People say religion was the cause of all wars in the world.?

Question

If that's the case - Did religion cause two of the biggest wars in history - WW1 or WW2?

I don't mean where religious leaders doing nothing to stop the wars. Where the people who started the wars catholic etc. What I mean is - was the underlying cause of WW1 and WW2, the result of religion? If so, how?

(if there's no religion in the world NO CATHOLIC religion, there's no belief in God, if there's no belief in God, there's no morals. No morals = war and sin.)

Answer 1

Let us just look at the wars the United States has been involved in. The American Revolution was not about religion. England was not trying to set up a national church in the colonies. The war was about self-government.

The War of 1812 was merely a continuation of the Revolution. The direct cause was British impressment of American sailors. Again, no religious cause there.

The war with Mexico had no religious component. Both sides were mostly Christian, but religion wasn't why the war was fought. That one was the Mexican government invited American settlers into Texas and promised them certain freedoms. After they settled, the freedoms were taken away. They rebelled, became independent and later, when they joined with the US, the US and Mexico went to war.

The CIvil War was not religious. True, both sides claimed God was on their side, but that doesn't mean they fought because of religious differences. It was states' rights and slavery they were fighting over.

The Spanish American War was not a religious war either. That was America's only truly imperialistic war. European countries were gobbling up land and America decided they needed to get some of their own.

As stated above, World Wars I & II had no religious components whatsoever. Korea and Vietnam weren't religious in nature. That was capitalism versus communism.

The Gulf War was not religious. Saddam tried to say it was after he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. But he was just grasping for power and the religious aspect just happened to be a card in his deck.

The only religious war America ever fought is the current war against the Islamic terrorists. And even then, it isn't a war against Islam. It is a war against Islamic extremists. Those extremists, I believe, aren't truly religious. They are preying on the beliefs of the masses, stirring them in their quest for power.

So, religion has not been a factor in causing any American War except the current one. As stated, after the wars start, both sides may claim divine guidance, but that is to rally the people at home.

Answer 2

People cause all these wars and hatred in the world. Yes unfortunetly religion is a big factor behind most of them, but it's not because the bible tells people to fight against eachother but because ignorant groups of people trying to dominate others over their beliefs. The bible tells us that when the Jews rebuild the temple for a 3rd time it will start the beginning of Armeggeddon. So it will likely make certain religious groups very angry when they do so.

Answer 3

Up to the 18th century lots of wars were about beliefs but mostly it was land acquisition and greed , before there was religion the world was at constant war . the religious wars are always the most cruel and bloody . religious bigotry and intolerance have been the bane of human existence. and being religious rarely goes with kindness and understanding. those are qualities that are born into some and not others . example Ireland Catholics killing for there religion and Protestants doing exactly the same . 3500 humans paid the price of there so called love thy neighbour

Answer 4

I’m afraid it’s more complex than that.

To say religion causes all wars is far too simplistic logic. I would say that religion causes division, and in turn, division causes conflict, but the actual trigger for warfare can be all manner of things.

If you divide a civilisation, you will automatically induce resentment between the groups you have created. This is a natural, genetic response; we are pack animals and we will always naturally protect our social group.

Historically, civilisation has been either split up or assimilated either directly; by building empires and expanding kingdoms, or by religion. Empires and kingdoms have given us national flags and borders, but religion has spanned those borders by dividing faith.

So, the argument that religion causes all war is only partially valid. It’s more accurate to say religion represents division which is an essential instrument of war because without division, how would we know who to shoot at?

No Borders
No Flags
No Religion
Peace

Answer 5

4 reasons people go to war:
1. religous beleifs (not the same as religion itself)
2. land (and power over that land)
3. political reasons
4. retaliation

It's not religion that causes the wars but people's actions based on their religious beleifs. Like the Spanish Inquisition or the Salem witch trials, people are doing mass harm because they thought it was their religious duties. Interestingly, most of the mass deaths that are brought on because of religous zealots aren't called wars. They are "conflicts" like the Crusades, Nazi Genocide. Hundreds of thousands killed "in the name of religion". Most major religious conflicts are in our earlier history but there are still some that remain. Darfur is a conflict that is over land and religion. There are middle eastern fights about the dominant religion. It's just not what drives people to act out as much in this point of our evolution.

We have migrated to wanting land, being political, and revenge (which is a step in the wrong direction). Revenge started WWI and Power over land started WWII. It's just a cycle that is doomed to repeat itself until the end of time.

Answer 6

I wouldn't say religion was the DIRECT cause of the world wars, however:

The idea of religion is to live your life and make choices based on a set of standards developed by people with similar beliefs which could then be based upon a deity. So for anyone who is truly 'religious', all of their actions should spawn from thier religion.

Accoding to that, you could say all chioces and actions of the self-proclaimed 'religious' are a result of thier religion.

So I would certainly argue that religion was an indirect result of WWI and WWII. bg2001 is right, though, about the gerenral political reasons for the world wars. Specifically, world war one began because of the assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Good question. :)

Answer 7

Ultimately, money is the cause of most wars. It's not necessarily why others get involved, but it is the cause. Religion is often used as a tool by those in power to whip up support of their money/power grab. So, while the primary cause of war is money, most could not be sustained without religion.

Answer 8

Religion played it's part in these wars by doing little to stop them.
The church entered into alliances with political rulers for their own ends. They also played a key role in sending men to their deaths or to take the lives of others,even those of the same faith. The church has wielded great power over the centuries but seldom used it to stop war. The catholic church has admitted that as a whole it stood idly by as millions died at the hands of the Nazis. Was Hitler ever excommunicated?

Answer 9

well, its either religion or politics, generally a bit of both.

ww1 began at sarajevo, someone popped the german chancellor...

ww2 began because adolph hitler had ideas above his pay grade.. and the country, which was in turmoil from ww1, listened the the charismatic sociopath. and religion didnt so much play a part, as become a part when he persecuted the jews...

(and stalin killed more of his own russians than hitler ever did jews... around 10 million) and no one knows how many died under Mao... or pol pot in cambodia...

lets say that ideology, social political or relgious ideology is the primary causal factor in ALL wars

Answer 10

I may be "BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE" here, - and, I am SORRY, if this OFFENDS, - but, as I see it, - the TRUTH is, as FOLLOWS!

A previous answerer, lists FOUR legitimate reasons, for WAR, dear, - I have NO ARGUMENTS, whatsoever WITH those reasons, as GIVEN, but, - if HISTORY is to be BELIEVED, - there HAS indeed, been a God-awful conflict, that was caused by SEX, - or at least, by the DESIRE of ONE man, for the WIFE of ANOTHER, - but, it was a LOT FURTHER BACK, in time, than EITHER of the conflicts, known as World War ONE, and World War TWO!

THINK, about the REASON, why the soldiers under the command of Agamemnon went to war, with those, loyal, to his rival, - Paris.

Purely, and simply, Paris STOLE Agamemnon's WIFE, - HELEN OF TROY, - which, led to the TROJAN WARS!