Is religion responsible for our wars?

[onager]

43. "None of these wars were instigated for any religious reason."

Well, there was the Philippine–American War, a/k/a the Philippine War of Independence or Philippine Insurrection (1899–1902).

Here's how President William McKinley decided to annex the Philippines, in his own words:

I have been criticized a good deal about the Philippines, but don’t deserve it. The truth is I didn’t want the Philippines, and when they came to us, as a gift from the gods, I did not know what to do with them...

I walked the floor of the White House night after night until midnight; and I am not ashamed to tell you, gentlemen, that I went down on my knees and prayed to Almighty God for light and guidance more than one night.

And one night late it came to me this way—I don’t know how it was, but it came: (1) That we could not give them back to Spain—that would be cowardly and dishonorable; (2) that we could not turn them over to France and Germany—our commercial rivals in the Orient—that would be bad business and discreditable; (3) that we could not leave them to themselves—they were unfit for self-government—and they would soon have anarchy and misrule over there worse than Spain’s was; and (4) that there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow-men for whom Christ also died.

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5575/

That "Christianize them" bit is interesting. Thanks to 350 years of Spanish occupation, the majority of Filipinos were (and are) Catholic. Maybe he was talking about the MILFs...that is, the Mindanao Islamic Liberation Front. Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

The Philippine landgrab inspired Mark Twain to slightly re-write "The Battle Hymn of the Republic:"

...We have legalized the strumpet and are guarding her retreat;*
Greed is seeking out commercial souls before his judgement seat;
O, be swift, ye clods, to answer him! be jubilant my feet!
Our god is marching on!

In a sordid slime harmonious Greed was born in yonder ditch,
With a longing in his bosom -- and for others' goods an itch.
As Christ died to make men holy, let men die to make us rich --
Our god is marching on.

* NOTE: In Manila the Government has placed a certain industry under the protection of our flag. (M.T.)

Twain's note refers to U.S. troops guarding the Manila brothels. You can read the whole poem here:

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/twainwp.htm