Does belief in religion cause wars?

Yes, but this article says, to me, that his warped opinion is not one that is going to be acted upon...

"His incendiary remarks immediately prompted calls for him to be investigated by police. Tory MP Patrick Mercer said: 'These statements show the depravity of this man's beliefs. They must incite hatred and encourage terrorism, and I would encourage the Metropolitan Police to investigate them as rigorously as possible.' "

Someone stated in another thread that those who imigrate to a new country should not expect the new country to take up their ways, but that the immigrant should accept the new country for what it is. (At least that was my take on what he said.)
 
War is organized theft and rape, nothing more, nothing less. They can put any label on it they want, nothing changes.

Makes me glad nukes exist, so things like that cannot happen again without the aggressor paying dearly.
 
We haven't had any crusades but Europe is still soaked in blood between the various Christian denominations having a go at it. 30 years war, Hundred years war etc. That wasn't so long ago. The Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland are still taking a whack at each other from time to time.

I don't think any religious is inheritable violent. In fact most (including Islam) preach peace and tolerance. The problem as usual, is people who seek to dominate others and who twist religion to push extremist agendas on others. The fact is you can twist the Torah, Bible, Koran into saying anything you like and then justifying that through violence.

And BTW, I think in the USA some of the more radical evangelicals and Born-agains are a hairs breath from adopting violence and terrorism to push their religious interpretations. World Church of the Creator for example as been implicated in several hate-related attacks. Their leader got life in jail for trying to assassinate a judge. Since we don't have a born-again Christian Fundamentalist as President anymore, the loonies are going to start to feel disenfranchised, isolated, and persecuted (a.k.a war on Christians). Like all radicials, these people only view themselves as "Christians", not anyone else -especially not those who don't share their radical ideas.

You can be sure some of these people will adopt violence to put themselves and their twisted religion back into the spotlight. They are as radical, intolerant, and hateful as any Islamic group. Some of them are so loony that ought to be hunted in the same manner Osama is just as a precaution before they really do something crazy.

I agree that religion is not necessarily the problem it is the mix of religion and state power.

You just need to look at the middle east to see how this works, where you have religions running the country you have instability and intolerance, more recently you just need to look at nations like Ireland to see the effects of a religious power on European populations so it is not purely an Islamic thing to resort to violence to achieve an ends.

The simple reality is that religion seems to attract the intolerant (hell just try marrying a practicing catholic if you are any other religion and you will see what I mean) but as long as it has no legal power it remains in check and that is the difference between the west and the middle east.
 

Yes, but there IS one difference today, like it or not.


"Political Correctness forbids us to use the P-word (whisper it, dear reader: it is Pakistan). Nor may we utter the words FYM (fanatical young Muslim).

Lest anyone think I attack Islam, forget it. I respect all the great religions but facts are facts, however brutal. It is not the creed of Sikh, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian or Humanist that has within it a suicidal and homicidal sub-cult dedicated to mass-murder in the West.

It is, alas, only Islam. "

FREDERICK FORSYTH.
 
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Yes, but there IS one difference today, like it or not.


"Political Correctness forbids us to use the P-word (whisper it, dear reader: it is Pakistan). Nor may we utter the words FYM (fanatical young Muslim).

Lest anyone think I attack Islam, forget it. I respect all the great religions but facts are facts, however brutal. It is not the creed of Sikh, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian or Humanist that has within it a suicidal and homicidal sub-cult dedicated to mass-murder in the West.

It is, alas, only Islam. "

FREDERICK FORSYTH.

WOW! How true!
 
WOW! How true!

Might be true but it is misleading as the bible is no document of peace itself especially the old testament which theoretically is meant to the initial interpretation of the "word of god" and espoused death to pretty much everything from spoilt children to witches and non-believers and had to be sanitised into the new testament.

So I think we need to be careful here that we don't confuse the pot with the kettle because at their core they are both black.
 
Might be true but it is misleading as the bible is no document of peace itself especially the old testament which theoretically is meant to the initial interpretation of the "word of god" and espoused death to pretty much everything from spoilt children to witches and non-believers and had to be sanitised into the new testament.

So I think we need to be careful here that we don't confuse the pot with the kettle because at their core they are both black.


I think your inturpretation of the Bible and mine are a bit different; I will agree that there have been many religious wars (including Christian).


... It is not the creed of Sikh, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian or Humanist that has within it a suicidal and homicidal sub-cult dedicated to mass-murder in the West. "... FREDERICK FORSYTH.

It is the mass-murder sub-cult that is not found in most other religions, that I know of.
 
I think your inturpretation of the Bible and mine are a bit different; I will agree that there have been many religious wars (including Christian).


But this is just it religious texts are all about interpretation at their core all religions are basically about setting life rules and giving people direction and consequences however because of the airy fairy nature of interpretation the west replaced the church as its guide and instituted its own laws based pretty much on pre-biblical times (many of the laws we have today were in place in ancient cultures as far back as the Minoans to claim them as an extension of biblical commandments would be inaccurate) and we havent looked back.

So the problem with all religion is not in its aims but in its interpretation by man but when a violent interpretation is couples with political power you get major problems you just have to look at the Taliban to see this.
 
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Yes, but there IS one difference today, like it or not.


"Political Correctness forbids us to use the P-word (whisper it, dear reader: it is Pakistan). Nor may we utter the words FYM (fanatical young Muslim).

Lest anyone think I attack Islam, forget it. I respect all the great religions but facts are facts, however brutal. It is not the creed of Sikh, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian or Humanist that has within it a suicidal and homicidal sub-cult dedicated to mass-murder in the West.

It is, alas, only Islam. "

FREDERICK FORSYTH.

No I disagree.

Suicide is categorically forbidden in the Koran. I have heard Imams in Palestine denounce suicide-bombers as a sin against God. The fact that terrorists use it as a weapon illustrates my original point, that people (not the faith) are responsible for twisting religious text into justifying ANYTHING.

And no other religion can use violence to push their aims? Mr Forsyth hasn't been reading his history of late. European soil is fertiziled on the bodies of people killed in Christians-vs-Christian wars. In fact more people have been killed in the name of Christ than any other faith -including Islam. How can I say that? Because there have been more religious wars started in the name of Christ than anyother faith. History has proven Christianity to be a very violent religion, despite its edicts of peace and tolerence.

The whole reason we focus on Islam is because its whats going on presently, but Christians are in no position to give lectures and dont think Christianity is capable of being just as violent. I have already mentioned their other those on the Christian far right that call themselves "Soldiers of God". Sound Familiar?

God doesnt need Soldiers. If he did, he wouldn't be God.
 
Yes, but there IS one difference today, like it or not.


"Political Correctness forbids us to use the P-word (whisper it, dear reader: it is Pakistan). Nor may we utter the words FYM (fanatical young Muslim).

Lest anyone think I attack Islam, forget it. I respect all the great religions but facts are facts, however brutal. It is not the creed of Sikh, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian or Humanist that has within it a suicidal and homicidal sub-cult dedicated to mass-murder in the West.

It is, alas, only Islam. "

FREDERICK FORSYTH.

As Mmarsh said it is in the interpretation. I interpret this as discussing modern history, as the quote refers to political correctness. The Christian wars, to my knowledge have been over for centuries.
 
If a war is not caused by religion, it is definitely used to justify that war. Find me an Army without a chaplain, or a leader who does not invoke "god's" imaginary power.

War over religion is as pointless as two children arguing who has the most powerful imaginary friend.

Religious man has not really come very far since the dark ages, has he?
 
The troubles in Northern Ireland could be attributed to religion, Roman Catholic republican and Protestant loyalists. The Good Friday peace accord is still as far as I am aware, quite fragile.

I'll admit I definately do not understand all the conflict in that area. I was under the impressiong that most of the Ireland troubles went back to poor relations between Ireland, England, and Scottland?
 
Your understanding is correct, and please remember that the what is being contested is in fact the question of land and control.
 
I'll admit I definately do not understand all the conflict in that area. I was under the impressiong that most of the Ireland troubles went back to poor relations between Ireland, England, and Scottland?

Its a combination of politics and religion. Today its probably more political than religious, but the roots of this issue is a religious one.
 
Based upon the England's felt need to defend Ireland , positioned as it was just outsied their border from Spain etc.
 
Please correct me if I am wrong. My understanding of the problems between England and Scottland they started due to struggles with who who was the ruler of the land. If I remember correctly, the problems started with Edward I of England's intervention with the recognition of who was the rightful heir to the crown.
 
No I disagree.

Suicide is categorically forbidden in the Koran. I have heard Imams in Palestine denounce suicide-bombers as a sin against God. The fact that terrorists use it as a weapon illustrates my original point, that people (not the faith) are responsible for twisting religious text into justifying ANYTHING.

And no other religion can use violence to push their aims? Mr Forsyth hasn't been reading his history of late. European soil is fertiziled on the bodies of people killed in Christians-vs-Christian wars. In fact more people have been killed in the name of Christ than any other faith -including Islam. How can I say that? Because there have been more religious wars started in the name of Christ than anyother faith. History has proven Christianity to be a very violent religion, despite its edicts of peace and tolerence.

Some how we may be missing something here. Mr Forsyth is famous for his novels...was this a prelude to one, using artistic licence?
 
But isn't that the danger with all religions? They promise a better life once you're dead. This then leaves susceptible people open to suasion by callous religious leaders, of any stripe. Add to this that people can get whipped up into a fury by the establishment using the cloak of religion to support its goals, after all religions require faith not thought.
 
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