All I'm saying is that religion is no guarantee against beastial conduct.
I agree with you that religion is no guarantee. I believe this is so because denominations generally add their own set of values and interpretation to the Word.
Some religions put their own teachings (traditions) on par with (or ahead of) the Word and thus, a religious leader instructing a soldier to kill would be in the soldier's eyes the same thing as if Christ himself told him to do so.
This is in direct contradiction to the Word:
In the example, if the soldier knew and believed the teachings of Christ, he would likely have refused to his own peril.
IMHO, the more people know and believe the teachings of Christ the less likely they will be do any kind of harm to another person.