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To: commonerX
I disagree, in all of history most reasons one group attacks another is because one group doesn't believe in the same religion as the other, so they see them as a threat to them and their God

It doesn't matter if you disagree or not, your last statement (that "Religions have been the cause of more deaths and wars then any other cause in history" ) was still incorrect. Your current statement above is equally incorrect. A lot of historical conflicts have been over ideological differences, but socialism (in fact, even just counting atheistic socialism) has killed more people that all the religious conflicts put together.

True Stalin a Socialist is responsible for 20 million deaths, but most those deaths were not do to promoting socialism, but Stalin's paraniod delusions and intolarence of anyone who didn't see things his way

Even if the bogus argument above did excuse national socialism (or perhaps more properly statism) as the root cause, it would still be irrelevant. Stalin's 20 million is exceeded by Communist China's 50 million, and there's no (rational at least) arguing that anything other than socialism resulted in those deaths.

All the deaths attributed to Hitler could be argued that they are religiously motivated, the Jews, the Gipsies (pagans)

Again, even if one were to accept such a nonsensical argument and those numbers were counted as religious prosecution, the fact would still remain that socialism killed more.

But, if you go back through history most conflicts are over religious deferences.

That's simply not true. Your subconscious hatred of religion is blinding you to simple truth. Even if you count every conflict even loosly related to religion (Spanish conquistadors, every Arab conflict, etc.) those numbers still pale in comparison to conflicts over resources, trade, politics, non-religious social ideologies, etc.).

What the total number killed throughout history no one really knows

This is irrelevant; the numbers for death by socialism are simply too high. We could even make the nonsensical assumption that EVERYONE before recorded history died because of religion, and the numbers would still be less, because of the much lower population density at that time.

how many were killed in the Crusades

Slightly less than 200,000, if you include those sold into slavery by the Mohameddans.

how many christians killed at the hands of Rome

About 20,000.

Religious motivations in history is as simple as one group believing they have some devine right, given to them by their God, over another

This is irrelevant to the fact that your statement is historically incorrect.

You have to look at the whole picture why does one group wish to eleminate another in history in most cases it boils down to religious motivation or intolarence of others that don't believe

This too is irrelevant to the fact that your statements about "death by religion" are historically incorrect. I am not arguing the merits of your opinion that religion has caused conflicts; I am merely pointing out that you are mistaken in your belief that religion has been the cause of more deaths than any other. It is simply not true.

1,068 posted on 08/22/2003 1:10:04 PM PDT by Technogeeb
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To: Technogeeb
Granted I shouldn't have said that religions have been the cause of more deaths then any other cause.

And I do not have a subconscious hatred of religion.

I first of all was not just refering to wars but to the reasons or motivations people use to kill others. My statement probably would be better said by saying that people may have used religion as a cause to kill, more than any other reason. Also the motivation behind many conflicts, whether for power trade or resources, is the belief that GOD is on our side. The problem is that ussually the other side is saying the same thing.


1,082 posted on 08/22/2003 1:48:51 PM PDT by commonerX
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