Is Religion the Cause of Wars and Violence?

Miriam asks: “Hello. My friend claims that religion is a major cause of the murder of innocents and wars in the world, pointing to ISIS and the great cruelty we see today in Islamic countries. Does this mean that religions only harm humanity, or is there another side to the story?”

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The phenomenon of ISIS and the cruelty of extremist Muslims is a modern occurrence. It cannot be taken to represent all periods and times.

In fact, most wars in history and most mass killings were not religiously motivated. The most famous conquerors and mass murderers in human history were not religious people at all. A short list of the most notorious include Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong. Among the greatest conquerors and killers of all time, not one was driven by religion.

Even the two most destructive wars in history — World War I and World War II, were not fought over religion. Could there be stronger proof that killing and oppression do not stem from religion, but rather from human nature itself?

The Torah teaches: “The inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). That is precisely why proper religious education can restrain the selfish drives of man such as anger, jealousy, pride, and lust, and direct his energies into constructive paths. Without religion, human behavior would be far worse.

Some claim that science, progress, rationality, and enlightenment will bring peace, but history disproves this entirely. The 20th century was supposed to be the “century of enlightenment and humanism.” Instead, it became the bloodiest century in human history. Between 170 to 360 million people were murdered, mostly by their own governments — regimes built on “rationality,” “progress,” and “science.” Stalin, Mao, and Hitler — leaders who explicitly rejected religion, were responsible for unprecedented levels of killing.

Science and technology are only tools. In the hands of corrupt people, they become weapons of destruction, just as bows and swords once were.

Because most wars in history arose from economics, politics, or power struggles, wars would still exist even without religion. Ancient empires like Greece and Rome tried to conquer the world without religious agendas, and in modern times, wars have been fought over ideologies like communism, socialism, or capitalism. Without religion, there would simply be fewer restraints. For this reason, the 20th century — with its rejection of religion, saw more bloodshed than all previous centuries combined.

Belief in God preserves human dignity. Without it, society sinks to moral corruption and cruelty. When Abraham entered Egypt, he feared they would kill him for Sarah. He explained: “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me for my wife” (Genesis 20:11). Abraham’s insight is timeless: a society that denies God has no safeguard against evil.

Crime and bloodshed is higher in some Muslim countries like Syria and Iraq because of political collapse and economic hardship, not simply religion. Extremists use religion as a tool for their power struggles. In wealthier Muslim countries like Kuwait or Iran, crime rates are much lower. Without religion, the moral decline in troubled regions would be even worse.

At Sinai, God revealed Himself to all Israel and gave His true commandments to refine human character and bring holiness into the world. Christianity and Islam borrowed from the Torah but distorted it, creating new religions. The closer a religion remains to the Torah, the more it fosters peace and human good. The further it strays, the greater the harm. Hitler, like Amalek, represented the opposite extreme — an ideology that rejected Torah values entirely, and thus unleashed unmatched destruction.

At the core, the greatest danger to society is not “too much religion” but rather the complete absence of faith in God. As our sages taught: before Cain murdered Abel, he said in his heart, “There is no Judge and no justice.” When man convinces himself that there is no God, no judgment, and no higher authority, that is when humanity is in the gravest danger.