Some people say "Religion is the (single greatest) cause war and killing" - given the list below is it true

Question

The Albigensian Crusade (1203-1226)
The Battle of Courtrai (1302)
The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
The Wars of the Roses (1455-1485)
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (1547)
French-Spanish (1565-1567)
The Battle of Lepanto (1571)
Religious Wars, Murder of Coligny and St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre; The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572)
The First War (1562-1563)
The Second War (1567-1568)
The Third War (1568-1570)
The Fourth War (1572-1573)
The Fifth War (1576)
The Sixth War (1577)
The Seventh War (1580)
A procession of the League (1590)
The War of the Three Henries (1584-1589)
The Wars of the League (1589-1598)
English-French (1613-1629)
The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
Anglo-French (1629)
French Civil War (1632)
Pequot (1636-1637)
England-Netherland (1640-1645)
Wars of Louis XIV (1640)
Iroquois (1642-1653)
English Civil Wars (1642-1649)
First English Civil War (1642-1646)
Wars of the Fronde (French Civil war) (1648-1652)

Second English Civil War (1648-1651)
The Commonwealth (1649-1660)
Polish-Swedish War (1651-1660)
Polish-Cossack War (1651-1667)
Anglo-Dutch (1653)
Danish-Swedish War (1657-1659)
The Reign of Charles II (1660-1685)
War of Devolution (1665)
Bacon's Rebellion (1688-1691)
King Philip's (1675-1676)
War in North (1676-1678)
Culpepper's Rebellion (1677-1680)
Ottoman Wars (1677-1687)
The Uneasy Truce English Civil Wars (1685-1687)
Leisle's Rebellion (1688-1691)
Revolution in Maryland (1689)
Glorious Revolution (1689)
Russian-Turkish War (1689-1700)
Great Northern War (Russia, Poland and Denmark against Sweden (1700)
King William's (1689-1697)
War of the Grand Alliance (1690)
War of the English Succession (1690)
Queen Anne's (1702-1713)
Tuscarora (1711-1712)
Jenkin's Ear (1739-1742)
King George's (1740)
Louisbourg (1745)
Fort Necessity (1754)
Anglo-French (1755-1758)

French and Indian (1754-1763)
Siege of Quebec (1759)
American Revolution (1775-1783)
Wyoming Valley (1782-1787)
Shay's Rebellion (1786-1787)
Whiskey Insurrection (1794)
Northwestern Indian (1790-1795)
War with France (1798-1800)
War with Tripoli (1801-1805)
Burr's Insurrection (1806-1807)
Chesapeake (1807)
Northwestern Indian (1811)
Florida Seminole Indian (1812)
War of 1812 (1812-1815)
Peoria Indian (1813)
Creek Indian (1813-1814)
Lafitte's Pirates (1814)
Barbary Pirates (1815)
Seminole Indian (1817-1818)
Lafitte's Pirates (1821)
Arickaree Indian (1823)
Fever River Indian (1827)
Winnebago Indian (1827)
Sac and Fox Indian (1831)
Black Hawk (1835-1836)
Toledo (1835-1836)
Texas War of Independence (1835-1836)
Indian Stream (1835-1836)
Creek Indian (1836-1837)
Florida (Seminole) (1835-1842)
Sabine/Southwestern (1836-1837)
Cherokee (1836-1838)
Osage Indian (1837)

Mormon (1838)
Aroostook (1839)
The Opium War and the Opening of China (1839-1843)
Dorr's Rebellion (1842)
Mormon (1844)
Mexican (1846-1848)
Cayuse Indian (1847-1848)
Texas and New Mexico Indian (1849-1855)
California Indian (1851-1852)
Utah Indian (1850-1853)
The Crimean War (1853-1856)
Rogue River Indian (1851, 1853, 1856)
Oregon Indian (1854)
Nicaraguan (1854-1858)
Kansas Troubles (1854-1859)
Yakima Indian (1855)
Klamath and Salmon Indian (1855)
Florida Indian (1855-1858)
John Brown's Raid (1858)
War of Northern Agression (Civil War) (1860-1865)
Cheyenne (1861-1864)
Sioux (1862-1863)
Indian Campaign (1865-1868)
Fenian Invasion of Canada (1866)
Indian Campaign (1867-1869)
Modoc Indian (1872-1873)
Apaches (1873)
Indian Campaigns (1874-1875)
Cheyenne and Sioux (1876-1877)
Nez Perce (1877)
Bannock (1878)
White River (Ute Indian) (1878)
Cheyenne (1878-1879)

Sioux (1862-1863)
Indian Campaign (1865-1868)
Fenian Invasion of Canada (1866)
Indian Campaign (1867-1869)
Modoc Indian (1872-1873)
Apaches (1873)
Indian Campaigns (1874-1875)
Cheyenne and Sioux (1876-1877)
Nez Perce (1877)
Bannock (1878)
White River (Ute Indian) (1878)
Cheyenne (1878-1879)
Anglo-Boer War (1879-1902)
The Boxer Rebellion (1895)
Spanish-American War (1898-1899)
Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902)
1900 Geneva Convention (III) on Maritime Warfare.
1900 Boxer Rebellion in China.
1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
1903 After the Colombian Senate refused to ratify Hay-Heran Treaty, proponents of the Panama Canal declared Panama independent from Colombia, and supported by a US warship on 1903 the Republic of Panama signed an equivalent treaty. In 1921, the USA paid Colombia $25 million for the loss of Panama.
1904 Japanese start Russo-Japanese War by surprise naval attack on Port Arthur harbor, Manchuria.

THE LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE BUT BEFORE THOSE DATES IT WAS MOSTLY TERRITORIAL AND AFTER THOSE DATES IT WAS MOSTLY POLITICAL

Answer 1

How are all these religious? Some of the wars listed here are religious certainly: The Albigensian Crusade (1203-1226) for example. But many of these are territorial and political wars, not religious.

The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
- A war between the nations of France and England over the remaining English territories in France.

The Wars of the Roses (1455-1485)
- A series of wars between two of the English great houses, York and Lancaster, over the succession to the English throne.

English Civil Wars (1642-1649)
First English Civil War (1642-1646)
- The same war, and you seem to have forgotten the English Civil War between King Stephen and Empress Maud (Mathilda) in 1135-1154

The Indian Wars (against the Native Americans by the US) were more about gaining territory and wealth than any religious intent.

You've also forgotten perhaps the most important set of religious wars of the medieval period - the crusades in the holy land.

Answer 2

Religion had nothing to do with it. Greed is what causes mankind to use religion as a tool of hatred and oppression. All the things you listed are against everything taught in religion. Unfair societal laws were/are at their worst in the Communist/ Atheist countries like China and Russia. Opposition to progress will arise in any people who just want the world to be stable - it isn't. A hindrance to education - enables people to gain power over others. unethical pursuit of money? All prophets say give your money to the poor. You're doing the same as the people who do this from a religious perspective. Blaming a group of people for all the wrongs in the world. Hitler did the same thing. It's more complicated than that. There is no denying that Greed is the biggest cause of conflict, negativity and evil in the world.

Answer 3

You got a good list there. :-)

While many wars have been fought in the name of God or religion , does that mean that God is the cause.?!

Careful examination of those wars would likely prove that the main reason behind it is dominance.
One man want to be better or own another man and/or his property.

The Bible says that man will 'dominate man to his injury'
Even in peace times , man cannot rule man properly.- Thats a proven fact.

Christians today are commanded NOT to kill.
That is non negotiable ..!

Any government or individual claiming to be following the true god yet is stirring for war proves without any doubt that they are following their own desires , and not the will of God.

So while there is a huge and truly disgusting list of wars , it shows two things.

One , that Bible prophecy is true and that we are living in the last days of this Satan run wicked system of things , and two that it is not in mans power to save himself.

For more information plz feel free to email me.

Answer 4

I agree that religion causes many wars. Im Christian by the way. However, it's not just the existence of religion that causes war, it's the fact that people cant accept the fact that everyone can believe different things. If only we could all just respect each others' beliefs then we wouldnt have all these religious wars.

Answer 5

WAR IS ABOUT WANTING MORE! More freedom, more land, more power, more gas, more oil or just hate and oppression of others. Once in a while there is a RIGHTEOUS war. Lots of times it is not. BUT if it is against me, my family, my friends, my town, my state, my country and my planet... I WILL FIGHT! I will turn the cheek twice but after that...it is ON! Peace under any conditions or to serve evil is just as bad or worse. If you don't stand up for something, you will lay down for anything!

Answer 6

Wow - seeing them all in a row like that is certainly frightening.

I always find it amusing when Christians try to blame Stalin and Pol Pot on atheists. Those genocides happened regardless of the religious choices of the dictators who instituted them - they were largely purgings of social classes and political dissenters.

-Atheist

Answer 7

Wow...you really did your research. But, considering that most of those battles were territorial....with the INTENT of converting more people to the conquerors beliefs......
Yes, the primary question is still true.

Answer 8

Unfortunately, you are right.

I did not look carefully: is the one that WE started in Iraq listed here?

[i don't mind being reported as a *****, as some sad poor clown said above]

Answer 9

Good point. I think there are ulterior motives involved which use religion as a guise though.
Religion is a great excuse though because it is subjective.

Answer 10

I have been thinking on wars that had nothing to do with God
Thanks

Men have always fought wars
Men are warriors just like God