[69] However, the epidemic worsened, which Buddhists in turn interpreted as the anger of Buddha to the sacrilege committed against his temple and statue. The southern Netherlands remained Catholic and Spanish, but the Dutch provinces formed an independent Protestant federation in which republican and dynastic influences were nicely balanced. Spanish, Savoyard, and papal troops supported the Catholic cause in France against Huguenots aided by Protestant princes in England and Germany. Religion is the belief in God or gods. [77] Many historians trace the origins of hostility between Somalia and Ethiopia to this war. In the Low Countries, English, French, and German armies intervened; and at sea Dutch, Huguenot, and English corsairs fought the Battle of the Atlantic against the Spanish champion of the Counter-Reformation. [21], The Encyclopedia of War, edited by Gordon Martel, using the criteria that the armed conflict must involve some overt religious action, concludes that 6% of the wars listed in their encyclopedia can be labelled religious wars. WebWhat are 3 reasons why religion does not cause war? Kokkonen & Sundell (2017) claimed that the death of king Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia on 19 August 1419 is the event that sparked the Hussite rebellion against his nominal heir Sigismund (then king of Germany, Hungary and Croatia), making it essentially a war of succession. In some years in the early post-war era, around half a million people died through direct violence in wars. What are cluster bombs and why are they controversial? However, studies on these cases often conclude that ethnic animosities drive much of the conflicts. The verse could well apply to Saddam Hussein, who made a show of praying on television, but gassed and bombed Kurds and was a tyrannical dictator. War Source: Netchev, S. (2021). Lebanon was promised independence, which was achieved on 22 November 1943. History of Europe - Wars of Religion, Schmalkaldic Wars, Religion as the Cause of War? - CARM.ORG Each impact creates a fireball about as hot as the core of the sun, followed by a radioactive mushroom cloud. King knew that the answer to racism and violence was not less Christianity but a deeper and truer Christianity. Even the Arab-Israeli wars, which had a religious component, were judged to be not primarily religious, but nationalistic. Its a firm yes from British zoologist and vocal atheist Richard Dawkins, who sees a direct correlation WebAnswer (1 of 14): Most wars are not caused by religions, most wars are caused aristocrats and people in power among other more important factors like race, gender, ethnicity , and The response is typically, "Come on! [46] He concluded: "Many aspects of this holy war text may be troublesome to a contemporary reader. Religion, unfortunately, provides a useful cover and powerful motivator for the evil-hearted. Although the political power each of the clans could wield over the royal family was also an important factor, and was arguably a strategic reason for the Soga to adopt and promote Buddhism as a means to increase their authority, the religious beliefs from both doctrines, as well as religious explanations from events that happened after the arrival of Buddhism, were also causes of the conflict that escalated to war. [93][94], Inter-ethnic conflict in Nigeria has generally had a religious element. The group noted that the U.S. developed cluster munitions during "in the way of God"), which includes the aspect of struggle "by the sword". In the first half of the 17th century, the German states, Scandinavia (Sweden, primarily) and Poland were beset by religious warfare during the Thirty Years War. [67], Buddhism was formally introduced into Japan by missionaries from the kingdom of Baekje in 552. Crisis, recovery, and resilience: Did the Middle Ages end? By Patrick Smith. Palestinians came to play a very important role in future Lebanese civil conflicts, and the establishment of Israel radically changed the local environment in which Lebanon found itself. religion The intervention of the European Cristvo da Gama attempted to help to prevent this outcome, but he was killed by al-Ghazi. The Lutheran duke Maurice of Saxony assisted Charles V in the first Schmalkaldic War in 1547 in order to win the Saxon electoral dignity from his Protestant cousin, John Frederick; while the Catholic king Henry II of France supported the Lutheran cause in the second Schmalkaldic War in 1552 to secure French bases in Lorraine. But understood within the symbolic world of the ancient writers of Numbers, the story of the war against the Midianites is a kind of dress rehearsal that builds confidence and hope in anticipation of the actual conquest of Canaan that lay ahead. No such division has ever existed in the Islamic world, and consequently, there cannot be a real division between wars that are "religious" from such that are "non-religious". WebThe Crusades were a war between Christians and Muslims which centered around the city of Jerusalem and the Holy places of Palestine- a religiously motivated war that lasted a total of 702 years. In their recently published book, "Encyclopedia of Wars," authors Charles Phillips and Alan Axelrod document the history of recorded warfare, and from their list of 1763 wars only 123 have been classified to involve a religious cause, accounting for less than 7 percent of all wars and less than 2 percent of all people killed in warfare. [20] Additionally, he found 'ethnic/religious unification/irredenta' to be (one of) the primary cause(s) of 0% of all wars during 16481714 and 17151814, 6% during 18151914, 17% during 19181941, and 12% during 19451989. Only 7 (10%) of all the wars (and the same percentage of 20th century wars) had clear religious motivation, and most had no detectable religious motivation at all. Beyond the initial damage caused by the munitions upon impact, many bomblets fail to detonate immediately. The two most destructive wars in history, World Wars I and II both had nothing to do with religion. ", "The Encyclopedia of War" by Gordon Martel (17 Jan 2012, 2912 pages), "Here each company of youths sacrifices a puppy to Enyalius, holding that the most valiant of tame animals is an acceptable victim to the most valiant of the gods. A bipartisan group in Congress sent a letter to Biden last month, encouraging him to provide the weapons. Many fight for patriotism: for country, tribe or race. This is a very odd moment in our culture.". It's estimated that over 160 million civilians were killed in genocides in the 20th century alone, with nearly 100 million killed by the Communist states of USSR and China. After a period of warfare and massacre, in which the atrocities of St. Bartholomews Day (1572) were symptomatic of the fanaticism of the age, Huguenot resistance to the crown was replaced by Catholic opposition to the monarchys policy of conciliation to Protestants at home and anti-Spanish alliances abroad. None of this is to excuse the undeniable barbarity unleashed by religionists over the centuries. WebViolence based on religion or belief occurs in both conflict and non-conflict settings, though the highest levels of death occur in armed conflict contexts. [99], In a country where the Buddhist majority was estimated to be between 70 and 90 percent,[100][101][102][103][104] Diem ruled with a strong religious bias. [81] The Filiki Eteria, the main organisation driving the rebellion, was split between two groups: one advocated the restoration of the Byzantine Empire on religious grounds, and to encourage all Christians within Ottoman territory to join the Greek revolutionaries; the other advocated the Megali Idea, a large Greek nation-state based on shared language rather than religion. (modern), A crusader is shot by a Muslim warrior during the Crusades in c1250. Today we see a growing battle in the Middle East between Shi'ite and Sunni; a Jewish state unleashing militancy against Christian and Muslim Palestinians; and an anti-gay crusade led by some Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders that threatens the sanctity of life itself. [citation needed], In 1936, after Sheng Shicai expelled 20,000 Kazakhs from Xinjiang to Qinghai, the Hui led by General Ma Bufang massacred their fellow Muslims, the Kazakhs, until there were only 135 of them left. But the picture is much more complex than is often implied. Breivik, like the devoutly religious Taliban, also appears to feel no shame. The First gulf war was basically started because we had allied ourselves with Kuwait. Any believer behaving that way is disobeying the one they claim to be following. According to Kalevi Holsti (1991, p.308, Table 12.2), who catalogued and categorised wars from 1648 to 1989 into 24 categories of 'issues that generated wars', 'protect[ion of] religious confrres' (co-religionists) was (one of) the primary cause(s) of 14% of all wars during 16481714, 11% during 17151814, 10% during 18151914, and 0% during 19181941 and 19451989. [74] However, in some cases it may be argued that they hid their pro-Anglican and anti-Catholic motives behind legal parlance, for example by emphasising that the Church of England was the legally established religion: 'Seen in this light, the defenses of Parliament's war, with their apparent legal-constitutional thrust, are not at all ways of saying that the struggle was not religious. Clearly there are those who have committed horrendous acts based on religious zeal, and we must be alert to these threats and respond forcefully. Breivik did it in the name of his race. Similarly, the vast numbers of genocides (those killed in ethic cleanses, purges, etc. Like Jews, Muslims steer clear of anything with an oink. Dinner party guests are likely to nod in agreement when someone mentions the "millions killed" at the hands of the church but historians now suggest around 5,000 6,000 over a 350-year period. However, both polities exhausted their resources and manpower in this conflict, allowing the northward migration of the Oromo into their present homelands to the north and west of Addis Ababa. - Quora. Neo-atheism, the belief that science is the only path to truth and all religions are equally deluded and destructive, has taken hold in much of the debate over atheism. [13], It was in the 19th century that the terms "Buddhism", "Hinduism", "Taoism", and "Confucianism" first emerged. When I hear someone state that religion has caused most wars, though, I will often and ask the person to name these wars. Riots against Igbo in 1953 and in the 1960s in the north were said to have been sparked by religious conflict. '[9] While a holy war needs to be authorised by a religious leader and fought by pious soldiers, a religious war does not, he reasoned. The problem of corrupt religion has attracted the criticism of many prophets and saints. Muslim scholars developed a just-war theory although admittedly in the ensuing centuries jihad was also used to further the territorial ambitions of ruthless leaders, just as today it's distorted to justify terrorist bombings. The story of Jesus gives absolutely no warrant for violence. 14 Religion-related atrocities are always cause for alarm, and can take place within or outside armed conflict settings. What is the Primary Cause of War? Between June and July there was a mass exodus of Ibo from the north and west. Wars Divinely legitimized through the authority of biblical scripture and its interpretation, holy war became a historical reality for the Jews of antiquity. For example, David D. Laitin and Said S. Samatar, John Alexander Selbie, Louis Herbert Gray 1916 893. If religion cant be blamed for most wars and violence, then Religious war - Wikipedia Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s Conspiracy Theories Go Beyond Vaccines Ukraine war: Why Russia's statements about Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are deeply worrying. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. war [14] In the Quran, the Arabic word din is often translated as "religion" in modern translations, but up to the mid-17th century, translators expressed din as "law". [4], There is no precise equivalent of "religion" in Hebrew, and Judaism does not distinguish clearly between religious, national, racial, or ethnic identities. That religion can be so markedly different in the hands of the power-hungry, as opposed to the altruistic and virtuous, really says more about human psychology than it does about religion. [28] In Sparta, however, each company of youths sacrificed to Enyalios before engaging in ritual fighting at the Phoebaeum. [23][24][25] Andrew Holt (2018) traced the origin of the 'only 123 religious wars' claim back to the 2008 book The Irrational Atheist of far-right activist Vox Day, which he notes is slightly adjusted compared to the 121 that is indeed found in the Encyclopedia of Wars itself. His policy of religious uniformity in the Netherlands alienated the most wealthy and prosperous part of his dominions. Religious Wars Quotes - BrainyQuote Cluster weapons have been used as far back as World War II and in more than three dozen conflicts since, according to the Cluster Munition Coalition. In 1562, seven years after the Peace of Augsburg had established a truce in Germany on the basis of territorialism, France became the centre of religious wars which endured, with brief intermissions, for 36 years. The definition of 'religious war' and the applicability of religion to war have a strong influence on how many wars may be properly labelled 'religious wars', and thus how prevalent religious wars have been as opposed to other wars. History simply does not support the hypothesis that religion is the major cause of conflict. [26][pageneeded], While early empires could be described[according to whom?] [88] The exact number of refugees is a matter of dispute, though the number of Palestine refugees and their unsettled descendants registered with UNRWA is more than 4.3 million. A comparison with the claimed 120 yields a surprising list of 43 religious wars NOT included under the Religious Wars rubric , including : Arab Israeli Wars Each impact creates a fireball about as hot as the core of the sun, followed by a radioactive mushroom cloud. The degree to which a war may be considered religious depends on many underlying questions, such as the definition of religion, the definition of 'religious war' (taking religious traditions on violence such as 'holy war' into account), and the applicability of religion to war as opposed to other possible factors. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. [37], The Muslim conquests were a military expansion on an unprecedented scale, beginning in the lifetime of Muhammad and spanning the centuries, down to the Ottoman wars in Europe. The policy of the Bourbon dynasty resumed the tradition of Francis I, and under the later guidance of Cardinal Richelieu the potential authority of the monarchy was realized. [9] Repgen therefore concluded: wars should only be termed [religious wars], in so far as at least one of the belligerents lays claim to 'religion', a religious law, in order to justify his warfare and to substantiate publicly why his use of military force against a political authority should be a bellum iustum.[9]. MrBeast is out to become the Elon Musk of online creators. However, you could argue that it's not the religions that are causing the conflict. [78], The Greek War of Independence (18211829) has sometimes been considered a religious war between Christians and Muslims, especially in its early phase. Yet despite the multi-religious composition of both of the parties in the conflict, elements on both sides often view it as a religious war between Jews and Muslims. Religion Like both law and politics, religion can be used to defend the oppressed and to oppress the defenceless. Web"Religious wars are not caused by the fact that" - Montesquieu quotes from BrainyQuote.com "Religious wars are not caused by the fact that there is more than one religion, but by the spirit of intolerance the spread of which can only be regarded as the total eclipse of human reason." This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Islam does not have any normative tradition of pacifism, and warfare has been integral part of Islamic history both for the defense and the spread of the faith since the time of Muhammad. It can be a god, but it can also be a political philosophy like nazism or communism. '[30] Moreover, ever since the pioneering study of Manfred Weippert, "Heiliger Kriegin Israel und Assyrien" (1972), scholars have been comparing the holy war concept in the (monotheistic) Hebrew Bible with other (polytheistic) ancient Near Eastern war traditions, and found 'many [striking] similarities in phraseology and ideology'. Why Religions Facilitate War and How Religions Facilitate Peace [69] Afterwards, an epidemic broke out, which Shintoists attributed to the anger of the native gods to the intrusion of Buddhism; in reaction, some burnt down the Buddhist temple and threw the Buddha statue into a canal. Dawkins, at a dinner with de Botton and others in London in 2012, recounted a conversation he'd had with Hitchens. wars When Martin Luther King Jr confronted racism in the white church in the South he called on those churches not to become more secular, but more Christian. Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (19932002) s.v. The revolt of the Holy League against the prospect of a Protestant king in the person of Henry of Navarre released new forces among the Catholic lower classes, which the aristocratic leadership was unable to control. Web7.1 European wars of religion 7.2 EthiopianAdal War 8 Modern period Toggle Modern period subsection 8.1 Greek War of Independence 8.2 IsraeliPalestinian conflict 8.3 Pakistan and According to scholars such as Jeffrey Burton Russell, conflicts may not be rooted strictly in religion and instead may be a cover for the underlying secular power, ethnic, social, political, and economic reasons for conflict. Is Religion the Cause of Most Wars? | HuffPost Religion Does Religion Cause Violence A counter-coup was launched by mostly northern troops. Eventually Henry won his way to the throne after the extinction of the Valois line, overcame separatist tendencies in the provinces, and secured peace by accepting Catholicism. All rights reserved.