My friend Michael doesn't like cheeseburgers. He refuses to eat them and if we go to McDonalds he always gets Chicken McNuggets. I should probably kill him for not having the same beliefs as me, right? I think that everyone would tell me not to do that because it is too extreme. Fighting over one's beliefs is extreme and extremely wrong. Many people say that religion is one of the main reasons of war around the world, but they are wrong. "History simply does not support the hypothesis that religion is the major cause of conflict. " (Lurie, Rabbi A) Various theologies and differing views on them are only small portions of the factors of conflict. Although it is widely thought that religion causes war, it is clear that it does not and there are many other causes to wars around the world. .
Religion is a unique force in society. A force so great that it "helped abolish slavery, as well as promoting equal rights for africans and women historically " (Why Religions Sometimes ) and yet a force so terrible that it can be blamed for causing nearly every war ever. There are various battles in history that could be considered "religion based " but by delving deeper into them, one would realize that they are definitely not. World War II could be viewed as a conquest based solely on religion, but that is not true at all. "Race was a major factor in World War II, religion played a more limited role. There were only some religious aspects of the war. " (World War II: Religion). Differing faiths do not cause war, but they play a key part in the process of starting wars.
War is caused by the hatred in an individual. Man's desire to gain and control power is the sole focus of war, while religion is about expressing one's beliefs. Abdu'l Baha makes the point that it is a man's ambition that breaks up the love and harmony in a community forever. Millions of people are killed by the hand of a certain ruler not because they don't like them as people, but because they have something that they desire.
