Religious War

Are religious wars ever justified?

 

 Some main questions to ponder with your thinking mind...

 

What is a religious war?

-          Are all religions prone to religious wars?

  

Is atheism considered a religion?  If so, how can it start a war?

  

Are all wars religious wars?

-          What is the difference between a war and a religious war?

  

What instigates a religious war?

  

Do religious wars go against the religious teachings?

-          The golden rule (?)

-          Do they think of it as religious justification? 

               o   If so, how can religious people be confident in their actions by justifying them in the name of their God (Deity, Religion)

  

Is the term "religious wars" an oxymoron?

 

How can we decide whether a war may be more moral than another?

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Side Thoughts for even more pondering...

  

Is terrorism a religious war?

- Are terrorists a form of freedom fighters?

  

Is religion used as a scapegoat to wars? 

 

Do people use religion to start conflict?

-          Excuse? 

 

What is the basis of religious wars?

o   Fear?

o   Greed?

o   Power?

o   Control?

o   Ego?

  

Is the media a part of religious wars?

-          Censoring (Tibet)

-          Encouraging conflict

  

Do religious wars infringe human rights and freedoms?

  

Do you find that monotheistic  religions are more active participants in religious or are polytheistic religions?

  

Are certain cultures (Western vs. Eastern) prone to wars?  Internal conflicts?

-          Difference of beliefs or difference of culture that starts religious wars?   

Thoughts from past seminars, oh yes more pondering...

 

- If some views are based around that science and religion are one and the same, then can there be ways based around science?

 

- If God does exist, would He want us to fight in His name?

     - Relating back to "would He want us to prove that He does exist?"

The Basics 

  

What is a religious war?

 

According to the answers.com a religious war is “a war declared or fought for a religious or high moral purpose, as to extend or defend a religion.”http://www.answers.com/topic/religious-war

 

Another definition of a religious war is “a war undertaken in the name of a religion” http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861691954/holy_war.html

-         Does this definition relate back to the question: “is religion used as an excuse, or instigator for war?”

 

 

Examples of Religious Wars

  

The French Wars of Religion (1562 to 1598);

• French Catholics and Protestants started a civil war and military operations.
• The war ended after the establishment of the Edict of Nantes, a treaty which granted religious toleration to Protestants.

The Crusades;

·        Were a series of religious wars fought by  Christian Europe mainly against the Muslims

·        Original goal was to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control

·        Had many social, economic and political impacts

·        There were nine Crusades in total

Israel-Palestine;

·        Following the aftermath of WWII, the UN granted a small portion of the Holy Land (Israel) to the Jews

·        Fighting and war broke out immediately with the outraged Muslims

·        Conflict of faith, religion and control for the Holy Land

Reconquista;

• Spanish for recapture
• Took place in the Middle Ages; lasted for 800 years
• Christian Kingdoms fought and succeeded against the Muslims for recapturing the Iberian Peninsula

The Holocaust

• Discriminated against followers of the Jewish faith
• Refers to the genocide and mass killings of approximately 6 million Jews
• Were targeted to inhumane acts of evil because of their religious beliefs

 

 

Could the current war in the Middle East be considered a religious war?

 

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Main Arguments

  

War is justified:

 

-         Part of God’s plan for you to fulfill you role

o       Further thought, you have to know darkness in order to see the light

     "Know when you are acting the role that universe gave you, and fulfil that role to it utmost, but also know that you are only part of the game, and it might very well be that you are destined to be defeated in order for something else to follow. We are not god, but we are a part of god" http://paulocoelhoblog.com/discuss/11.11.2006/2-religious-wars/

 

-         Means of establishing their Deity

 

-         Superiority to one another

 

-         Protecting your home, country, people

 

-         Standing up for what you believe in

 

-         Defensive (you are attacked; self-defence)

 

 

War is not justified:

 

-         Goes against basic religious and moral teachings

            - The Golden Rule (Treat everyone the way you want to be treated)

 

-         Every religion is a threat to another religion’s establishment of moral superiority. Since there is no substantial evidence proving one religion to be better than the other (which not many people are willing to accept), the only way a religion can establish its superiority is through war.

-         Vamini: “God is one, religions are many. God is love personified and therefore, religious wars do not reflect anything that is God-like.” http://paulocoelhoblog.com/discuss/11.11.2006/2-religious-wars/?cp=1

-       Thought of there is only one God

          - If there is only one God, why do people need to prove that their God is superior of each other?

          - Relates back to "Does God Exist?" seminar, if there was a God, would He want people to fight in His name?  

If you are interested in furthering your research and thoughts, feel free to visit these links:

 

Online discussion about religious wars:

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/discuss/11.11.2006/2-religious-wars/?cp=11  

  

More thoughts

http://www.reference.com/search?q=Religious+war

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 Books about religious wars:

 

The End of Days by Gershom Gorenberg

     Conflict in the Middle East has resulted in untold death, destruction and suffering. Although many have offered plausible arguments as to the social, political, and economic origins of the various conflicts, inevitably everything keeps coming back to religion: the disagreement and violence between Christians, Jews, and Muslims

 

Wrath of Jonah by Rosemary Radford Ruether, Herman J. Ruether

Religious leaders normally argue that religion is a force for good and love in the world. Yet, at the same time, we see religion regularly used for war, mass murder, and even genocide. Why does this difference exist - how can religion be claimed as a basis for peace while so many use it as a basis for terrorism?

 

Why the Nations Rage by Christopher Catherwood

Religious leaders normally argue that religion is a force for good and love in the world. Yet, at the same time, we see religion regularly used for war, mass murder, and even genocide. Why does this difference exist - how can religion be claimed as a basis for peace while so many use it as a basis for terrorism?

 

For God And Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire by James Yee

Is America's 'war on terrorism' really a war against extremism and on behalf of democracy, or is it instead a war on Islam? Americans insist that their concern is political, not religious, but there are good reasons to believe that even if this is true, the rhetoric and conduct of Americans is turning the war on terrorism into a war on Islam.

 

Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence by Hector Avalos

Most religions depict themselves as forces for peace and harmony; in reality, most religions have been intimately involved in some of the worst violence that humanity has ever experienced. How and why does this contradiction exist? It's true that religions preach peace overtly, but perhaps there is something going on in the background which people don't notice consciously.

 

*Note these books and summaries are from the source:http://atheism.about.com/od/islamicextremismpeople/tp/TopRecentTerr.htm

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