Looking Closer

A common assertion you’ll hear against religion is that religion is the major cause of wars.  More wars have been fought over religion than over any other cause, leading to more deaths, more damage, more disruption of the world and life in general than any other issue.  The conclusion implict here is that religion is a bad thing and we either need to neuter it by refusing to acknowledge any potential truth in a religion, or eliminate it all together.  

But what if the premise itself isn’t true?  What if religions aren’t really the cause of all or even most of the wars and conflicts in human history?  

According to at least one source, this assertion is false.  Religion is not to blame for all or even most human conflicts.  

Being naturally skeptical, I went to look up the source on Amazon.  I learned:

1.  It is expensive and I am not likely going to invest in a set any time soon!

2.  It has been out for almost ten years yet the only Amazon review disparages it simply because it utilizes the newer BCE/CE dating terminology instead of the traditional BC/AD terminology.

3.  The publisher doesn’t appear to be Christian, which eliminates a conflict of interest that might be alleged (someone claiming that the data is skewed because of a religious bias, for example).