In the previous chapter, we looked at the long, unhappy history of cooperation between religion and governments in supporting war. However, religions – or more often, religious figures – have sometimes spoken out against war, and some pacifist groups are specifically religious. In this chapter, we’ll look at the positive side of religion and offer a brief review of pacifism. The chapter will close with an analysis of the difficulties in putting pacifism into action. As we’ve seen in earlier chapters, there are widespread, deep-rooted psychological mechanisms working against even contingent or pragmatic pacifism. Unwillingness to include a discussion of these matters in our schools ensures that these mechanisms will survive and maintain a population susceptible to manipulation toward war.

The positive side of religion

Although I believe that Bertrand Russell was right when he claimed that dogmatic religion stands in the way of giving our children a rational education, I also acknowledge that traditional religious schooling often provides strong moral support for the young. Young people who belong to religious congregations are less likely than their unaffiliated peers to become involved with crime, addiction, gambling, or other vices. Religion clearly makes a positive contribution to the lives of many young people.