RE: Mankind's destruction in the hands of Religion

Submitted by Rohan Walsh (Australia), May 14, 2004 at 09:05

I used to think this way too, until it was pointed out to me that in the 1900's, more people were killed at the orders of 4 men (Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Chairman Mao) than all religious wars ever (I have never bothered to count to verify this, but it seems about right) and they were all atheists or at least non-religious. The idea that all religion causes war does not stand up well under scrutiny.
If a religion teaches war, then it causes war. If it does not teach war, but it's followers go to war, then it is not the religion that caused the war, but the people.

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