Warfare In Religion

In this essay, I will be comparing the attitudes that Christianity, Hindiusm, and Islam have had towards war, and how it has changed and affected each religion 's development throughout history. The study of warfare in religion is important because the ability of the three largest religions to survive to the modern day is not found in the religious message, but rather in times of conflict, where the foundations for immense growth were laid. Even if these modern religions denounce war and violence now, it is important to realise that war has and will always be a core component, whether if it was for self-defence, or simply a God-given duty to fight for one 's people. As a result, different teachings about conflict can be found within the holy …show more content…
Hindu scripture also states that armies must also follow rules that preserve the honor in combat, prohibiting acts such as poisoning wells and attacking women and children; the penalty for which is an eternity in hell. This honourable approach to conflict can also be observed in the warrior-like aspects of Hindu gods and goddesses, which are revered as something to strive towards. Finally, the most violent religion was Islam in it 's early development phase. In Islam, conflict was necessary in every stage in order to get the base of believers to grow enough so that it would become a serious religion and a regional influence. One of the most important of these battles was the unlikely muslim victory at the Battle of Badr against the larger Quaraysh force. In this battle, the regional influence of Islam and it 's followers is secured by the capture of Mecca, which is believed to be the divine influence of God. This influence did not end with Muhammad 's death, as Islam experienced the greatest amount of growth after his death, as his followers expanded the religion with tremendous speed. Reflecting this, the Qu 'ran, which is considered to be pure …show more content…
Each religion in this period engaged in holy conflicts, either on the offence or on the defence, going into battle with the belief that their deity was on their side. As such, the attitudes of war have changed significantly to meet the demands of leaders and to better serve the people. In particular, Chirstianity sees a huge change from a completely pacifist message to the justification of combat depending on if it was being used for a holy cause, or if it was being used for an evil cause. One good example of such a revolutionary Catholic thinker is Saint Augustine, who introduced the idea of a just war into the general Christian doctrine, which was arrived at by interpreting scripture and the realization that pacifism, while ideal in a perfect world, was not possible in a sinful one. These ideas faced criticism - with many Christian branches breaking off as a result. However, the concept of a 'Just war ' became accepted and was later expanded and revised by Saint Thomas Aquinas, who considered requirements such as Last Resort, Legitimate Authority, Just Cause, Probability of Success, Right Intention, Proportionality, and the avoidance of Civilian Casualties when determining of the legitimacy of any sanctioned conflict. However, even though the list of causes for a Just War appear to be rational, there remained a series of ethical problems such