Does religion cause war? I say that religion is the foundation of war; people want their God or Gods to be the only ones. They cannot tolerate that there are people with beliefs different from theirs. Many who watch the news and read newspapers ask themselves this question. Constant reminders that “Muslims” did this and that fill their thoughts. Many staunch believers of their religions say that religion does not cause war and that it is natural human nature to want to conflict with each other to prove who is better. Around 1096 Emperor Alexios I (formerly general Alexius Comnenus) was losing an incredible amount of land to the Seljuk (Muslim) Turks, and so Emperor Alexius went to Pop Urban II asking for help. They believed it was the "Will of God" and their faithful duty as Christians to regain their "Holy Land" from another religion and so the First Crusade began. You would think the First Crusade was the last, no; there were seven or eight more crusades after the first. The First Crusade ended in victory for the Christians, while many Christians, Jews and Muslims ended up being massacred in the aftermath of the war. In 1147 General Zangi, governor of Mosul, began his own Jihad or "Holy War" against the Christians, who the Muslims called "Franks". Thus began the Second Crusade for the Holy Land. The Christians suffered a terrible defeat in this crusade resulting in the loss of territory. The Christians continued to try to fight back and so the Third Crusade took place. That's when you start hearing about Richard the Lionheart, who re-established the kingdom of Jerusalem. The rough estimate that many scholars give for the Crusades is about 1,500,000 deaths during the Crusades which would have been avoided if both sides had had religious...... middle of paper ......d, but the people they must learn to have tolerance for the beliefs of others and accept that not everyone is the same. Instead of striving to help the world together, people try to impose their personal beliefs on others. Religion teaches us good values ​​and morals when we need help. It is each person's personal interpretation of the religion you follow that defines whether it leads you on a path of peace or a path of violence. Works Cited “Bethinking.org – Suffering – Does Religion Cause War?” Bethinking.org - Suffering - Does religion cause war? Np, nd Web. January 16, 2014.CNN. Cable News Network and Web. January 16, 2014. "Crusades." History.com. A&E and Web Television Networks. January 15, 2014. "The Thirty Years' War." History.com. A&E and Web Television Networks. January 16, 2014. "The War in Afghanistan." RSS basic news. Np, nd Web. January 16. 2014.