By Akpeli Othuke Andrew
There has been a lingering heated arguments that religion is more of a force of division rather than unity as was stated by Jonathan swift-an author and an 18th Century clergyman, “We have had just enough religions to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one-another.”
For instance, a look at the report of a group of researchers at the Department of Peace studies at Bradford University in the United Kingdom commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporations to evaluate whether religion is a force for peace or war.
In their conclusion, they said; “After reviewing historical analysis by diverse array of specialists, we conclude that there have been few genuine religious wars in the last 100 years.” They further clarify saying, “Some of the wars often painted in the media and other places as wars over religion or wars arising from religion differences, have in fact been wars of nationalism, liberation of territory or self-defence.”
But even with this report, it is still very difficult to exonerate religion totally due to the actions and inactions of some of the clergymen in the face of crisis. It has been argued that some religious groups had supported conflicts as can be found in some literature reviews below;
• Terror in the Mind of God-The Global Rise of Religious Violence states, “Religion seems to be connected with violence virtually everywhere…. In recent years, religious violence has erupted among right-wing Christians in the United States, angry Muslims and Jews in the Middle east, quarrelling Hindus and Muslims in South Asia and indigenous religious communities in Africa and Indonesia…. The individuals involved in these cases have relied on religion to provide political identities and give license to vengeful ideologies.”
• Holy Hatred states, “Ironically, nations with fervent religion have the worst social evils…. The saturation of religion has failed to prevent the severe crime level. The evidence is clear; To find living conditions that are safe, decent, orderly and “civilised”, avoid places with intense religions.”
• Review and Expository- A Baptists Theological Journal States, “Baptists are much better known for fighting than for peacemaking…. When the [Americans] slave issue and other developments divided the denominations and the nation in the nineteenth century, Baptists North and South Supported the war effort as a right crusade and assumed that God is on their side. Baptists also identified with the national efforts in wars with England (1812), Mexico (18450, and Spain (1896). Justifying the last two ‘Mainly on the grounds of bringing religious liberty to oppressed peoples and opening of new areas for mission works.’ The point is not that Baptist desired war rather than peace, but that, for the most part, when war becomes a reality, Baptists supported the participation in the effort.”
• The age of Wars of Religion, 1000-1650 – An Encyclopaedia of Global Warfare and Civilization states, “Religion motivation to combat has been located by historians in most areas and among virtually all the world’s diverse peoples and cultures, and usually on both sides in any given war. The hoary cry that ‘the gods are on our side’ was among the earliest and most potent of incitements to battle.”
• Violence in God’s Name – Religion in an Age of Conflict states, “Religious leaders… need to reflect more critically on their own failure to provide more effective leadership and witness to the true fundamental values of their respective faiths…. It is true that all religions aspire to peace but it is questionable whether religion has ever fulfil that role.”
The support shown by clergymen of most major religious group (Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs) by providing Monks, Priests and Chaplains to raise the morale of the troops has shown that they had condoned the violence and bloodshed. This has further buttress the age long unanswered question whether religion is to be blame for the upsurge of violence going on around the world.
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