I would argue that a major cause of most (but not all) wars is religion. Religion divides people into separate groups and tells them that they are incompatible with each other. It provides justification for the killing of others and the promise of reward for martyrs. There are numerous examples of religious wars. Some of the main ones include the Crusades, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, The War On Terror, The Thirty Year War, Northern Ireland and the numerous religious wars of England and France (which culminated in the Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre). A frequent justification for the British, French, Spanish, Portuguese etc, (which led to horrendous massacres) empires was so that the natives could be converted to Christianity. Religions claim they … Continue reading “Religion As A Cause Of War”
Stalin, Atheism And Communism
It has been often claimed that atheism leads to death of millions of people. Some argue that we need only look at the rule of Stalin or Mao or Pol Pot to see what happens when religion is removed from society. However, this is missing the point. They killed people because they were paranoid dictators. They lack of religious beliefs is irrelevant. In fact most of the victims died because their economic policies led to famines and mass starvations. This is an indictment of Communism, not atheism. It is estimated that Stalin is responsible for the deaths of 43 million people and the Soviet Union as a whole for 63 million. If you break down these numbers, you see 8 … Continue reading “Stalin, Atheism And Communism”
Why Did God Not Stop The Holocaust?
Last month I visited Auschwitz and it left a strong impression on me. I was shocked at the brutality of it. The mass slaughter that went on there revolted me. It was disturbing to know that it could go on for so long without anyone stopping it. Why did God not stop it? Over six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Most of them probably prayed to God asking him to save their lives. Why did he refuse? Think about it. Think long and hard. Think of the gas chambers. Think of how the Jews were led in there. Think of when they realised they weren’t showers. When they realised they were going to die. Think about how they … Continue reading “Why Did God Not Stop The Holocaust?”
Terrible Parts Of The Bible Part 3: Homophobia
“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:13) I was shocked the first time I saw this. I know religion is well known for its prejudice against homosexuals, but death? Surely that is too far for even the most bigoted homophobe. Religion has always been the harshest critic of homosexuality. This is appalling as you cannot choose who you do or do not love; therefore homosexuals are condemned for something they cannot control. Even still I was surprised at the harshness with which homosexuality is condemned in the Bible, especially as a reason is never given. The Bible is … Continue reading “Terrible Parts Of The Bible Part 3: Homophobia”
Terrible Parts Of The Bible Part 1 – Genocide
Most my life, I, like most people assumed the Bible was a book about love, peace, tolerance and rules for a good life. It was always assumed that if more people took a page out of the Bible the world would be a better place. However, recently I have started to look into the Bible and found a lot of pretty nasty things. So many in fact, that I can’t fit them into one post so this will have to be a series. I was shocked and horrified when I found out that the Bible justifies ethnic cleansing and genocide. For example, we all know the story of how Moses helped the Jews escape from Egypt. In order to get … Continue reading “Terrible Parts Of The Bible Part 1 – Genocide”