Does Religion Cause War? Essay

Things that we would call beliefs are often thought of by other cultures as just the way things are - matters of fact, not opinion. Religious belief systems in particular and other aspects of locals' world view can be driving motivators for conflict; economics is not the only reason people fight.

5) Religion is such a common factor of territorial conflict that people sometimes outright say that religion is sometimes the main cause. Religion has caused much territorial conflict from the Crusades hundreds of years ago to extreme tensions today. For example, the conflict between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir stems from the fact that the ethnic minority of the area claimed by India is Muslim, and Pakistan is a heavily Muslim-majority country. In addition, Israel uses religious reasoning in order to justify the possession of the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem from the people who were already living there.

Religions differing has caused many conflicts throughout history. “The feeling of attachment to tribalism and fake patriotism under the umbrella of religion is stronger and more apparent than respect for human rights and pluralism” (Mhamed 2). When people are tied so greatly to their religion, they will be willing to throw away their morals and do whatever they deem is right for their beliefs, leading to constant wars. “different tribal and so-called patriotic groups resort to religion to gain legacy and popularity” (Mhamad 2). Religion is even just a way to unite people to war such as saying they are doing something in the name of their deity

Many of the ancient and historical conflicts are believed to be connected to religion in a various ways and proven that religion can be used as an excuse for violence. For instance, The Crusade Wars ended in the brutality of both Christians and Muslims during the mass dispute (Burton 1984). The Jews have perpetrated massacres through nations for the solitary reason to attain their belief. During the reformation of Christians thousands of people were killed because of their religion. In Yugoslavia, the war in 1991 pitted Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and Catholics against each other in a brutal combat (Avalos 2005). Also, thousands of monks were being persecuted in Burma

One reason that religion becomes a source of political violence is the hostility some have to changing times. Some believe that modernization has led the world down an evil path away from religion. Another reason political violence is linked to religion is that there is a belief that modern states try to suppress believers. Radicals even think that others wish to exterminate believers. They don’t see violence as violence against civilians, but instead violence of good versus evil. The third reason religion can be linked to political violence is that some groups hold extreme messianic, apocalyptic, and utopian beliefs. Violence is an important ritual for some extreme religious groups. Currently ISIS is a prime example of political violence linked to religion. ISIS wants to enforce their views of conservative Islamic traditions. The leaders of ISIS are referred to as caliphs, which are seen as political successors to Muhammad (“Islamic State.” 2014). Some individuals that carry out terrorist attacks in the name of certain religious terrorist groups like ISIS, see violence as a way to add meaning to their live and achieve religious goals. This type of violence would be individually explained, because it is personal factors that lead them to carry out the

Politics and religion in the world of today aren’t subjects that generally go hand in hand in our own society. This was not always the case however; in Europe the two were synonymous up until relatively recently, (recently meant in the loosest sense of the word,) and are still closely tied in foreign parts of the world, the most obvious example being the Middle East. The duos intimate relationship was exemplified during the late sixteenth century, extending into the seventeenth century, during a series of wars which would later on come to be called “the wars of religion.” But is this title completely appropriate? For wars claiming to be centered on religion, they seem to carry an awfully heavy load of political baggage. In fact, one

In a national sense, religious belief and identity can separate whole nations from one another, like in the case of Ireland and England, one of the defining differences is our belief in a different branch of Christianity. This can have disastrous effects on the world as a whole. Religion can be held accountable for the majority of warfare and bloodshed in the world today as nations attack each over their differing beliefs and ideals. Many nations will use religion and beliefs to try to justify the awful atrocities they commit on one another. In this sense, religion

But it also doesn’t make it correct to assert that religion is the primary cause of war. If you read the “Encyclopedia of Wars,” (Phillips and Axelrod, Facts on File, December 2004) the authors say of the 1,763, only 123 of the wars have been counted as resulting in religious reasoning. This number is a low 6.9% of all wars. Many wars were waged by Islam, and if you cut the 66 that were waged by them, you are at 3.23%. This is nearly half of all the wars caused by religion. This means that all faiths combined minus Islam, have caused less than 4% of all wars. This also means that these religions have had no part in the wars that have resulted with the most lives lost. Lives lost in wars caused by religion do not even compare to those that were lost in wars where they wanted nothing to do with

It is not uncommon for religious followers to be intolerant of another’s religious beliefs and practices. It is this kind of negative behavior which leads to exclusivism or excluding others from certain privileges or treating someone differently because of their religious beliefs. In some extreme cases, religious beliefs clash in violent ways. There are instances when people lose touch with the message and end up fighting for the symbol. If someone’s religious beliefs clash so strongly with another groups and one group is so

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a warrior in the holy wars? Well, you mightn’t want to. These wars included lots of torment and bloodshed of the religious leaders. These oppositions of religion were entirely wrong. Religious leaders showed hatred and anger to other religions, resulting in them having wars.

One could also use the conflict theory to look at Religion as well. The conflict theory is

Since many religions have started in the Middle East, it has become the center for erupting conflicts. For instance, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been in the news for many reasons. Both groups want control of the God given land that they both claim is theirs, according to God, and what had happened in the past. The result of the conflict is religious terrorism (PBS, 1). Continuing, some Middle Eastern politics have been in conflict, even dividing communities of the

Persecution caused by religion has always existed, and in recent years has escalated to astonishing numbers. The persecution people face may be a simple, non-life-threatening incident such as being made fun of for your beliefs. However, in other more extreme cases people may be raped, beaten, or even killed due to their religious beliefs. The number of terrorist attacks in the name of religion is on the rise. About one person is killed every three minutes by different Islamic groups, totaling 450 people every day and 160,000 a year (“Christians Are Being Persecuted Worldwide”) From December 15, 2014, to January 13, 2015, there were seventeen attacks made by Islamic groups alone (“Terror Attacks”).

Religion is the basis of belief for humans, it is a belief that there is a higher being that watches over us guiding us, a belief that there is life after death and if we follow these beliefs we shall enter heaven the most beautiful place. However religion has also played a role in wars, religious conflicts in Ireland (Protestants and Catholics). Israelis and Arabs (Holy Land) and the Holy Crusades of the eleventh century (recapturing the Holy Land).

There are different views on the role and influence of religion on conflicts. Rabkin states that religion is not a primary source of conflicts and violent strife. According to him, most often than not, religion is used only to legitimize, but not motivate conflicts. However, Jonathan Fox states that religion is one of the motivators of terrorism. The impact of religion on conflicts is also increasing over the years. Similarly in Nigeria, religion was not the central source of conflicts at the time of colonization or even after independence. However, its role has increased through time to the extent that it curtailed other important contributing factors to the conflict. Religion and identity are highly correlated in Nigeria. As a result, almost all Nigerians identify themselves with a religion: Muslims represents 50.5 % of the population; Christians represents 48.2 % of the population, and other traditional religions constitute the remaining 1.4 % of the population. This strong religious affiliation made Nigeria one of the most religious nations in the world. In a survey conducted by BBC, 95% of Nigerian respondents asserted that they would die for their religious belief. In line with this affirmation, beginning from the 1990s, violent deadly clashes in the name of religion between Christians and Muslims became the everyday phenomenon in Nigeria. In Nigeria, religion has more influence at elections and civil servant appointments than any other credentials. In