Is religion responsible for war?
It’s a familiar charge—that religious belief leads inevitably to fanaticism and then to war and bloodshed. Certainly, religion (and the Christian church in particular) have been responsible for some truly ugly conflicts throughout history, as our recent look at the Crusades showed. But does the evidence bear out the claim that religion is behind most of history’s wars?
InterVarsity Press has posted a full chapter from Meic Pearse’s The Gods of War that investigates the question of whether or not religion is the primary cause behind violent conflict (PDF). Specifically, the essay looks at the major wars of the 20th century (the bloodiest yet) to see whether religion was to blame. It’s a nuanced and thorough look at a controversial subject. (And if the essay piques your interest, visit the IVPress site to learn more about The Gods of War.)
