Religion is the Cause of War - Essay Example

?Although there are many in the atheist community that would quickly point to the understanding and belief that religion is one of the primary causesof discord, war, and strife within the world, this particular analysis will seek to take something of a middle path with regards to the way in which religion divides and differentiates one group from another. Basic human nature has proven over the course of the past centuries that humans ultimately seek to be defined based upon what they are, what they are not, and how they view themselves as well is how others view them. Many times this level of distinction was defined on terms of geographical origin, ethnicity, race, gender, language, or another means of separating and defining people (Eberle, 2012). However, arguably one of the most important means by which individuals from a variety of different locations, races, languages, and/or ethnicities can be divided is with regards to the division that religion so often provides. More powerful than the determinants which have already been listed, religion divides people based upon a nebulous belief system. Due to the fact that personal belief is almost invariably tied to worldview in the way that the individual perceives their surroundings and the reality in which they live, the reader can come to a basic understanding and realization for why such a multitude of many different religions, schisms, and splinter groups exist within the current paradigm. Accordingly, rather than stating that religion is the root cause of all global conflict, it will be the understanding that this analysis will point towards and defined that religion is one of the primal motivators for both current and past conflict. Due to the powerful way in which religion unites a wide variety of individuals from different walks of life, races, ethnicities, languages, and geographical origin, it represents one of the more dangerous aspects of the means by which individuals to find themselves and “the other”. One does not need to look very hard in order to identify some of the ways in which religion of the past has helps to motivate individuals to commit heinous atrocities. For instance, even a cursory review of tissue of the Abrahamic faiths, Judaism and Islam, illustrates a number of instances recorded in their respective holy books in which the followers of these religions were encouraged to commit unspeakable atrocities upon heathens/nonbelievers/infidels or any other such group that their supposed deity commanded that they destroy. Although opponents to such an understanding of religion would merely point to the fact that this occurred many thousands of years ago and cannot be understood as representative of current faith and the means by which war is waged, one need look no further than the situations around the globe represented within the following: the Bosnia conflict, the war in East Timor, the war ensued on, repression of minority religious groups in countries as diverse as Iran, Egypt, Mali, Burma, India, Armenia, as well as a host of others (Eberle, 2012). Ultimately, although religion can be a powerful force for good in the world, the fact of the matter is that it all too often is hijacked as a means of differentiating one people group from another, encouraging one form of strife directed at another, or merely making one group or entity feel somehow superior to another (Henne, 2012). In such a way, religion can be seen as the ultimate division whereby elements of classism, racism, and a host of other judgments are included as a means of defining who is ultimately worthy of life and who is not. In such a way, it can easily be understood by the reader why religion has a powerful role in encouraging violence towards other groups and/or nations that can somehow be dehumanized by a given belief system. This has of course happened far to many times within the past as religion has been used, and still is used as a motivator to create something of a faceless enemy which can more readily be destroyed without questions of conscience. Through a further level of understanding, the reader can come to the assumption that religion in and of itself is not ultimately the cause of all conflict; rather, it is merely utilized by many state and nonstate actors as a means of effecting goals that would otherwise be much more difficult to affect (Cavanaugh, 2011). If one considers the situation in which a given leader of a nation, either present or historical, invokes the need for access to markets or currency stabilization as a means of going to war, it becomes laughable to the general populace to sacrifice life based on such a simplistic and relatively fruitless process. However, if such a nation or group invokes religion as a means of accomplishing such an end, the level of importance necessarily skyrockets. Within such a way, the reader can and should come to an understanding of the fact that religion is the ultimate combination that allows for humanity to separate one group from another. As a function of this, religion should not be understood as the root of all global conflict; however it can be understood to define a majority of the wars and conflicts that it been evidence throughout the course of human history. Due to the fact that some of the most brutal and bloody wars of the 20th century have been fought not over religious ideals but over economic and national interests, the role in which religion plays in sparking conflict and war has somewhat diminished over the past several decades. However, a cursory review of current news, the rise of radical Islam, and the way in which evangelical hard-core Christians within the United States integrate with an understanding of how foreign policy should be dictated, all point to the fact that religion is experiencing a verifiable rebirth. To such an end, as has been stated is not relevant or fair to lay all of the burden of violent conflict and were firmly at the feet of religion; however, understanding that the lion’s share of all of this has been brought about and encouraged by religion helps to solidify the means by which an individual approaches and understands such a topic. References Cavanaugh, W. T. (2011). THE WAR ON TERROR: SECULAR OR SACRED?. Political Theology, 12(5), 685-690. doi:10.1558/poth.v12i5.685 Eberle, C. J. (2012). GOD AND WAR: AN EXPLORATION. Journal Of Law & Religion, 28(1), 1-46. Gedicks, F. (2010). AMERICAN CIVIL RELIGION: AN IDEA WHOSE TIME IS PAST. George Washington International Law Review, 41(4), 891-908. Henne, P. (2012). The two swords: Religion–state connections and interstate disputes. Journal Of Peace Research, 49(6), 753-768. doi:10.1177/0022343312456225 Read More