Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site umcp-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!mangoe From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: War and Death Message-ID: <353@umcp-cs.UUCP> Date: Sun, 14-Oct-84 22:31:06 EDT Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.353 Posted: Sun Oct 14 22:31:06 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 16-Oct-84 06:07:35 EDT References: <856@ihuxp.UUCP> <272@umcp-cs.UUCP> <865@ihuxp.UUCP> Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD Lines: 20 Walt Pesch has pointed out a number of examples where he claims that wars were caused/fomented by religion. He has also dared me to flame him. All right, I'll go ahead and make his day. Ignoring the wars centered around the reformation and the crusade, none of the other examples he cites were STARTED by "religion". Sure people call upon religion to justify their wars, but this is rationalization, and is an abuse of religion. The Inquisition was not a war. The wars around 1000 during the christianization of Scandinavia had nothing to do with religion at all; they had been going on before christianity came, and they simply continued. Now, I admit that the first crusades and jewish revolts had some religious causes-- they also had lots of other causes as well. In my experience, not enough people have been so committed to religion that they were willing to start and continue large scale war on its behalf, without resorting to other reasons for the war.