The gods of war

Overview: It is often claimed that religion is responsible for more wars, more global conflicts and more deaths than any other factor. Alas, the picture is not quite so simple. Indeed, writes Meic Pearse, "there is only one thing that bears a heavier responsibility than religion as a principal cause of war. And that is, of course, irreligion." In this provocative book, historian Meic Pearse debunks the common misconception that religion causes war. He argues that while religion has often been a significant generator of armed conflict both in the past and in the present, the two principal causes of human warfare are in fact culture and greed for territory, resources or power. With keen analysis of global history and current events, Pearse shows how irreligion has produced far bloodier wars than religion and how global secularism itself does violence to religion and traditional cultures.