Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: March 29, 2024, 1:03 am

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Does religion make armies stronger?
#11
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
(August 3, 2015 at 5:39 am)robvalue Wrote: Also, if the desire to die in combat is greater than the desire for your side to actually win...

But it can't be just any death or you don't go to heaven in glory. It has to be death that serves your side god
Reply
#12
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
(August 3, 2015 at 5:55 am)Neimenovic Wrote:
(August 3, 2015 at 5:39 am)robvalue Wrote: Also, if the desire to die in combat is greater than the desire for your side to actually win...

But it can't be just any death or you don't go to heaven in glory. It has to be death that serves your side god
yes but your side/god depends upon your own beliefs and faith, which in most cases is similar to your group as a whole but not exactly the same.
Quote:To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
- Lau Tzu

Join me on atheistforums Slack Cool Shades (pester tibs via pm if you need invite) Tongue

Reply
#13
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
Good morning. I haven't had my morning stimulant yet so there may be some rambling.

No fear of dying, I'd say yes. But, this may make the individual soldier(s) less easy to command. I can see a group charging the guns with no chance of victory just for the glory and reward. Can't win wars that way.

Has anyone covered the bonding issue? If your army is all of the same religion or belief and your fighting against the opposing religion or belief I think that your make the army stronger also. It bonds the group together. It gives them a rallying point. If the guy on either side of me is willing to take a life for this belief than I am more likely to take a life. Also I think it dehumanizes the other side. They need killin (Texas slang) cause they don't believe, their not right in the head. The less of them there are the greater my god is. Blues Brothers "Mission from god".

There is also the "if I believe enough god won't let me be killed so I can do anything".

OK, coffee time.
I don't have an anger problem, I have an idiot problem.
Reply
#14
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
They get a boost above level 8 to piety & obedience meaning they're more inclined to 'do or die', but lose points in general intelligence with a negative perk in diplomacy and rational thought called "believes whatever the fuck you tell them so long as it's got Jesus in it." Suicide bombing units get no improvement to blast radius but do get a slight improvement to their velocity perks, especially when combined with a moving vehicle below 2 tonnes.
Love atheistforums.org? Consider becoming a patreon and helping towards our server costs.

[Image: 146748944129044_zpsomrzyn3d.gif]
Reply
#15
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
(August 3, 2015 at 8:24 am)Pandæmonium Wrote: They get a boost above level 8 to piety & obedience meaning they're more inclined to 'do or die', but lose points in general intelligence with a negative perk in diplomacy and rational thought called "believes whatever the fuck you tell them so long as it's got Jesus in it."

N00bs lol if god was real they could use cheats
Reply
#16
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
My God is really powerful, he could blow you all up in an instant.

But he's busy right now... again... so I guess I'll have to blow you up. Again.
Feel free to send me a private message.
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists.

Index of useful threads and discussions
Index of my best videos
Quickstart guide to the forum
Reply
#17
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
I can tell you that of the people I served with during the first gulf war, I didn't notice any difference at all. There were many other atheists I knew of and plenty of fundies and I didn't see religious conviction on either side factor into it at all.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

Albert Einstein
Reply
#18
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
"If God does not exist, everything is permitted." - Dostoevsky

I think in someways this is true, but I think "Gods existence can make anything good" is equally true.

I would say that an army that fervently believes that they are doing Gods work is an army that is more ready to die than an army that thinks they are simply doing the right thing for the world. Uncertainty can always creep into the minds of the fighters who think they are doing right atheistically, because the horrors they will see will tell them they are not doing right.
That uncertainty would seem to have little room in the heart of a devout follower.

But all the time spent dogmatically applying religion to you life also means all that time spent not studying reality/training/etc. So in that sense an atheist army if they really work towards it seems like a potentially more advanced/better trained army.

I would say in general it probably doesn't matter to much. I don't think unless you rally an army behind the will of god it really has any sort of influence on them.
Reply
#19
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
(August 3, 2015 at 1:22 am)KevinM1 Wrote: Would you want to meet this on the battlefield?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3mDLsyn6ns

Sure.  I think I could shoot it with a clear conscience.
Reply
#20
RE: Does religion make armies stronger?
The threat of the victors buggering the surviving/captured defeated might carry some heft too.
 The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it. 




Reply



Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Is God weaker than theists imagine, and is mankind stronger? invalid 6 2327 March 5, 2021 at 6:38 am
Last Post: arewethereyet
  [Serious] What does religion have to offer? EgoDeath 53 5472 August 3, 2019 at 9:41 pm
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  Religion hurts homosexuality but homosexuality kills religion? RozKek 43 10598 March 30, 2016 at 2:46 am
Last Post: robvalue
  Terrorism has no religion but religion brings terrorism. Islam is NOT peaceful. bussta33 13 4869 January 16, 2016 at 8:25 pm
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  Religion's affect outside of religion Heat 67 19600 September 28, 2015 at 9:45 pm
Last Post: TheRocketSurgeon
  Why Does Sincrety Make Everything Okay? Rhondazvous 16 3940 September 27, 2015 at 10:22 pm
Last Post: Thumpalumpacus
  Does religion produce unique sensations? Dystopia 48 6327 July 11, 2015 at 3:54 pm
Last Post: Spooky
  Does this make me a polytheist? Mystic 12 2462 December 1, 2014 at 12:43 pm
Last Post: robvalue
Rainbow Gay rights within the template of religion proves flaws in "religion" CristW 288 48971 November 21, 2014 at 4:09 pm
Last Post: DramaQueen
  The Holy Trinity Does Make Sense. paulpablo 0 1297 November 20, 2014 at 7:10 am
Last Post: paulpablo



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)