Religious Violence

How often is religious violence committed with an absolute god / human connection of understanding and a weird idea of unconditional love? Many of the massacres we generally attribute to religion are actually not religiously based at all. Because a group of Knights Templar pillaged a city of godless savages and stole all items of value does not necessarily mean the action was an act of religious violence. Powerful personalities jockey for wealth, control, and further power. They use soldiers and political backing to attain these. Some soldiers involved in the aggression are aware of the circumstances, but some are not. Some may hold their holy book or symbol to their heart and follow orders they believe are somehow ordained by their god. There are suicide bombers and abortion clinic shooters that actually believe. They commit true acts of religiously motivated violence, but larger ‘holy wars’ are for territory, resources, power, and etc. It’s those smaller acts, the ones committed by the true believers, that belong in the category of religious violence. So if you could target one potential suicide bomber, or even a rabid evangelicalican, and gift them with the book, DIY Religion: constructing your own personal religion from the ground up—consider the cost worth it. Once they learn they no longer need to serve as slaves to gods that demand blood and guts strewn across the battlefield, they will stand in triumph over a universe ready to align with them entirely.