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Religion and War

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Professor Ferguson
English
30 July 12

Religion and War

Since the dawn of time people have raged war. Many could argue that politics, power, or natural resources are the cause of war. But many people miss the underlying factor: Religion. Throughout history religion has been the prominent cause of wars. Religion has many conflicts in the history of the world.
In ancient times civilizations believed that if they won a war it was because the gods favored them. The wars may have been over land or power but it was believed that it was their religion that won their victory. The bible says, "Some rely on chariots, others on horses, but we on the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, But we stand strong and firm. Lord, grant victory to the king; Answer when we call upon you"(Psalm 20: 8-10). The key test is to see who wins. If God is really on your side, then you will win. One might face enormous odds against them, but this doesn't mean anything when God stands on one side.
One of the major examples where religion caused war would be the Crusades. The Crusades were fought in the 11th century. The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars between Christian and Muslims, which was centered around the city of Jerusalem. In 1065 the Turks took Jerusalem and massacred 3,000 Christians starting a chain of events, which lead to the start of the Crusades. However, some researchers say that the massacre of the 3000 Christians which caused the crusades to begin and not because of differing religious beliefs. The Crusades were fought for two hundred years. No one knows how many people died during the nine Crusades. This is one of histories bloodiest battles over religion.
Let’s jump forward nine hundred years to World War II, beginning in 1939. This period of time religious differences led to discord between the people of Europe. The Nazi Party was founded upon religious views. A passage from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf states, “…today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.” The Nazi Party blamed the Jewish people for the loss of World War I. Due to Hitler’s religious views the genocide of six million Jewish people.
In modern day wars religion still plays a big role, such as the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Israel and Palestine are always popping up in the world news about the conflict they have been in for years now. Israelis believe that they are entitled to the land now known as Israel; while Palestinians believe that they are entitled to the land they call Palestine. The Jewish Israelis and the Muslim Palestinians clam the same land but call it by different names. Both sides believe that God gave them the land and to give to another people is an insult to God and a sin.
The war that the United States is in now would be considered a religious war. The terrorist group called Al Qaeda caused it when they carry out a Jihad (religious duty of Muslims or holy war) against America, which led them to crash plains into the World Trade Centers on 9/11. Their believes has lead to thousands of deaths around the world. Al Qaeda is a global Islamist militant group, which was founded by Osama bin Laden. Some may argue that religion has nothing to do with war. That greed, power, natural resources, or politics have are the only reason that wars happen. They may say that its not religion that executes violence, but it’s the people. Yes, I can see where some of these can cause wars. But if you break down any war in history you will find some trace of religious belief or religious influence. In conclusion, I can’t say if there would be no wars if religion did not exist. People would find other motives for war or find other differences to fight over. Religion and war go hand in hand. As it was stated in the previous paragraphs The Crusades, Hitler’s war in WWII, and the wars in the Middle East they carried out there wars in the name of God. No matter what war you looked at Religion played some kind of role in it.

Works Cited

Crusades. Middle-Ages.org. Web. 1, Aug 2012
Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf. 1924. Print
Nelson, Thomas. Holy Bible New King James Version: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982. Print.

Outline
Thesis Throughout history religion has been the prominent cause of wars.
I. Ancient Civilizations a) Pray to Gods to win wars or to go to war b) Psalm 20: 8-10
II. The Crusades a) Massacre of 3,000 Christians b) War over the Holy Lands
III. WWII a) Hitler’s war against the Jews IV. Modern day wars a) Israel and Palestine b) The war in Afghanistan.

Conclusion: No matter what war you looked at Religion played some kind of role in it.

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