Can you name a conflict that was caused by religion?

Question

Would the world be more peaceful without religion?

Answer 1

Where do you want me to start
Seriously almost every conflict is sparked by greed or racial/ religious differences.

Would the world be better off with out it.. sure but how long would it last before some crazy person comes along and says he heard from god and to refrain from aspects of our way life- utopia is a world without difference - if religion was nil then sure there would be less conflict and bloodshed.

imagine all the people... lol

Actually wars etc with blood shed in the name of the religion
1. the crusades
2. the atrocities of the rawanda conflict
3. ww1 and 2 had factors based on ethnicity and religion - check out hitlers mien kempf
4. the conflicts involving isreal including the recent lebbanon v isreal conflict
5. the massacre of "heritics" in the name of the lord throughout spain, england and the new world.
6. the catholic elitism of england and the murdering of innocent prodistants, not to mention the resumption of their wealth and lands.
7. the conflict of england v ireland
8. the astorocities committed in the name of religion in the serbian wars
9. the enforcement of gods word to the new world to the spanish inquisition, murder rape pillage all included

should i go on?

seriously more blood has been spilt to justify the word of religion than for any other cause and that in itself is atrocious.

please excuse my spelling think i stuffed up a word or two but am sure your get the jist of things

Answer 2

Nope the argument that religion is the cause of wars is an argument made by people who couldn't make it past the first syllable of a history book or by militant atheists who will find any excuse to make religion look bad.

Even The First and Second Crusades were actually started due to people who just happened to be Muslim attacking European cities for trade and then Europeans doing the same. The upper class needed an excuse to get the peasants to fight and used religion as a propaganda tool.

During the Hugenot wars religion was used an excuse for land grabbing. With protestants vs catholics fighting against each other.

The Irish Civil War had catholics fighting protestants but it was more over the treaty that created Northern Ireland that was a war over independence.

The number one cause of war is expansion due to either greed or the inability or refusal of a nation to produce a resource and having a need to take that resource from another or when government has been too oppressive. Religion is used as a propaganda tool.

Remember the words of Shakespeare "Even the devil can quote the scriptures to suit his own purpose."

iub the Israeli/Palestinian confict has it's roots in the bronze age way before Islam back when it was the Israelites VS the Philistines.

Remember without religion we wouldn't have had the Rennissance because during the Dark Ages most all teaching was done at monestaries across Europe especially in Ireland and during the Rennissance it was the church that financed many of the arts.

Answer 3

The causes of most conflicts are many and varied and it is extremely simplistic to say that they are caused by one specific reason or event.

This would be like saying that WW1 was caused by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand - that was the event that was the trigger, but there were many other reasons that lay behind it.

To that extent, I have to agree with sprydle that, although on the surface a conflict may look to have its source in religion, there are often other reasons behind it.

Most people would think of the Irish conflict, or the Crusades, or even Bush's War on Terror. On the face of it, all of these have their root cause in religion, but there are other factors - respectively : independence, greed and expansionism, and oil resources.

As to whether the world would be more peaceful without religion - extremely unlikely. There are many factors that drive men to wage war on each other and, without religion, there would be other excuses to engage in conflict.

Answer 4

The Crusades, beginning with the First Crusade in 1099 is one example of many.

And if you really dig deep, you'll find that religion plays a role in some strikingly "secular" conflicts. For example, one of the propaganda posters that Goebbels used to try and get little Germans to be Anti-Semitic was a poster of a cross, on which Christ was hanging. In the poster, German children are "reminded" that "Jews killed Jesus".

Answer 5

The Crusades, for one. Take your pick, really; religious conflicts are far from rare.

Without religion, countries would still war over borders and natural resources. Consider the microcosm, as Thoreau did (in Walden):

"...I was witness to events of a less peaceful character. One day when I went out to my wood-pile, or rather my pile of stumps, I observed two large ants, the one red, the other much larger, nearly half an inch long, and black, fiercely contending with one another. Having once got hold they never let go, but struggled and wrestled and rolled on the chips incessantly. Looking farther, I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellum, but a bellum, a war between two races of ants, the red always pitted against the black, and frequently two red ones to one black. The legions of these Myrmidons covered all the hills and vales in my wood-yard, and the ground was already strewn with the dead and dying, both red and black. It was the only battle which I have ever witnessed, the only battle-field I ever trod while the battle was raging; internecine war; the red republicans on the one hand, and the black imperialists on the other. On every side they were engaged in deadly combat, yet without any noise that I could hear, and human soldiers never fought so resolutely. I watched a couple that were fast locked in each other`s embraces, in a little sunny valley amid the chips, now at noonday prepared to fight till the sun went down, or life went out. The smaller red champion had fastened himself like a vice to his adversary`s front, and through all the tumblings on that field never for an instant ceased to gnaw at one of his feelers near the root, having already caused the other to go by the board; while the stronger black one dashed him from side to side, and, as I saw on looking nearer, had already divested him of several of his members. They fought with more pertinacity than bulldogs. Neither manifested the least disposition to retreat. It was evident that their battle-cry was "Conquer or die." In the meanwhile there came along a single red ant on the hillside of this valley, evidently full of excitement, who either had despatched his foe, or had not yet taken part in the battle; probably the latter, for he had lost none of his limbs; whose mother had charged him to return with his shield or upon it. Or perchance he was some Achilles, who had nourished his wrath apart, and had now come to avenge or rescue his Patroclus. He saw this unequal combat from afar -- for the blacks were nearly twice the size of the red -- he drew near with rapid pace till be stood on his guard within half an inch of the combatants; then, watching his opportunity, he sprang upon the black warrior, and commenced his operations near the root of his right fore leg, leaving the foe to select among his own members; and so there were three united for life, as if a new kind of attraction had been invented which put all other locks and cements to shame. I should not have wondered by this time to find that they had their respective musical bands stationed on some eminent chip, and playing their national airs the while, to excite the slow and cheer the dying combatants. I was myself excited somewhat even as if they had been men. The more you think of it, the less the difference..."

Answer 6

The Crusades, Iraq-Iran War, Bosnian-Serbian War, 30 Years War, current war on terrorism.

Many other wars such as the Arab-Israeli Wars are not war of religions but war for land & power politics where religion was a pretext for recruiting manpower.

Answer 7

Thirty Years War
French Wars of Religion
Turkish Wars

Answer 8

The Holy War
9/11

The world would be more peaceful if the people with religion would tolerate each other's faith. Supposed there's no religion, would people have something to hold on to? Something that guided them to do good deeds and do no harm?

The problem is not religion, but the people.

Answer 9

Almost every major conflict has been fought in the name of some sort of religion -- or at least has had religion as a major component. The one exception I can think of is WWI.

Answer 10

The Holy Crusades
Isreal amd Palenstine
9/11
Palenstineans and Muslims (In India)
The world would be even more corrupt without religion than it is now.