Who said: "Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich"?

The individual who said: "Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich" was Napoleon Bonaparte. Bonaparte (1769-1821), also known as Napoleon I, was a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution (1789-1799). He died on May 5, 1821, of a stomach ulcer at Longwood House, Longwood, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

He was one of the most brilliant military tacticians and strategists of his time. He was also seen as an unorthodox leader when applying his military methods. Still, no one ever denied how brilliant a leader he was. He was called fearless on the battlefield and had enough charisma to draw people in with his words.

Additionally, Napoleon was a well-known religious cynic and a fairly outspoken critic of Christianity. For reasons of personal ambition rather than idealism, he kept Europe churning with violence from 1803 until his final defeat at Waterloo in 1815. Religion didn't then keep people from killing people (rich or poor). It was neither atheism or religious beliefs that caused people to launch wars and commit mass murders.

Plainly, religion is almost never the major, let alone the sole, impetus behind people killing people. Many factors, notwithstanding the words of Napoleon, have contributed to causing or kept humans (poor or not) from murdering other human beings.