Is religion really the main cause of war?

Question

Or is it the people that follow the religion?
I believe that religion can only lead to war when it is interpreted in the wrong way. Therefore, religion is not the main cause of war, it is actually the 'wrong' followers and believers.
What do you think?

Answer 1

Virtually every religion in the world teaches peace. Those who wage war in religion's name are not following the teachings of that religion. This applies to Christians, Muslims, and everybody else.

Answer 2

Religion isn't the main cause of war, religious intolerance is a common cause of war. The usual human motivations ultimately apply - power being the strongest out there. People who want to enforce their POV on others, or gain power over others for the validation of their own thinking. (I can get these other people to believe me, therefore I am smartest, best, right, and this gives me the right to control everything! - an example of how power mongers start the ball rolling) Usually the very roots of conflict are so old and twisted, it isn't possible to find the origin of the conflict. It just gets carried from generation to generation, as long as people decide not to think for themselves, and to not critically examine what's happening.

Answer 3

Actually, I don't think religion has a whole lot to do with war...people that want to wage war may use religion as a rallying cry to gain loyal followers, but the original cause of most wars is usually a version of greed...or perhaps more accurately, coveting.

A man wants to expand his power and his wealth...he wants to acquire something that belongs to someone else. If he has more power/might than the other person, he takes what he wants by force and person who loses his property (or the surviving members of his family) desires revenge.

If you trace the origins of most wars back to the very beginning of the conflict, you'll find that most conflicts emerged over land or property...religion enters the equation when the scale of the conflict increases to the point that the ones who want to sustain or escalate it need the cooperation of others that weren't affected by the original conflict.

Answer 4

Religion is one of the main motivators, justification and tools for war.
Religion is political and it is used by politicians to stir the emotions in their country to the point that a war becomes justified.
It also allows the dehumanization of those you intend war against. The more people you intend to kill can be made less human than you the easier it is to make war on them.
(Notice that Muslims are seldom shown wearing suits on your media, always in beards and robes)

In the USA with 43% of the population Fundamentalists the 'Crusade' against Muslims (sorry, "Muslim terrorists," it is important to get the most loaded terms in place) religion plays a very large role in justifying the Oil war.

So religion is not, in my opinion actually the cause of war. Economics is still behind all wars.
Religion is a major tool of the warmongers though.

Answer 5

Your right it is not religion per se. It is wrong religion that causes war.
Does anyone think that Jesus would have gone to war? Of course not! He preached love of one's enemies. He was the Prince of Peace, and if everyone in the world followed His teaching there would be no war, and true, unselfish love would abide everywhere. In fact the world would be a most wonderful place, a virtual heaven on Earth.

Answer 6

Both. But not for ALL wars....

But in those wars when religion IS a factor, then BOTH..

Religion is man-made control, lead by people who interpret God as they see fit, followed by people who want to believe in that particular interpretation.

Answer 7

The cause of war, is that we live in a society where we give praise to our differences, rather than our similarities. And we feel we must persecute those who show weakness. A 'dog-eat-dog' world, instead of seeing we are all part of the same beautiful life experience.

So seeing someone thinks differently, (about religion, for example) is cause, in our time now, to start war.

.

Answer 8

That's only recent. Most of the wars in the past have been over land.

I mean, look at WW I and WW II!!! These had nothing whatsoever to do with religion!

And even the wars mentioned in Biblical times was usually an issue of land aquisition, when the nations surrounding Israel kept attacking Israel to gain their territory!

Religious wars are, in the long view of history, rather minimal, and only recent.

Answer 9

No, wars are caused by ppl who use religion to initiate them, not by religion itself. War mongers have ulterior motives and exploit angry ignorant mobs in the name of religion to wage wars or to recruit terrorists all the same.

Answer 10

Religion doesn't cause war, people just use it to justify war. War is about economics, a struggle for land and resources. But religious justification usually sounds prettier than "Give us what we want or we'll kill you and take it".