If killing is a sin, why do armies kill in religious wars?
by 
bowlinggreen
ANSWERS: 4
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Depending on your religion, murder is a sin, but fighting for survival is not.
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Because life isn't as simple as God wants it to be.
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Cause religion isn't really about sins. It's a sociological structure designed to provide hope and safety to the gullible. Sin and holiness, Hell and Heaven are just the action - reward mechanism. So if a religious sect is feeling threatened by another sect or social group, the reward function is overridden, to ensure survival. Let's not forget the Babylonian, Assurian, Aztec, Summerian, New Zealand, African, Native indian and Greek religions that bit the dust when confronted with better battle equipment and superior numbers.
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AFAIK, the main religions involved in Holy Wars are Christianity & Islam, and Islam, AFAIK, does say that killing invaders of your homeland (or words to that effect) is ok... Christianity however, specifically says that killing is both absolutely wrong (see: 10 Commandments), and that it is demanded of you by God (see: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalm, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, Peter, Jude, Revelation)
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