I am of the belief that organized religion is the root of all evil. Many of the atrocities that have been committed over the course of time have a religious undertone to them. Countless times the phrase "in the name of God" has been tossed around to justify acts of violence.
Were the things done "in the name of God" really only things done by hiding behind the name?
Using religious belief as an excuse to go against the teachings of your own faith is pure hypocrisy.
If Christ teaches us to love God and neighbor....and even tells us to love our enemies...how can we take up weapons to kill them?
Most religions have a period of time in which they were the aggressors and carried out heinous, violent acts of barbarism. From the Christian Crusades into the Holy Land all the way up to the radical Islamic terrorists of today. Religion is a cultural issue, and when two different cultures collide, the end result has a tendency to turn violent. Such is the nature of humans.
Such is the nature of fallen humanity. We were not designed to kill one another. It takes a lot of perception management to make humans do 'inhuman' things. Just the very term "inhuman" means NOT human. If these heinous actions are NOT human, then what are they? I would say that they are demonically inspired. (1 John 5:19) Children raised in this kind of environment where barbarity is honored will never know God's love.
Religious backing for the military goes back a long way. For Christians, the two are completely incompatible.....you cannot train to kill humans and still call yourself a disciple of Christ. (Roman 12:17-21)
Quite frankly I am tired of all the holy wars, the suicide bombings, the beheadings, the retaliations, and the Romanesque Coliseum interest in such violence. The radicals on all sides would serve the planet better if they would all just off themselves and leave the rest of us in peace. Live and let live.
I think you will find that we are being led to a situation where the whole world will be crying out for peace and security.....we are all tired of the murderous hatred and sheer disrespect for human life expressed by those who profess a 'religion'.....and the powers that be have a solution that will solve all of our problems....or so they will say.
The Bible foretells the implementation of a "single world government" that will promise 'peace and security' but will deliver just the opposite. I see the world getting set up to accept the great counterfeit for God's kingdom. It was once called "the new world order"...then "globalization"...and now I hear the word "federalism"...or the rule by law....all done under the banner of the world's present "peacekeeper"...the UN. It sounds good, but don't be fooled...it will strip away any freedom humans have ever fought for. It will promise the world but deliver only an iron-fisted dictatorship. Religion will be the first to go.This "peacekeeper" will be a ruthless enforcer, not a "peacemaker" as Jesus said we should be.
"Rule by law" will have no loopholes or compassion and it will not be a promoter of peace. Rigid laws will be bound on all the world's inhabitants who will realize that it isn't what they signed up for....but too late.
All you have to do is look at the uniforms that police are wearing these days in all nations.....it is combat gear. These will be the law enforcers with powers greater than they have ever had. The greatest tribulation in mankind's history is foretold and nothing can stop it. (Matthew 24:21) You will only be able to buy or sell if you bear the "mark of the beast". Only those who refuse the "mark" (yet to be clarified) will survive this "great tribulation". Being "no part of this world" will be extremely difficult, but God promises to see his faithful ones through it.
These are frightening times, but also exciting for Christians who see the light at the end of the tunnel. God's Kingdom will "come" and put an end to all forms of corrupt human rulership and replace them as man's only government. (Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:9, 10; Revelation 21:1-5) This is what I look forward to.