It’s widely thought that religion is the major cause of war. However, William T. Cavanaugh, in his book, The Myth of Religious Violence, points out how superficial this perception is. Indeed, the authoritative Encyclopedia of War reports that of all the wars fought during recorded history, 3.8% of them have been caused by Islam; 3.2% by other religions; but 93% by governments seeking their own political ends.
As far as Christianity goes, the illogic of such generalisations is clear when we remember that Jesus actually taught that we should ‘love our enemies.’ To do otherwise in his name is to show the truth of that old Biblical truth that: ‘the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?’