One often hears the lazy argument that "Religion" is responsible for Man's wars, the assumption being that if we got rid of religion all would be peace and harmony. Presumably then, if all men abandoned the notion that they are spirits inhabiting a material body and conceived of themselves as mere animals fashioned by chance from mud our troubles would be over and we'd all be a lot happier. This is of course untrue and does not correspond with an observation of history, nor of present reality.
It also displays a degree of fogginess about what one means by the word "religion" Religions vary considerably. There are pantheisms (the belief in many gods) monotheisms (the belief in one God who created all) and religions that worship no gods at all, such as Buddhism or modern Scientology.
At the far end of the spectrum there are even religions that do not conceive man to be an immortal soul even while life is considered to be nevertheless spiritual in essence.
Some religions such as Christianity stress faith, while faith has no place at all in others -Scientology and Buddhism being cases in point.
One should note too, while one is discussing paradigms based on Faith, that materialism remains unable to produce conclusive evidence for its basic assumption. That spirituality does not exist is a matter of belief, not evidence. One can of course produce evidence that the material universe exists and one can establish and prove its laws but this is not proof that that the material universe is all there is. The assertion that the material universe is all there is is neither scientific nor logical and is actually a statement of faith. read more...
Alright, so this vague undefined variable known as "religion" or "faith" is responsible for Man's wars. Is it true? What are your thoughts?
"Religion" doesn't cause wars, the people who practice the religion and take it to extremes and want everyone to believe/live like they do cause wars.
Religion at its very core is a set of beliefs dictated by man. It is not spirituality which is seperate, albeit considered the goal of religion. A person can be religious about anything and as such can be religious to the point of war. So, yes, religion in the concept of the fervent beliefs of man is to blame for war.
IMO, religion and god are not the answer, but the problem. It brings out the worst in people and causes nothing but hate, destruction, intolerance and death. The world would be a better place without it.
IMO people cause wars...whatever their driving issue is, at the end of the day, a person chose to believe their reason for fighting.
I absolutely do not agree that Spirituality causes intolerance & hate - its essence is pure -while some choose to twist & turn their spirituality interpretation into something dark & driven - their basis for beliefs are not rooted from spirituality, they are rooted from self...not the same.
Quoting MomIWant:
IMO people cause wars...whatever their driving issue is, at the end of the day, a person chose to believe their reason for fighting.
I absolutely do not agree that Spirituality causes intolerance & hate - its essence is pure -while some choose to twist & turn their spirituality interpretation into something dark & driven - their basis for beliefs are not rooted from spirituality, they are rooted from self...not the same.
Funny how the very God believers worship was the cause of death and destruction and even ordered it to be done. Such direct quotes fill up entire chapters of entire books in the Bible. To assert that these laws and commands did not come from God, one must concede that the Bible’s human writers were lying, extensively and shamelessly. To blame humans for war and violence done in the name of god is to totally ignore the very book you people are suppose to live by!
1 Samuel 15:2-3 says:
- This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys."
To make room for Israel in the Promised Land, God ordered the "total destruction" of the seven nations that were already occupying it. (Deuteronomy 7:1,2.) The genocide was to be absolute, encompassing both people and animals: "Do not leave alive anything that breathes." (Deuteronomy 20:16.)
Once Israel had thus conquered the Promised Land, God ordered Israel to initiate numerous wars of aggression, killing all captive men and non-virgin women, and bringing any virgin women into sexual slavery. (Numbers 31:7,17-18.) God even ordered the suckling infants of the enemy to be massacred. (1 Samuel 15:3.) Sometimes God ordered the enemy cities to be lit on fire and destroyed completely; other times he ordered them to be pillaged and plundered. (Joshua 6:24; 8:2,8; 11:11; Numbers 31:25-40.) If a soldier found a female captive to be attractive, God allowed him to force marriage, and therefore sex, on her. (Deuteronomy 21:10-14.) In modern times, this is called rape.
God also frequently caused or ordered the deaths of innocent children, infants and the unborn. He did this during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra, the drowning of the entire human race during Noah’s Flood, the slaughter of Egyptian firstborns during the Passover, and the massacre of the Mideanites and Amalekites, among countless other examples. (Genesis 19, Genesis 6-7, Exodus 12, Numbers 31, 1 Samuel 15:3.)
Yeah, for a religious group that claims to hold life sacred, their god is sure fond of genocide.
Quoting IhartU:
Funny how the very God believers worship was the cause of death and destruction and even ordered it to be done. Such direct quotes fill up entire chapters of entire books in the Bible. To assert that these laws and commands did not come from God, one must concede that the Bible’s human writers were lying, extensively and shamelessly. To blame humans for war and violence done in the name of god is to totally ignore the very book you people are suppose to live by!
Quoting IhartU:
Quoting MomIWant:
IMO people cause wars...whatever their driving issue is, at the end of the day, a person chose to believe their reason for fighting.
I absolutely do not agree that Spirituality causes intolerance & hate - its essence is pure -while some choose to twist & turn their spirituality interpretation into something dark & driven - their basis for beliefs are not rooted from spirituality, they are rooted from self...not the same.
Funny how the very God believers worship was the cause of death and destruction and even ordered it to be done. Such direct quotes fill up entire chapters of entire books in the Bible. To assert that these laws and commands did not come from God, one must concede that the Bible’s human writers were lying, extensively and shamelessly. To blame humans for war and violence done in the name of god is to totally ignore the very book you people are suppose to live by!
1 Samuel 15:2-3 says:
This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys."
To make room for Israel in the Promised Land, God ordered the "total destruction" of the seven nations that were already occupying it. (Deuteronomy 7:1,2.) The genocide was to be absolute, encompassing both people and animals: "Do not leave alive anything that breathes." (Deuteronomy 20:16.)
Once Israel had thus conquered the Promised Land, God ordered Israel to initiate numerous wars of aggression, killing all captive men and non-virgin women, and bringing any virgin women into sexual slavery. (Numbers 31:7,17-18.) God even ordered the suckling infants of the enemy to be massacred. (1 Samuel 15:3.) Sometimes God ordered the enemy cities to be lit on fire and destroyed completely; other times he ordered them to be pillaged and plundered. (Joshua 6:24; 8:2,8; 11:11; Numbers 31:25-40.) If a soldier found a female captive to be attractive, God allowed him to force marriage, and therefore sex, on her. (Deuteronomy 21:10-14.) In modern times, this is called rape.
God also frequently caused or ordered the deaths of innocent children, infants and the unborn. He did this during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra, the drowning of the entire human race during Noah’s Flood, the slaughter of Egyptian firstborns during the Passover, and the massacre of the Mideanites and Amalekites, among countless other examples. (Genesis 19, Genesis 6-7, Exodus 12, Numbers 31, 1 Samuel 15:3.)
That what you quoted is the old testment, we are not to supose to follow that anymore after Jesus came to us and died for our sins we supose to follow the new testement. THis is couple of verses that talks about not fighting.
Mathew 5:38
An Eye for an Eye
38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'g]">[g] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighborh]">[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemiesi]">[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
I can't say all religion but if ppl actulally follow the new testment we won't be having wars. Can't blame God on ppl stupidity. They want to be always right, power and wealth, because they are human if there was no religion guess what humans will fine something else to fall back on for the same stuff.
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on Oct. 4, 2009 at 12:03 AM