‘As Religion
Responsible for Most
Wars?

Gary Lund, OP Contributor

eligion is blamed for causing
R wars, strife, hatred, and mayhem

: all over the globe. Numerous
wars have raged after religion was used as
an excuse to find differences between
tribes or cultures, and after charismatic
leaders recruited followers to commit
crimes on their behalf. In these cases, reli-
gion has become an unfairly tarnished
victim of war. It is not religion causing
these wars, but hubris, hatred, and blind
acceptance of propaganda.

So-called religious wars are not the
only category of strife. I would place wars
into two broad divisions: cultural/ethnic
wars, in which religion is often implicated,
and wars of greed for power, land, and
resources. Before we can claim that reli-
gion is to blame for all, or even most,
wars, let’s examine a few skirmishes.

Did religion cause World War II?
Hitler and his Nazis wanted to control
Europe and a large chunk of the remain-
ing world. He murdered 6,000,000 Jews
because he hated them for their ethnicity
and their culture, and because of their
economic power as bankers and mer-
chants (they were banned from doing
anything else). The German nation fol-
lowed the fiihrer for the glory of the
Fatherland and so that the German race
could take its “rightful place” at the top of

the global pecking order—but not for

their Protestantism. It was a case of
racism, ultra-nationalism, and tribalism.

Continuing with WWII, Japanese
kamikaze pilots were not suicidal for reli-
gion, but for national glory. Following that
same lunacy, Stalin starved millions of
Ukrainians. Could that have been for reli-
gion, which was banned there? No, it was
for control of the Ukraine’s land and
resources.

Does religion divide Israel and
Palestine? Israelis want to protect their
country from attacks while Palestinian
fighters want political independence for
their ethnic nation. For the Hutus and
Tutsis in Rwanda, long-festering power
struggles have erupted in genocide.

In this century, except for the two
world wars, the United States has proba-
bly caused more war, death, destruction,
destabilization of countries, and injustices
than any other nation—either through
direct invasions or by proxy. Consider
East Timor, Angola, Guatemala, Chile, El
Salvador, Panama, Grenada, Afghanistan,

Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
Washington interferes, installs a dictatori-
al puppet regime, becomes disenchanted
later and possibly invades again. Although
George Bush talks about God, the US’s
“interests” are, and always have been,
about greed, power, and control.

 

tary. Mohammed Ali, as a Muslim, refused
to join the US army on religions grounds
when he was drafted.

Sometimes religion is, in fact, twisted,
corrupted, and manipulated for sinister
purposes. It is used to recruit armies for
wars, and to brainwash and use followers

Dubya: Killin’ for Jesus

Religious traditions based on wisdom
do not advocate violence and war. Leaders
and adherents of faith do not instigate
violence and war. The Quakers, for exam-
ple, are a peace-loving group whose
members refuse to take part in the mili-

to destroy, murder, and whip up hatred.
For this, religion and faith are painted
with a broad brush and blamed for most
warts and terrorism. But religion isn’t caus-
ing or conducting its own misuse and
abuse. Like any power, tool, or knowl-

edge, it can be used either constructively
or destructively, depending on who con-
trols it. Good or bad, religion is not going
to go away, because humans are wired to
need it.

Religion provides community—a
place where people gather to meet, wor-
ship, and give service to others. It can
provide a sense of inner peace and per-
sonal strength in times of difficulty or
grief, and it is a way out of alcoholism
and other addictions. It can gather
resources to raise education, health, and
living standards locally or in the Third
World. Many spiritual communities pro-
vide help, charity, education, self-help
resources, or even survival in places of
destitution.

Any religious leaders who are in the
business of hatred, mind control, and
war ought to be stripped of their “reli-
gious” titles and affiliations. The Ten
Commandments do not call for war. Jesus
teaches love and acceptance. The Koran
calls for peace. War is a human endeavour.
It has nothing to do with God, faith, or
religion.

 

A Different Sort of
Racism

Human differences shouldn t be ignored

Naiomi Sawchin, The Carillon
(University of Regina)

REGINA (CUP)—I remember the
first time I was truly offended by a
comment about race. It wasn’t that the
person called me a racist name, or oth-
erwise mocked me for my race. It was
that he made me feel that my pride in
my ethnic background was unneces-
sary—even wrong.

I had just met him for the first time.
I made a comment about being Asian
and he looked at me like I had slapped
him in the face by proudly stating my
race. I believe his exact words, once he
gathered composure enough to speak
again, were: “I don’t see your race. I see
you as a human being.” He proceeded
to lecture me on racism and the impor-
tance of ignoring race altogether.

This cut deeper than any derogatory
terms that were ever directed towards
me while growing up. This was more
offensive than the constant taunts I
endured from the boy on the play-
ground in small-town Ontario where I
lived when I was younger. Who was he
to tell me that I could not be proud of
my heritage? Who decided that being
proud of one’s ethnic identity was syn-

 

onymous with being racist?

I could not believe what I was hear-
ing. I have never implied that I am
better than anyone because of my race,
because I don’t think that way. I don’t
hate people because of racial differ-
ences, and I know many people who are
proud of their race who would agree. I
am proud to be me, and that is my right
as a citizen of this great multicultural
nation.

No matter how hard some people
might try to say that recognizing differ-
ences should be abolished altogether,
there are differences among people,

 
     

and those differences come in many
forms, including race, and that is what
makes us all beautiful. That is what
makes human beings individuals. That
is what makes this country great,
because so many people from so many
different countries can come here and
live in relative peace.

I understand the reason some peo-

We don’t all look the same—and thats okay.

ple have become so oversensitive when
it comes to talking about race. I under-
stand many groups are discriminated
against because of race, and this prob-
lem exists in varying degrees in many
different areas of this country.
Eliminating all discussion of race, how-
ever, is not the answer.

I believe the solution to the problem
comes through educating people about
acceptance, not ignoring race altogeth-
er. I don’t want to be denied my right to
be proud of who I am, and I don’t
think anyone else can honestly say they
want to be denied that right, either.

Aapsoy worg Aq o104g

Personal identity is deeply rooted in
one’s cultural upbringing, so the answer
is not to erase all acknowledgment of
cultural differences. The answer is to
accept a person’s right to be proud of
their race, no matter what race that may
be, while carefully differentiating
between pride and hatred.

Hovember § 10/a000