Holy Wars

• Holy Wars are often fought to gain land and convert people or to protect one's religion - often from another religious group
• Holy Wars come from the belief that a religious believer has an obligation to promote their faith to protect it
• an example of a Holy War is the Crusades of the Middle ages - Christian nations sent soldiers to the Holy Land to fight for control of the holy places
• Even when a war is not explicitly a holy war, religion is often still involved

  • there are Jews and Muslims on either side of the Israeli-Palestine conflict
• There are many modern examples of 'holy wars' fought to protect or further religious beliefs

  • e.g. acts of terrorism committed by people who believe in white Christian supremacy
  • e.g. terrorists who say they are fighting to promote a religion - such as 9/11 (promoting Islam)
• Most people condemn acts of violence and argue that promoting or protecting religious faith cannot justify violence

  • e.g. many Christians have said that their religions are religions that preach peace
• Most modern attempts at 'holy war' have inflicted violence on civilians, therefore going against the principles of the Just War theory
• Holy Wars often don't abide by Just War theory because they usually cause harm to civilians.
• Old testaments suggest that God encouraged conflict to the Israelites to fight for Promised Land
• do not suppose that i have come to bring peace on earth, i did not come to bring peace, but a sword - Matthew 10:34

  • passage used to justify holy wars
  • now interpreted as Jesus' message will bring divisions between people rather than promoting the practice of Holy War
• Athiests and humanists do not support religious reasons for going to war

  • some argued that religion is more often a source of conflict than of peace and resolution
• In Matthew 10, Jesus says he came to bring a sword. While some have seen this as justifying Holy Wars, many today would see it as Jesus saying his message will bring divisions
• Bertrand Russel - philosopher in 1930 - said that religion means the fundamental causes of war are still in place
• Non-religious people will not support religious reasons for going to war. Many even argue that religion is more of a source of conflict than peace. One atheist who argues this today is Richard Dawkins.