000)
*1991-2000: Sierra Leone's civil war (200,000)
*1991-: Russia-Chechnya civil war (200,000)
*1992-96: Yugoslavia's civil war (260,000)
%1992-99: Algerian civil war (150,000)
*1993-97: Congo Brazzaville's civil war (100,000)
*1993-2005: Burundi's civil war (200,000)
*1994: Rwanda's civil war (900,000)
*1998-: Congo/Zaire's war - Rwanda and Uganda vs Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia (3.8 million)
*2003-: Sudan vs JEM/Darfur (180,000)

Answer 1

That is a very impressive list, but you are missing quite a few %'s. Mostly, any communist/Marxist wars are by their nature religious because they work to enforce the elimination of religion. Similarly, the Germans during WWII did believe God was on their side "Gott mit Uns" and therefore persecuted the Jews using Luther and the Christian inclination of anti-semitism to justify the holocaust. It would be interesting to see how the propaganda of these wars actually support your claims. Claiming God is on one's side is a common occurrence. So, this was the last 150 years, notably the time AFTER the idea of the separation of Church and State had come about. Are we then to assume that the millions upon millions who died for "God" during the thousands of years previous look any better?

The reality is not that religions cause wars, but that religions make it easier to rally the troops and the community as institutions which assert authority by enforcing a doctrine of unquestionable adherence. Of course the object of belief is irrelevant so long as the principle of faith is applied. If anyone believes in atheism as an institution, they are in fact more misguided than the religious. In the end, it is the unquestioned adherence to a supposed authority that is the problem.

Answer 2

Certainly not all wars. The current battles in the Mid East and other places, such as the IRA vs. the British in the 70's and later; or where the fight between Islam and Judaism or Christianity is one of the main causes makes it seem like it, especially to younger people who don't remember other wars. But some would say one reason that people in the US were so anti-Communist during the Cold War had something to do with the state sponsored atheism of Communist countries. World War II had little to do with religion, etc. like you say. The Holocaust may have had something to do with religion, but all the victims were not Jews and all the Jews who were imprisoned and killed did not practice the Jewish religion, many were 'secular' Jews. But if you are younger than 40 or 50 and remember mostly this age when the trouble in the middle east, even long before 9/11 was based on religious beliefs to one degree or another, it is hard for some to see otherwise. And some fundamentalist Christians see the problems in the world as a sign that the battle of Armageddon is coming.

Answer 3

Actually religion played a part in each and every one of those wars. American Civil War, both sides claimed God was on their side, churches preached the evil of the Union or the evil of the Confederacy. Churches and church leaders play important roles to get people on the "right" political side of conflicts even when the overwhelming evidence may show that peace can be reached by other means. Demonizing the enemy is done in Churches, The Japs, Russians, Bulgars, Germans, English, Tutu, Bantu, are the agents of Satan and we need to follow our glorious leader to defeat the evil. War always has its religious overtones even when its hidden under layers of political propaganda.

Answer 4

I am of the opinion that most wars are not really fought due to religion but rather, economics. Religion of course is the excuse leaders will use, but if look behind the facade there is always some economic motovation.

Answer 5

I don't think anyone is claiming that warring over nationalism is any better or worse than warring over religion. They are both dogmatic beliefs that should be tossed out the window.

Those wars were all started by people who had beliefs; beliefs that they had claim to land that no one can really own, or beliefs that they are right while their enemies are wrong.

Non-religious people do not claim that it is solely religion that causes war, but that it is belief that causes war.

Answer 6

people kill people what religion were the people that killed people in those wars. there priest didn't tell them not to kill.only Jehovah's witnesses or other groups like them can only claim they didn't kill anyone in war.

Answer 7

5 wars where religion played a part?

Get lost.

Try 500.

Answer 8

Greed and power hunger cause most wars.

Answer 9

what does it say about this in the scriptures, "you lie and kill because you have not, and there is the lust of the flesh and eyes" religion seems not to have anything to do with it, but it seems like a good excuse, and sacrifical goat,

Answer 10

religion divides .. spirituality unites