[PublicAnimalNo9]

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

CanadianJeff CanadianJeff:

Religion is one of the most powerful motivators out there.

That being said not all religions have the same level of moral wealth. Christianity today isn't the same beast it was a few hundred years ago.
They just ignore the violent and disgusting parts of the book now.

The problem is Islam doesn't.

Nonsense. History has shown again and again, no matter the religion, if someone truly believes they are doing God's work, they can be capable of some of the most horrible acts of murder and/or brutality imaginable.
There have been more than a few moments of shame for Christianity over the last few decades.
Maybe not on the same scale of violence or level of barbarism as other religions, but still no less deplorable.

People are also willing to resort to these acts for other causes - patriotic nationalism for example. The Rwanda genocide for example wasn't religiously motivated. Also, look at the number of westerners willing to support (or at least tolerate) torture, simply because they want to see the enemy get his comeuppance.

Oh for sure. The Russians at the beginning of their war with Germany were a prime example. Initially, they surrendered in great numbers assuming Germany was coming to liberate Russia from Communism. They really didn't have the will to fight for the ideology. But when they learned what Hitler's armies were doing to their homes, families and land, the hatred level went up exponentially and they fought like a cornered wolverine. When they reached Germany, they were absolutely brutal to the civilian population, and understandably so.

[Jonny_C]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

There have been more than a few moments of shame for Christianity over the last few decades.
Maybe not on the same scale of violence or level of barbarism as other religions, but still no less deplorable.

There's that equivalency I was talking about.

"Maybe not on the same scale of violence or level of barbarism". Not even anywhere close, but you still draw the equivalency. I deplore that as an excuse.

[BeaverFever]

Rwandan genocide - both sides were Catholic and the local priests joined the chorus on the call for blood.

Also, Serbs and Croats in former Yugo wars were Orthodox Christian and Catholic, respectively. Although, in this case, religious differences was but one element of their respective national identities and not the sole motivator.

[ShepherdsDog]

Croats and Slovenes(like the Czechs and Hungarians) identified more closely with Austria culturally and the Serbs identified with Russia, and were proponents of pan slavism. Their problems/conflicts went back centuries to the Ottoman occupation, where the Turks played the Christian minorities against each other.

[Jonny_C]

"The Rwanda genocide for example wasn't religiously motivated."