queer
December 30, 2013, 5:40pm
7
Re: Religions and their followers
lets see what went on with ‘secular’ conflicts over last 100 years…
world war 1: 16 million dead
and countless more. Deaths and destruction by religious conflicts over that period is a small fraction of the above.
The examples you have quoted are a mere fraction of the total violence took place during those times as well. Interestingly, no one likes to talk about genocide of indigenous populations of North and South America which were virtually wiped out by European settlers. Spanish inquisition, all and well, but what about over 10 million Africans killed as a direct result of slave trade during that time (number does not include other genocides in the continent)?
More humane and accommodating? Really?
It is just that religion has been at times used as a tool to oppress, kill and hate others doesn’t mean there is something inherently wrong with it. Just like science is used to make weapons as well as medicine. Should scientists be given a bad name just because some of them do evil things with their knowledge?
one can argue that the world wars were a product of racism and imperialism. and definitely these evils were a lot worse than religious bigotry.
but look at the world today. not just pakistan or india or the active wars. i would say religious bigotry has earned its rise to the top as one of the top problems for humanity.