As Robin Schumacher news flash "An interesting person responsible of truth on the individual is Philip and Axelrod's three-volume Index of Wars, which history some 1,763 wars that bring been waged exclusive the course of worldly history. Of relations wars, the authors group 123 as since spiritual in contour, which is an outstandingly low 6.98% of all wars. Unmoving, next one subtracts out relations waged in the name of Islam (66), the delivery is cut by beyond than unfinished to 3.23%."2
To see piazza how far the New Atheists donate go to stock their fable about religion since the inordinate person responsible of war and harshness in the world, one has to aerate no exterior than Christopher Hitchens. As William T Cavanaugh writes in his book The Legend of Devout Violence, Hitchens is shifty of very demanding write off as of not unmarried what causes harshness, but what classifies as religion and what doesn't.3 Not unmarried does Cavanaugh contribute examples where Hitchens takes right activist states, such as Stalin's treatment, and ascribes their murder to the "spiritual vigor", but he both points out that spiritual pacifism is bargain basement priced in the role of it isn't forceful. He writes:
"Hitchens as a result seems to enjoy a functionalist accepting of religion, but he does not do so normally. For record of his book, what Hitchens key in by religion seems to be excellent to some substantivist list of world religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism all come in for do violence to and removal. While it helps to make his dossier in opposition to religion, however, bits and pieces similarity Kim Jong-Il's militantly nonbeliever treatment in North Korea adding up as religion too.... Theology poisons everything in the role of Hitchens identifies everything toxic as religion. Regularly, everything good ends up on the other leaf of the religious-secular pull out. For part, Hitchens writes of Martin Luther Sovereign, Jr. 'In no real as opposing to technological discernment, then, was he a Christian.' Hitchens bases this remark-able exact on the fact that Sovereign was nonviolent and preached pity and love of enemies, as opposing to the Bible, which in each the Old and New Testaments is patterned by a vindictive God. Grant, what is not forceful cannot credibly be spiritual, in the role of religion is fixed as forceful."4
Deep Cavanaugh's unease on the baseless lumping of the pacifistic knowledge of Jesus and his act of unselfishness that becomes the becoming extinct part of diffidence and union for all his associates, Keith Neighborhood tells us the real item for the never-ending secure of wars that color our history:
"Mortal history as a whole is a history of war and harshness. The beforehand recorded history of kindness is a story of aver conquests and wars. Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Egypt and Greece, together with physically huge bang of in name only barbarian hordes, make our books of beforehand worldly history in vogue history of physically never-ending occupation and war.
"Theology may bring played some part in these affairs, but it is the pray for power and wealth that is the loyal aspect. It is natural that warrior-kings requirement try to go in with the endurance of their associates by getting them to pillar some pet set of way of life, and to speak out against the way of life of other societies. In the role of religions as a rule epitomize way of life, kings can willingly go in with the gods on their leaf, as protectors of the way of life of the rule."5It is plain as the nose on your face, then, that the charge of religion as the real thing progenitor of war is on its front round the bend and inhabitants similarity Harris and Hitchens really bring neither intrigue in history nor the roots of scuffle amongst states. Fairly, they simply request to process to adorn a picture that may win them their own converts and give oily vernacular points, Tragically, relations interested in facts find a wide-ranging disclose.
REFERENCES
1. Harris, Sam. "The End of Faith: Theology, Terror, and the Innovative of Defense".
(New York: W.W. Norton & Person, 2005). 27.
2. Schumacher, Robin. "The Legend that Theology is the #1 Cause of War" CARM.org
http://carm.org/religion-cause-war. Accessed 3-5-2013
3. Cavanaugh, William T. "The Legend of Devout Violence:Secular Ancestry and the Family tree of Industrialized Dispute".
(Oxford: Oxford Intellectual Plague, 2009) 218.
4. Ibid.
5. Neighborhood, Keith. "Is Theology Dangerous?"(Oxford: Lion Hudson ple, 2011). 68.
