Major war... Let's see, there was a little known war that lasted for years known as the Crusades. You also had almost every war the HRE fought in that was about advancing their religious beliefs.

It's funny that you throw WWII as an example of a non-religious war in a thread about Jews. The seeds of WWI were laid due to the same reasons that the Balkan crisis of the 90s started. 1812, Mexican, SA, Korean, and Vietnam hardly qualify as major wars compared to the others I've listed. The only one of that list that is completely void of any religious background is the Civil War....and we are the exception rather than the rule there.

Of late, what war hasn't been about religion? The war on terror, the Balkans, the IRA/Ireland war, etc. have all been about or started due to religion.

Funny that it is you who is assuming and making an ass out of yourself and not me. College Degree in History and Poli Sci.

There is a distinct difference and you know it. South Park and to a lesser extent, BS are playing for humor. Big difference between saying something as a joke and going on the news.

Religious people are/were involved in most of the conflicts you cite (hardly surprising given their pre-dominance within the relevent populations) but the root cause's of most of those confilicts was land. I have many friends who are studying or have studied history or ancient history and it's amazing how ignorant most are on aspects of our timeline on which they haven't been required to write an essay.

The Crusades weren't about religion. Ostensibly they rallied the troops to "free the Holy Land from Saracen heathens", but it was primarily fought so that the Roman Church could seize territory, resources, and power away from the Orthodox Church.

Territory -- NOT religion. Religion is just a "red herring".

Hope you kept the receipt.

Hmm like the "Massacre at Jenin" that every American news outlet was screaming about in 2002... which actually didn't occur?

Which Crusade? The First was called because the Byzantines wanted help reclaiming lost territory from the Turks. The Crusaders hoped to do that and then go on to overthrow the Muslims in Jerusalem and make the city safe for Christian pilgrims. But the Byzantines tried playing both sides and pissed off the Crusaders, who decided to keep the reconquered Byzantine territories for themselves.

None of the lands seized in the First Crusade were economically or militarily viable on their own and subsequent Crusades were about reinforcing the Christian forces. The notorious Fourth Crusade was an attempt to relieve Jerusalem by striking at Egypt, but due to financial problems the Crusaders ended up playing mercenaries, first for the Venetians and then a deposed Byzantine emperor. After getting screwed over by the Byzantines, they sacked Constantinople.

To reduce this all to "It was about land" is a gross oversimplification.

What was the religious issue in the Hundred Years War? The Napoleonic Wars? The Greco-Persian Wars? The Punic Wars? The Roman Civil Wars? The Boer War? The Russo-Japanese War? The Mongol conquests?

What are your criteria? The Mexican War was fought over a territory larger than most European countries. Spanish-American decided the fate of two major territories and several smaller.

Never said it wasn't, but it's less of a "gross oversimplification" than "it's all about religion". Religion is a tool to whip the masses into a frenzy; territory and resources cement and consolidate power... not faithful adherents.

Armed conflicts have always predominantly been about land and ideology (religious or otherwise). There are exceptions of course like the conflict between the Hatfields and the McCoys which started because of a pig.




















(The conflict really started with the death of Asa Harman McCoy. The hog incident came afterwards but makes for a better joke.)

No, but when one gets drunk and the first place he goes is ranting about Jews, it gives us a pretty good idea about what's in his heart and mind. If he just shut his mouth then I doubt people would've asked him his views on that (at least until his dad started spouting Holocaust denial theories) but once he decided to bellow it to the world then it becomes open fodder for discussion.

For what it's worth, I think Mel Gibson is a brilliant filmmaker and I will never stop watching his films, past, present and future. But I think it's pretty clear the guy is a loon.

These wouldn't have happened on Reagan & Thatcher's watch because, like Matt Dillon in Dodge, they knew how to keep a lid on the town.

Grenada...Falklands.

I rest my case.

(Of course, RR had Eastwood's help in taking Grenada...a conflict which also familiarized the world with the term "screwing the pooch")

Everybody that is drunk is a loon. In Mel's case he said some things in other cases they drink & drive and kill someone.

The whole appeal of Mel Gibson is his crazy shtick. That's how he's always been.

maybe recently, but but his appeal during his Braveheart, The Patriot days was that he was a good looking badass.

Mel Gibson is the greatest man who ever lived!

Mel Gibson says the things I am afraid to say!

Mel Gibson asks for prescription drugs by both name and milligram from his doctor!

The awesomeness of Mel Gibson is overwhelming!

...and Mel Gibson gets them!

Mel Gibson has x-ray vision, thus no need for MRI!

The Nightrider. That is his name... the Nightrider.
Remember him when you look at the night sky!

God used to consider himself kind of a loner, like he was a one-man wolf pack. But then the Jews came along and god knew his wolf pack just grew...

So why was wm lopez suspended? Just because he claimed that God and the Jews started a questionable trend in men's fashion?

God made a satchel with them.

suspended? He posted here last night. I'm assuming today?

I noticed his status when I read this post: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/9985540-post188.html

And here says the same thing: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/members/wm-lopez.html

This was no help: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/search.php?searchid=3292160