Besides Shinto, what is the most violent religion?
Since the dawn of time many religious doctrines have prompted followers to acts of violence. What religion has had the greatest tendency to do this? (Besides Shinto of course)
"Truthfully your condemning of our faith would probably have you warned, and if you persisted, would have consequences, of which i am not sure. But there have been cases where people have been put to death for MALICIOUSLY harming the image of our noble master Muhammad, the best creation of God. But you fail to see that Islam means peace, just as when we meet each other and say 'salami alum' 'peace be upon you' to our brothers. We are a tolerant religion, and our communities have and still have many faiths still practicing their own religions in Islamic land. From the time of the prophet up until today."
The preceding quote was received via e-mail from a Muslim. Notice that he says Islam is a religion of peace, yet that there would be "consequences" for me in my condemnation of Islam. He then mentions how people have been killed for harming the image of Mohammed. Quite frankly, Mohammed damages his own image when he marries multiple women, advocates lying, 1 and spreads his religion by the sword.
Nevertheless, is Islam a religion of peace? Many of its advocates say that it is. Let's see what the Qur'an actually says.
1. The Qur'an tells Muslims to kill and go to war to fight for Islam: Quran, chapters (Surahs) 9:5; 2:191; 2:193; 3:118; 4:75,76; 5:33, 8:12; 8:65; 9:73,123; 33:60-62.
2. Fight for Allah: "And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers, (Quran 2:191).
3. Muslims are to battle for Allah: "Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the minions of the devil. Lo! the devil's strategy is ever weak," (Quran 4:76).
4. Kill those against Islam: "The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter," (Quran 5:33).
5. Beheading: "When thy Lord inspired the angels, (saying): I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger. 13That is because they opposed Allah and His messenger. Whoso opposeth Allah and His messenger, (for him) lo! Allah is severe in punishment," (Quran 8:12).
6. Allah urges war: "O Prophet! urge the believers to war; if there are twenty patient ones of you they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred of you they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people who do not understand," (Quran 8:65).
7. Slay non-muslims: "Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful," (Quran 9:5).
8. Allah urges war: "O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination," (Quran 9:73).
9. Allah urges war: "O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness; and know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil)," (Quran 9:123).
10. Allah urges killing: "...the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and the agitators in the city do not desist... 61Cursed: wherever they are found they shall be seized and murdered, a (horrible) murdering. 62(Such has been) the course of Allah with respect to those who have gone before; and you shall not find any change in the course of Allah, (Quran 33:60-62).
11. Beheading: "Now when ye meet in battle those who disbelieve, then it is smiting of the necks until, when ye have routed them, then making fast of bonds; and afterward either grace or ransom till the war lay down its burdens..." (Quran 47:4).
12. Allah loves those who fight for him: "Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure," (Quran 61:4).
As you can see, the Qur'an definitely teaches that it's people are to fight for the cause of Islam. This list of verses is important because they are within the holy book of Islam. What are we to conclude if a Muslim is to take the Quran seriously? Is he not obligated to slay non-Muslims, to go to war, to kill those against Islam, etc.? Isn't this what the verses are teaching? Yes, they are and this is the source of Islamic Terrorism.
Can we include the religion of 'political & military leaders pretending they are fighting for a religion'? I think that would be near the top.
Additional: There is a whole other side to Islamic belief which is not being represented by the quotes above:
"the taking of one innocent life is like taking all of Mankind... and the saving of one life is like saving all of Mankind" - Holy Qur'an, 5:33
'That man is a Muslim who never hurts anyone by word or deed, but who works for the benefit and happiness of God's creatures. Belief in God is to love ones fellow men.' - Holy Prophet Mohammed
Any religion really...Jesus said that people will kill and destroy and say they are doing Gods service...I know I did not quote this word for word but you know what I'm saying.
Violent as in, the actual doctrinal books or writings prescribe an excessive amount of violence (Hinduism), as in the followers did it not under command of but neither condemned by their Holy Writ (Islam), as in the followers it in a religion's name despite stiff condemnation from the same source they claimed to be following (Christianity), or simply what religion has a large number of people killed by adherents (atheism, as in, atheism doesn't make someone violent, but Stalin and Pol Pot sure killed a lot of people on their own initiative).
The only one out of the ones I mentioned - Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and atheism - that actually DICTATES violence is Hinduism, which can be found in the Vedas (take, for example, the Rig Veda). Also, given the history the Aryans had with the Dravidians and Krishna's calm consolations that one should slaughter family member if it is ones duty, then I would say Hinduism.
The Pai M?rire movement was a pancreatic M?ori religion that flourished in New Zealand from about 1863 to 1874.
Te Ua began to formulate his new religion, complete with a holy book, Ua Rongo Pai (the Gospel according to Ua) which combined elements of Old Testament morality, Christian doctrine and traditional M?ori religion. Its goal was to create a peaceful society in which righteousness and justice prevailed. They believed they were a second Chosen People and that, with divine aid, they would regain control of their hereditary land when the Creator, Jehovah, fought for them and drove the English into the sea. To help him propagate the religion, Te Ua chose three men ? Tahutaki, Hepenaia and Wi Parara.
Like the religion of the Aztecs which include the sacrifice of living victims to the gods. They would tear the beating heart from the man's chest upon the altar and sacrificed thousands of people every month.
Luckily, this wasn't the religion that won out in the world! If it was just imagine what the world would be like today.
Shinto violent ?
It is about harmony with nature, upholding the family and cleanliness.
The highest total death toll perpetrated by any religion is quite probably Christianity which has plundered and murdered it`s way across Europe, North and South America the Middle East and Southern Asia. Don`t forget the Philippines either, what was it that American General said "shoot every man and boy over the age of 10" ? I should imagine that there are very few other religions that could rival the death toll that the Christians managed in Brazil alone.
Besides Shinto, what is the most violent religion?
