The cause of Christ hasn't killed as many as this cause...

[John I Tzimisces]

It is the belief of many, many people, that more people have died in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, than for any other belief in history.

I reject this theory.

The Eurasian definition of WEALTH has killed countless millions, beyond ANYTHING misguided Christians have done. It transcends the passage of faiths, it transcends the comings and goings of Empires, and it is passed from father, to son, to grandson.
The pursuit of wealth as a means of elevating one over another is the REAL reason the crusades were waged (to rule the levant/middle east and take possession of the immense potential for wealth that region possessed.).
It is the main reason Caesar invaded Gaul, killing a million men and enslaving a million more.
It is the reason Alexander conquered Greece and Persia, and why his successors fought so fiercely over the general region of Syria (immensly wealthy, basically neccessary for ANY trade between the east and west).
It is why the Imperial Powers of europe slaughtered the natives of America, and why Asia and Africa were brought almost entirely under European Imperial Rule (inadvertantly leading to wars such as the Vietnam War-French Imperialism and others).
It is why tensions built, and built, and built, in the continent of Europe, ultimately leading the first World War, and leading inevitably to the Second World War.
It is why Southern America clung so tightly to the slave trade. Free labor = more money for you. This leads to the war responsible for the most American deaths in any war.
You could argue the pursuit of wealth has led to the current conflict between Islamic Extremists and America and its allies.
Et Cetera.

Discuss. Have fun with this one, its a hard opinion to tackle

EDIT: Ach, ACH, could a mod fix the thread title's caps?

[therussian]

I'll tell you what the answer is.........wealth. That has been the greatest instigator of death and destruction throughout history. Jesus has been around for 2000 years. Wealth has been around forever.


Edit: ****, I should really start reading what other people have said more. But still, my opinion stands.

[Tom Paine]

I'd be forced to agree here. Well, not forced to. The idea of capital has killed more than that of Christ, down the ages. Or even since Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire.

[Darth Wong]

Wealth itself does not cause problems but the lust for it does. A minor distinction, I grant you, but I couldn't help pointing it out

In any case, I would argue that you're forgetting nationalism and tribalism, both of which have been horrifically destructive throughout history. Look at the Rwandan genocide, which was caused entirely by tribalism and which killed people at a far greater rate than even Hitler's death camps (which were also motivated by tribalism, in its racial form).

[Farnan]

Greed and Politics the two greatest causes of evil deeds. Greed and Politics...

[Hermes]

Greed is undoubtedly the source of nearly all evil in the world. Religion (for the most part) is here to counteract it, supposedly. Unfortunately, religion leads to yet more strife. So you could say, backing even farther up, that it is human nature that is responsible for war and misery, though this brings on a whole new argument…

~Hermes

[John I Tzimisces]

Greed is undoubtedly the source of nearly all evil in the world. Religion (for the most part) is here to counteract it, supposedly. Unfortunately, religion leads to yet more strife. So you could say, backing even farther up, that it is human nature that is responsible for war and misery, though this brings on a whole new argument…

~Hermes

Religion leads to differences, but if you'd ask me, greed and envy and the like is what causes these differences to erupt into conflict.

[therussian]

To greed, all nature is insufficient.
-Seneca

"There is enough in the world for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed."

[Rush Limbaugh]

The saying is as old as the hills> I thought everyone knew it. Money is the root of all evil. Besides I dont think the claim is that more people have been killed in the name of Christ but in the name of religion than anything else. Heck god is on everyones side it seems. Ask anyone . Theyll tell you.

[Xiaodun]

It would be idiocy to seperate human greed from religion.

Human greed, humanity itself is the main reason for conflict. Religion, morals, ideals, they are all simply justifications of conflict.

[Ummon]

Money without greed can be used generously, religion without greed can be made into a tool of betterment, power without greed, is maybe altruistic.

[Rosacrux redux]

Greed, most certainly. Greed is not alone, though. Although it seems like it, I am not quoting Marx when I say that class division is the greatest wrongdoer of all times. The fact that gazillions of people have died because of the greed of one person, or people, or nation or state or religion or anything else, has everything to do with the class division of society: if the next guy has more (and especially if he has so much more that it cannot possibly have been the product of his labour) it is only natural to envy him. And envy is only one step away from violence.

People who have more than others, incite violence. Religion, as other detterent factors (TV, "amusement", consumerism) is there to hypnotize people and make them believe that if they stay put and do not wish for more of what they already have (and do not envy what their neighbour has) they will be rewarded in "the other world" (or "in the next life", depending upon dogma). I sincerely hope I don't offend anyone's religius belief, but that's the way I view the role of religion pertaining to its position in the socioeconomical establishment.

Organized religion was, is and will be an integral part of the opression of the lesser classes and as such is very much guilty for all the greed-related slaughter that has occured over the ages.

[Tom Paine]

The saying is as old as the hills> I thought everyone knew it. Money is the root of all evil. Besides I dont think the claim is that more people have been killed in the name of Christ but in the name of religion than anything else. Heck god is on everyones side it seems. Ask anyone . Theyll tell you.

Yes, but its a slightly misrepresentative quote, if memory seves; "the love of money is the root of all evil" is moe accurate I believe. And thus love of money, if we allow money to mean, momentarily, property, is the cause of violence; land, resources, people, whatever.

[Jesus The Inane]

It would seem to me that ambition has killed more people then religion or greed, or nationalism, for; ambition is the driving force of such things. Or perhaps not, but the moment we start being ambitious, is the moment we throw away peace.

We can have peace if only we are willing to not live for a goal, but rather just farm and enjoy the free time looking at the sky... perhaps boredom, too, is the cause of our misfortunes.

[John I Tzimisces]

The saying is as old as the hills> I thought everyone knew it. Money is the root of all evil. Besides I dont think the claim is that more people have been killed in the name of Christ but in the name of religion than anything else. Heck god is on everyones side it seems. Ask anyone . Theyll tell you.

I've only heard the saying that more people have died in the name of Christ than for any other cause, in all honesty. Obviously, wrong.
These people shouldn't be claiming to have God on their side, but rather asking themselves if they are on God's side...but people, as a whole, are stupid...

[Darth Wong]

I've only heard the saying that more people have died in the name of Christ than for any other cause, in all honesty. Obviously, wrong.
These people shouldn't be claiming to have God on their side, but rather asking themselves if they are on God's side...but people, as a whole, are stupid...

That statement is not necessarily unreasonable, actually. While it may be true that greed has killed more people than religion, nobody ever goes to war in the name of greed. People don't say "Today we go to righteous war in the holy name of Greed". So while greed may be a motivation, it is not a "Cause" in the sense that people don't sign up to fight in its name. That's why demagogues need some other pretext for war.

[Rosacrux redux]

This is part and parcel of the class division thing. The "mere people" don't go out of their way to take what the other guy has as long as they are not brought under some "cause". When people need motivation, "leaders" (see: those who are directly benefiting from the slaughter, expansion, loot, domination etc.) come upon to provide ample motivation. Religion has been used (read: Churches have cooperated) amply as a pretext and motivation for the unwilling masses to join the one or the other cause.

[Tacticalwithdrawal]

I took part in a debate years ago at college where the proposal 'The house proposes that there has never been a religious war' won.

Basically the argument was that which Rosacrux has said above, religion was used as the excuse/motivator to get people to fight the war.

Blame it on Darius (Cyrus' inheritor), he 'invented' the religious war, although he probably believed what he was saying.

[Darth Wong]

I took part in a debate years ago at college where the proposal 'The house proposes that there has never been a religious war' won.

Basically the argument was that which Rosacrux has said above, religion was used as the excuse/motivator to get people to fight the war.

Then the other side did a very poor job of debating its position, because an excuse/motivator is still a cause. Since when is a motivator not a cause? What definition of causality did you use, and why was the other side not clever enough to identify this flaw in your logic?

[Tacticalwithdrawal]

'cos we deliberately went a very simple route - to be a religious war then religion had to be the sole reason the war was fought, not the excuse.

Nobody could come up with one