Wars are caused by religion - get rid of religion = no more wars

Some say 'all religion does is cause wars. If you have no religion then there will be no wars'

Well lets have a look at the scale of human suffering caused by religion and caused by non religious activity. There are many more than I have listed below but these are pretty major conflicts and are quite dominant in our history.

In the name of religion

The crusades.

Middle east wars.

Witch hunting burning.

Islamic militant activities

Northern Ireland catholic and protestant conflict.

Non religious attocities

The 19^th centuries worst crime against humanity was the killing of some 6 million jews.

Stalins regime in former Russia was responsible for killing millions of people.

In China there has been extreme suppression, torture and killings not only within its own borders but through Tibet too.

Korea - Marxism suppression torture and killing.

Apartheid segregation of blacks in south Africa

Scientific communities in America created a Eugenics movement in the early 1900's. Eugenics was the racist American initiative designed to wipe out all human beings except those who conformed to a particular stereotype. The belief was that by eliminating the racially impure from the gene-pool we would eventually have a perfect society. The philosophy was enshrined into national policy by forced sterilization, segregation laws and marriage restrictions that were enacted in 27 states. Ultimately, eugenics coercively sterilized some 60,000 Americans, barred the marriage of thousands, forcibly segregated thousands more in colonies and persecuted untold numbers in ways we are just learning. Only after eugenics and race biology became entrenched as an American ideal was the campaign transplanted to Germany, where it came to Hitler's attention. Hitler studied American eugenic laws and rationales and sought to legitimize his innate race hatred and anti-Semitism by medicalizing it and wrapping it in a scientific facade. Indeed, Hitler was able to attract many reasonable Germans by claiming that scientific truth was on his side. Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, coined a popular adage in the Reich: "National Socialism is nothing but applied biology." Nazi doctors would become the unseen generals in Hitler's war against the Jews and other Europeans deemed inferior. Doctors would create the science, devise the eugenic formulas, and even hand-select the victims for sterilization, euthanasia and mass extermination. (quoted from a paper my Dr M.Sier – The right not to believe)

So to go back to the question – does religion cause wars I think the answer is clearly no it does not. It is clearly mankind who uses religion to dominate over others as he uses any power at his disposal to dominate over others. This is undeniably a sad state of affairs but nevertheless a true one.

if we throw out religion from the world then what will we have?

Well Baha'u'llah clearly states :-

Should the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness and justice, of tranquillity and peace cease to shine. Unto this will bear witness every man of true understanding.

(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 125)

All religions teach that we must do good, that we must be generous, sincere, truthful, law-abiding, and faithful; all this is reasonable, and logically the only way in which humanity can progress.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 141)