Does religion promote war indirectly by promising an afterlife?Alot to think about.
I would say, that from reading all I have read on this board and others, and from knowledge of how things work today, religion not only promoted war, but was invented specifically for it. Obviously, some of the messages in most religions don't tell people to go out and murder, but read all of the examples these texts give you.
Islam--I believe that's the one--promises a thousand virgins in the afterlife, or something to that effect. Vikings had Valhalla, which beared a striking resemblance, i.e. a strong, male-oriented heaven. The Christians have eternal life, and Judaism promises a savior who free the world of it's evil (or something like that.) While they all leave the believer unafraid of death, they also leave them open to manipulation.
Islam, for example. What teenage boy doesn't dream of a place with a thousand women who are willing to touch you were your bathing suit covers?
All of these peoples were exploring, conquering peoples, and they created the carrot-on-a-stick method; they held out this promise of enternal life, or a thousand virgins, or an enternal strip club, in exchange for spreading the word of this "God." If that meant invading a nation, then so be it. After all, the king made himself some major cash and some more land, and the people now had something to look forward to.
When does disbelief gives you more knowledge? Doesn't that imply lack of knowledge?
You're really reaching on this one. Actually, I shouldn't say that, because I think you're trying to make a backhanded comment about disbelief in your god, not disbelief in general. Real clever, Jethro.
Disbelief doesn't inheretly imply a lack of knowledge. You know that. I don't believe in the Easter Bunny. Does that mean I lack knowledge of the situation? No. It means the opposite.
For me to believe in god, you would need to show me some proof. And I don't need anyone to prove the supernatural, because I for one believe in the supernatural. I've seen ghosts, but that does not prove the existance of God. I've seen the natural, too, but that doesn't prove the existance of the flying, purple Llama. I want to see a miracle. I want to talk to God. I want, as the people in the Bible said, have God walk physically before me, in full God Gear, and tell me something. Is that too much to ask? Some of the people who believed in God in the Bible actually saw him, they didn't go on an ancient book.
Until then, anyone who says they believe are guessing, nothing more. And doing so blindly, becuase there is nothing to say there is a god, save one lousy book with mistranslations.
JD
