War and Evolution?

Question

Don't chimps kill each other? Don't stags have mortal combat? How about lions fighting over territory?

Are chimps, stags and lions Christians / Muslims?

My atheist / evolutionary friends, from your perspective, didn't we just evolve from the likes of these? Why blame war on religion?

GLM 'basis of all wars is the belief by one side that the other is wrong' - is not an accurate statement. There are no wars started for sheer power? Or how about land grabs? Greed is a basis for many wars.

Alpha-Male Chimps fight for power.

Plenty of conflict and war is due to religious beliefs, I agree. But to say it is the sole reason is foolish.

Thanks for some good points Moondog - my only point is that man without religion is violent, as are chimps and other animals. Chimps show the same kinds of senseless violence that man does.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/deepjungle/episode3_watts.html

Answer 1

Fighting and killing is part of human/animal nature. Religion is often the excuse for such behavior. We did not evolve from the likes of these - we and they share common ancestors. I don't think it is valid to consider anyone who believes in evolution to be an Atheist. I do and I am not.

Answer 2

Anyone with any knowledge of current affairs or history will know that religion is at the basis of many conflicts. Wars have many causes but the basis of all wars is the belief by one side that the other is wrong and war is the only way to impose that belief on them.

Stemming from that central belief may be claims over territory or resources, greed for wealth or power, or a clash of ideologies or many other reasons.

Religion is not only one of those reasons but religion is also used to boost the morale of armies, to emphasise that a cause is just or to show the enemy to be in some way inferior (e.g. by saying that god is not on their side).

In this way religion is not just a root cause of some wars but is also a means of sustaining or justifying war.

It has been observed that war is at it's worst in terms of lack chivalry, respect for prisoners, treated of the enemy's civilians and injured etc when the ideologies or beliefs are furthest apart. Thus the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the Japanese were beyond anything committed when, say, Christian nations were at war with each other. Religion may thus also be said to intensify war.

Answer 3

There will always be good and bad people but to make good people do bad things it takes religion. You also do not understand evolution there is nothing on the planet we evolved from evolution says we have a common relative to chimps thats why there is only 2% difference in the DNA. I suggest you learn to think you come across as a bit of an idiot and I imagine you have a lot of monkey DNA as you seem inferior to me in many ways just remember I am more evolved than you thats why you are to thick to understand things I can. Violation number 5 me feels so mush for cast the first stone christians are hypocritical monkey minds

Answer 4

War is a form of immaturity,
and evolution is a mirage
of creation.

Mass (matter) goes through various stages
from conception to elimination. The particle
energy that forms mass can both burn and
decompose. But where does the mass really
come from, and where does it really go?

The new Hadron Collider will attempt to solve
this mystery. The Hadron Collider is a kin to
the Telatron Smasher and is set to begin
operation this Nov 2007. The collider will
play "crash" with isolated protons to
observe the breakdown of the bosons that
constitute the proton.

To date, scientists have concluded that
the bosons known as "quarks" are
indestructable by nature and hold onto
their individual characteristics, even when
reduced to black hole energy.

Should be interesting, come November.

Answer 5

Because it is stated as the reason many people are fighting.

Maybe you should study some history. It's not the cause of all wars. But, cultural and religious differences are one of the main causes for many wars.

And, these differences become black and white unchangable issues. Religion creates a I'm right and you are wrong attitute in people. With no solution.

Yes, and ultimately the aggressive side to human nature is the root cause.

But, how are you going to change millions of years of evolution.

Answer 6

sure, the true cause of war is not religion, it is usually a fight over resources. But religion allows itself to get used to justify war. If all the religious leaders of any denomination would speak out against war instead of condoning it and praying for victory of their side (even in cases where they share the same god) religion would not get blamed.

Answer 7

Religion didn't invent wars. As you pointed out, animals have been competitive for a long time. Competition is part of how evolution weeds out species.

However, religion is still a blight on society that causes many wars and spurs on others. Removing religion won't stop all wars, but it will remove one of the more baseless reasons for them.

Answer 8

Just because there is an inherent desire for a level of conflict, it doesn't mean you don't choose to be violent. War is something that humans find natural and there is a desire for violence in terms of revenge, defense, or hatred toward another group. But this desire must be fueled in order for it to result in action.

And religion is just one of the many things that have been used to fuel humans violent desires.

Answer 9

war

war [wawr]
noun (plural wars)
1. armed fighting between groups: a period of hostile relations between countries, states, or factions that leads to fighting between armed forces, especially in land, air, or sea battles
The two countries are at war.

2. period of armed fighting: a period of armed conflict between countries or groups
during the Vietnam War

3. methods of warfare: the techniques or the study of the techniques of armed conflict
4. conflict: a serious struggle, argument, or conflict between people
The candidates are at war.

5. serious effort to end something: an effort to combat or eradicate something harmful
a war against drugs



intransitive verb (past and past participle warred, present participle war·ring, 3rd person present singular wars)
1. make war: to engage in an armed conflict with somebody
2. be in struggle: to be involved in a serious struggle, argument, or conflict with somebody or an effort to combat or eradicate something harmful


[12th century. Via Old N French werre, Old French guerre < Germanic, "strife, confusion"]

war of words a public debate or dispute carried out over a period of time in print or the media

War and Peace, a novel (1865-1869) by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy.
This monumental work is set in Russia during and after the Napoleonic Wars (1805-1814). Though it focuses on five fictional families, the story incorporates historical accounts and philosophical essays to create an extraordinarily comprehensive portrait of Russian society that touches on almost every aspect of human experience, from love and happiness to grief and war.
Word Key: Synonyms
.
evolution

ev·o·lu·tion [èvvə lsh'n, və lsh'n]
(plural ev·o·lu·tions)
noun
1. biology theory of development from earlier forms: the theoretical process by which all species develop from earlier forms of life.
According to this theory, natural variation in the genetic material of a population favors reproduction by some individuals more than others, so that over the generations all members of the population come to possess the favorable traits.
2. biology developmental process: the natural or artificially induced process by which new and different organisms develop as a result of changes in genetic material
3. gradual development: the gradual development of something into a more complex or better form
the evolution of democracy in Western Europe

4. pattern caused by movement: a pattern formed by a series of movements
5. physics giving off heat or gas: the emission of heat, gas, or vapor
6. mathematics finding root of number: an algebraic operation in which the root, e.g. the square root or cube root, of a number is found. See also involution (sense 6)
7. military military exercise: a military exercise or maneuver carried out according to a plan


[Early 17th century. < Latin evolut-, past participle of evolvere (see evolve)]


-ev·o·lu·tion·al, adjective
-ev·o·lu·tion·al·ly, adverb

Do you understand war and evolution? see the meaning above. What is the relation of war to evolution. Do you know what you are stating?
jtm.

Answer 10

I understand that being a theist prohibits you from studying history. Still, any book on the history of religion should provide ample evidence that followers of religion kill people who are not deluded in the same way as them, for the sole reason that they are not deluded in the same way as them.