Those of you who aren’t religious should think of religion the way we think of the Constitution. It has a few embarrasing passages about slaves and male pronouns. It is big and vague. If society wants to treat a minority well or poorly, the cleverest among us will find justification in the Constitution. Really, society has stimuli and responses. Our Constitution will round off the edges of what we can do, but not much more.

Likewise, once the Constitution is 15 to 35 centuries old, with additional commentary and endless interpretation, if you are compelled to rampage and pillage, you will find justification in Religion. If you are oppressed and want dignity amid your suffering, you will find THAT. Any religion is never the true cause of being peaceful or warlike; it’s just one of many 2nd tier factors, imho.