Does religion make armies stronger?

[Longhorn]

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

[Aoi Magi]

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.

[brewer]

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.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

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.

[Longhorn]

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

[robvalue]

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.

[AFTT47]

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.

[Aristocatt]

"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.

[Minimalist]

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.

[vorlon13]

The threat of the victors buggering the surviving/captured defeated might carry some heft too.