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Originally Posted by WillyPete
I wuoldn't draw a similarity between tose two regarding total war, as most regligions tend to have the same view.
Most religions also state that to die in the defence of the religion is a shortcut to heaven, leading many people to do things they normally wouldn't do in any other type of conflict.
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?? Certainly martyrdom is a sure way to get accolades from both this world and the one above in every religion, but fighting in a religious war? Outside judeochristian (or, if you like, abrahamic) religions, what religions emphasize that dying in a holy war is a shortcut to heaven? Here are the major non-judeochristian religions that I can think of:
buddhism
hinduism
jainism
sikhism
shintoism
shamanism
certainly, militant groups exist for a few of these (hinduism, sikhism), but I don't think that 'killing nonbelievers=salvation' has ever been dogma for any of these (except maybe sikhism?). I'm no expert, however--correct me if I'm wrong.