ABSTRACT
Does religion affect how armies behave during battle? Much of the existing research on religion has focused on the ways in which religion might lead states to initiate war, but it has stopped short of following the militaries of those states into the battlefield to see whether religion matters once the fighting has begun. The findings of this literature are modest because states, unlike insurgents and terrorists, conduct war over borders and resources, not over abstract ideas. In battle, however, militaries are both motivated and constrained by norms, practices, and beliefs. Religion is at the foundation of Just War theory and at the root of modern laws of war. Religious considerations affect the calculus of commanders and soldiers alike. They determine the legitimacy of weapons, how prisoners and civilians are treated, and what constitutes an appropriate target. Religious calculus may even affect the timing and location of battle. At the individual and unit level, religious leaders act to encourage and comfort, while religious rituals, symbols, and discourse provide meaning and succor.
