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The gods of war

Is religion the primary cause of violent conflict?

Does religion cause war?

THE GODS OF WAR
Is religion the primary cause of violent conflict?
By Meic Pearse
IVP. 232 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978-1-84474-226-4

The author is Professor of History at Houghton College in New York. He tackles the long-standing argument against religion, including Christianity, that religion is the cause of more wars, global conflicts and deaths than any other factor.

The first of the book’s 11 chapters examines the 20th century as the ‘bloodiest century of all’. Not necessarily because it had more wars than any other century, but because of technological advances which gave rise to weapons of mass destruction.

The second chapter tackles the accusation that religion is the cause of war. This is dismissed as simplistic, asserting that the reasons for war are often very complex.

Here and elsewhere it is acknowledged that religion has been the cause of many conflicts but certainly not all.

Irreligion is identified as a greater cause of war than religion. This extends beyond the part played by totalitarian regimes and encompasses culture and greed for land, wealth and domination. Religion and traditional cultures are shown to be frequent victims of violent secularism.

Another chapter looks at Islam from its beginning. Its expansion by force is shown to be motivated by the desire to convert the ‘sphere of war’ into the ‘sphere of Islam’. The Crusades are also considered with an incisive honesty.

Other chapters include the ambiguous role played by religion; two fascinating chapters on what Pearse describes as the part played by ‘Tribal Gods’, the product of religious-national myths and a brief analysis of Marx.

The last three chapters are focussed more on Christian attitudes to war. One, ‘Can a Christian fight?’, looks at the criteria of the Augustinian Just War and the case for pacifism. The idea of a just war is shown to be open to abuse, as it is conducted by the unjust or fallen. Even so, is that a reason to reject it? Pacifism presents the dilemma of allowing violent people to operate unchecked as they kill, rape and torture the weak and vulnerable. Pearse argues that pacifism can become more a case of moral narcissism than moral purity.

One commendation of the book speaks of the author’s breadth of historical, scriptural and sociological knowledge. The first and last of these are outstandingly clear. The least developed was the scriptural input which depicts wars as a consequence of the Fall and something to be expected until Christ returns.

This is a very difficult subject which has been covered remarkably well. It is for the thinking Christian, who will be rewarded, not only with a panoramic view of the history of conflict, but with many quotable quotes which reveal what is in the heart of man.

Keith Stokes,
senior pastor, Woodstock Road Baptist Church, Oxford