Is Religion the root cause of all war and Genocide?
443205
Blame it on religion, religion has caused untold death and misery down the centuries and continues to do so.\n\nThe Catholic Church has the blood of millions of Africans on their hands because of the Church's ban on condoms in a continent ravaged by Aids. Most third world countries, in Latin America, Africa and Asia have burgeoning populations leading to poverty, disease and hunger...all thanks to religion. I could go on, but you get my drift.
60239
I think religion is one of those "necessary evils".  I think many many wars could have been avoided without religion, but then the vast majority of people would not have any source of power to turn to in times of need.
869108
Religion allows us to live under laws of man.\n\nStopping evil men in whatever way possible from killing innocent people with suicide bombs has nothing to do with religion.
66893
Despite all the religions of the world and their constant advocating of peace and justice, things are pretty violent on the third planet. Religion itself must share some of the blame. All religions tend to cultivate a sense of absolutism: the idea that one is right, and others are wrong, and that's just how it is. This sort of thinking leads to the next step: if others are wrong and evil, why do the good people have to tolerate them? From that thought, the bullets begin to fly, and the mass graves are filled up quickly. A famous general once said that a criminal may kill one, ten, or even a hundred people, but only someone who absolutely believes that what they are doing is right, moral, and just will kill millions.
970580
Religion has been violent since the beginning of man's belief in many gods or one or just few gods. Religion has murder more people than armies have murdered.
624001
False, I think, on the hypocrisy count.  Religion has certainly contributed to a lot of rotten sorts of abuses by groups of people.  Anytime someone thinks they are carrying around "truth" in their front pocket, abuse and hypocrisy are absolutely certain to occur.\n\nHowever, I don't think that's all religions contribute to the human experience.  After all, believing anything about anything creates hypocrites.  (Republicans believe in minimal government, but create more of it.  Democrats believe in helping poor people but regularly increase sales taxes in localities.  Any belief makes hypocrisy apparent and maybe necessary).\n\nReligion, though, is important.  It mobilizes people to act altruistically, for instance.  If you go to a homeless shelter, most of the people working their (and likely running the place) are people of faith.  Furthermore, religions create consistent opportunities for people to think about the part of them that isn't just matter and (even if you don't believe in souls) to think about matters above and beyond mere survival.\n\nSo, even though I would wish for people, and by extension religion, to behave better, I do think religion offers society more than just hypocrisy.
1064233
That's hard to answer, both Christian and Islamic denominations have been responsible for large wars that killed hundreds of thousands of people.  Let's just say the world would be a more peaceful place if people didn't start wars that are motivated by religious ideology.
998571
Religion, as usual.  Religion has caused more wars than any other factor.
100184
Religion is responsible for more war than anything else.  People believe that God is on their side and they think that others are wrong and therefore heretical and blasphemous.  It is an age old problem.\n\nWhen mankind lived on the African Savannah it was very important to identify with and support one's tribe or clan against all others, especially if they were different.  These traits are not as useful or necessary in today's world but they are there nonetheless.  Man has not learned to deal with them for what they are and kill each other unnecessarily.
31864
Religion may not have become the root of all evil, but surely more evil things are being done in the name of religion these days than the founders of the various faiths probably expected. If we take as a universal tenet of all religion the idea that killing other human beings is wrong, the world today has failed dismally to abide by that one tenet.
288363
i dont know if your a religious person, and im sorry if your not, but from what ive heard from the bible and stuff is that there is war to make the world go on. and in the bible it says when there is peace, and all war has stopped, that will be the end of the world. so if you think about it, war is aactually a good thing. i hope that helped. and again, sorry if your not a religious person. it some times offened religious people when others talk about god and the bible. so, sorry.
641453
People who feel that way are responsible for all kinds of atrocities, because your religion devalues life.  There are even people who think a nuclear holocaust would be a good thing, for the same reason.  It's absolutely nuts, and I would urge you to seek professional help before you start killing people.
221346
It's not the religions themselves that cause harm.  The harm is caused by people profiteering and politicing off of a religion.  Whether it be Hitler, Irani Mullahs, the Catcholic Church, or the President of the United States (all of them), they use religion to push their agendas and pad their pockets and that is where the problems begin.
998945
Is this a question that is supposed to make sense - there's war and violense all over the world - the problems in the world are caused by equal parts of every religion and race.
440105
Religions are based on "faith".\n\nFaith is belief without reason or evidence.  If you are following something without evidence, you are following an irrational belief.  We have histories of people using religion to justify genocide, torture, or criminal acts against humanity.\n\nI think it is extremely dangerous that religious nations' have access to weapons of mass destruction.  \n\nFor that matter, I do not think that any nation is responsible enough to have weapons of mass destruction.  When resources are scarce, people will use whatever means are necessary to acquire those resources... even it entails the use of horrific acts.  They will just blame it on religion or something else to distance the blame from themselves.
303847
Religion is only used as a smoke screen to justify war.  The REAL reason for wars is money and power.
265873
Religion is the permanent boil on mankind's backside and the\nsource of more hate, violence, destruction and abuse than any other\nsingle force in the history of the world.\n.\nWake up! It's 2006 - Stop believing in fairy tales and ghost stories.