Religion the #1 cause for war?

[Philomath]

Of course religion has been used as a justification for war throughout history; no one can deny that fact. However, the claim that religion is #1 cause for war is false. The Encyclopedia of Wars by Charles Phillips and Alan Axelrod document the history of recorded warfare. From their list of 1763 wars only 123 have been classified to involve a religious cause, accounting for less than 7 percent of all wars and less than 2 percent of all people killed in warfare.

It is estimated that approximately 1 to 3 million people died in the Crusades, and possibly 3,000 in the Inquisition. But none of those events combined equal the destruction caused by WW1 where nearly 35 million people died due to secular reasons.

So truly, is religion the #1 cause for war? I don't think so.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

However, you have to admit that religion is the #1 cause for wearing silly hats and headwear.

 

[Philomath]

However, you have to admit that religion is the #1 cause for wearing silly hats and headwear.

I'll concede to that

 

[Poeticus]

Of course religion has been used as a justification for war throughout history; no one can deny that fact. However, the claim that religion is #1 cause for war is false. The Encyclopedia of Wars by Charles Phillips and Alan Axelrod document the history of recorded warfare. From their list of 1763 wars only 123 have been classified to involve a religious cause, accounting for less than 7 percent of all wars and less than 2 percent of all people killed in warfare.

It is estimated that approximately 1 to 3 million people died in the Crusades, and possibly 3,000 in the Inquisition. But none of those events combined equal the destruction caused by WW1 where nearly 35 million people died due to secular reasons.

So truly, is religion the #1 cause for war? I don't think so.

Philomath,

May you be kind as to explain who or
what argues that religion is the #1
cause for war? I always presumed that
the argument was religion can cause
conflicts and may and has led to wars,
instead.​

 

[Tumah]

However, you have to admit that religion is the #1 cause for wearing silly hats and headwear.

Is that true?

 

[ChristineES]

War seems to have an infinite number of causes: Borders, people wanting to take over other countries, a coup, fight for freedom, dictatorship. Actually, most people fight in wars because their leaders/government tell them to and most of the time, they don't tell the people fighting the true reason(s), in my opinion.

 

[Philomath]

Philomath,

May you be kind as to explain who or
what argues that religion is the #1
cause for war? I always presumed that
the argument was religion can cause
conflicts and may and has led to wars,
instead.​

A few Atheists I've met and people such as George Carlin who has stated:"More people have been killed in the name of God than for any other reason."

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

Of course religion has been used as a justification for war throughout history; no one can deny that fact. However, the claim that religion is #1 cause for war is false. The Encyclopedia of Wars by Charles Phillips and Alan Axelrod document the history of recorded warfare. From their list of 1763 wars only 123 have been classified to involve a religious cause, accounting for less than 7 percent of all wars and less than 2 percent of all people killed in warfare.

It is estimated that approximately 1 to 3 million people died in the Crusades, and possibly 3,000 in the Inquisition. But none of those events combined equal the destruction caused by WW1 where nearly 35 million people died due to secular reasons.

So truly, is religion the #1 cause for war? I don't think so.

So what single cause accounts for more than 7% of all wars? I don't think you have made your case. Are you saying that 7% is not significant or that there is something more significant? Why should religion account for any wars? Are you wanting to debate the rank of religion in causes of war, or are you wanting to debate that if something else accounts for 8% or more of all wars, than relgion somehow has a clean slate? Have you considered that even if the cause of war is not religious, that the religious culture may still have played a significant roll in the percipitation of war? E.g. the causes of WWII are varied and complicated and few would say it was a war of religion. However Hitler spent a tremendous amount of energy lighting the religiouis fervor of the German people to convince them this was their divine right and that he himself was the sword of god sent to punish their enemies.

 

[Philomath]

So what single cause accounts for more than 7% of all wars?

There is no one single cause that accounts for it; there are multiple causes.

I don't think you have made your case. Are you saying that 7% is not significant or that there is something more significant?

Nope

Why should religion account for any wars?

It shouldn't.

Are you wanting to debate the rank of religion in causes of war, or are you wanting to debate that if something else accounts for 8% or more of all wars, than relgion somehow has a clean slate?

I'm not trying to debate either of those points. I was attempting to disprove a myth which I've heard quite a few times about religion. I'm just pointing out that religion is not the greatest cause for war as I've heard it be called several times.

Have you considered that even if the cause of war is not religious, that the religious culture may still have played a significant roll in the percipitation of war? E.g. the causes of WWII are varied and complicated and few would say it was a war of religion. However Hitler spent a tremendous amount of energy lighting the religiouis fervor of the German people to convince them this was their divine right and that he himself was the sword of god sent to punish their enemies.

I've considered it. I recognize that Hitler used religion to stir up the German people, but there were other causes behind WWII. This isn't to say religion can't be held responsible for some it, but it can't be held responsible for all of it.

 

[Poeticus]

...George Carlin who has stated:"More people have been killed in the name of God than for any other reason."

I do not believe, if I am reading this correctly,
Carlin is saying that religion is the #1 cause. But...
When you add up the number of deaths from
the "For God, Gold, and Glory" days (notice how
'God' is the first of the three), along with the
other events mentioned*, Carlin kind of makes
sense. As for deaths accounted in events such
as the World Wars, it is widely accepted in many
history circles that there were more than one
prime factors at play**. Perhaps, this is why the
example of WWI may not be applicable as an
empirical comparative.
________________
* Western imperialism & colonialism

** In fact, it makes more sense to say that most
wars have occurred for socio-economic reasons
with an ardent political flavor thrown in to the mix;
stating that religion is the #1 cause for "war" is
unfounded on most occasions.​

 

[yoda89]

If there is no justification for war and religion is used as a justification of war. Then religion is unjustified due to it causing war. Your first sentence says it all.

Being a cause of death isn't something to be happy about or even take pride in.

 

[Breathe]

War seems to have an infinite number of causes: Borders, people wanting to take over other countries, a coup, fight for freedom, dictatorship. Actually, most people fight in wars because their leaders/government tell them to and most of the time, they don't tell the people fighting the true reason(s), in my opinion.

This. Definitely this.

 

[Sunstone]

Religion may not be the main cause of wars, but I agree with Mark Twain that you can usually count on a large number of the pulpits to back a war once it gets started.

 

[LuisDantas]

So truly, is religion the #1 cause for war? I don't think so.

Neither do I. Of course, it is rare for it to be utterly unconnected to the political and social causes of war as well.

But in and of itself, it is probably not much of a cause of war.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

the claim that religion is #1 cause for war is false.

So what single cause accounts for more than 7% of all wars? I don't think you have made your case.

There is no one single cause that accounts for it; there are multiple causes.

The data you present does not address your claim. You state that 7% of wars have a religious component or cause. Accepted. But how does that speak to what is or is not the No. 1 cause of war? If there are multiple causes, how do I know any of them rank higher than religion?

 

[rusra02]

I think religions have justified war, and been willing partners with political rulers in fomenting and supporting war. Thus, while wars may be fought for other than religious reasons, the churches, synogogues and temples have served as recruiting stations for bloodletting. Pertinent is this quote: "Religion seems to be connected with violence virtually everywhere. . . . In recent years, religious violence has erupted among right-wing Christians in the United States, angry Muslims and Jews in the Middle East, quarrelling Hindus and Muslims in South Asia, and indigenous religious communities in Africa and Indonesia. . . . The individuals involved in these cases have relied on religion to provide political identities and give license to vengeful ideologies.”—Terror in the Mind of God—The Global Rise of Religious Violence.

 

[Quintessence]

The data you present does not address your claim. You state that 7% of wars have a religious component or cause. Accepted. But how does that speak to what is or is not the No. 1 cause of war? If there are multiple causes, how do I know any of them rank higher than religion?

FunctionalAtheist is right here. In order for the assessment based on this gentleman's work to hold true, we need to see the full rank-order of causes and compare them across the board. If there are a large number of assessed causes, a value of 7% may actually be high, relatively speaking.

...

Wait a sec.

Am I actually defending a point that serves to sabotage my own self-interst as a religious individual and give angstheists more rage-ammunition?

:areyoucra

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

FunctionalAtheist is right here.

Eh, yea!!!

Wait a sec.

Am I actually defending a point that serves to sabotage my own self-interst as a religious individual and give angstheists more rage-ammunition?

:areyoucra

muahahahaha!

 

[Quintessence]

Eh, yea!!!
muahahahaha!

I blame my alma mater for instilling in me a strong sense of research ethics and intellectual honesty when it comes to science and statistics. If one makes statistical claims, they need to be properly backed up.

Now, what one concludes based on these data is another thing entirely. If one goes from here and claims "religion" (in quotes, because all too often, that word is not used in a way that is actually representative of everything that may fall under that header) is a problem in need of correcting, I will snap at you if you dare state that as a matter-of-fact when it is a value judgement and opinion based on the statistical facts. And then I'll probably snap at you and demand you get more specific than "religion" because that is a stupidly broad category.

 

[LuisDantas]

FunctionalAtheist is right here. In order for the assessment based on this gentleman's work to hold true, we need to see the full rank-order of causes and compare them across the board. If there are a large number of assessed causes, a value of 7% may actually be high, relatively speaking.

...

Wait a sec.

Am I actually defending a point that serves to sabotage my own self-interst as a religious individual and give angstheists more rage-ammunition?

:areyoucra

If that is what it takes for you to protect your credibility, then you probably are.

That is just who you are.