Is Islam the most violent major religion?

It's an interesting question. There seems to be a lot of different answers floating around out there, it's hard to settle on any specific one I find. It seems like a very complex issue.

I think Islam does lend itself well to violence, but then again most of the main religions do too.

Take ISIS for example, how much are the teachings of Islam to blame for their actions? Would they exist and be so barbaric if Islam didn't exist or if they were Catholics, all other things being equal? Are they simply another bunch of fascists, just this time they come under the banner of Islam?

Basically, is Muslim violence simply the result of following their specific religious texts, or is the religion used as an excuse for violence? As a guess I would say it's a complex mixture of both.

Watched that Vice documentary about ISIS, as strange as it sounds, I got a bit of the rebellious teenager vibe from some of the young men, "Look at us, we're such scary bad asses".

There's a part where some ISIS guys are doing donuts in a confiscated armored personnel carrier in the middle of a square, similar to guys their age in a Honda Civic in Ireland on a Saturday night in Tesco car park, kind of harrowing when you think about what they've been doing over there.

Also, read an article yesterday about how twice as many British Muslims have joined ISIS than have joined British armed forces. When you see a quote from a British jihadist saying "the cure for depression is jihad", it makes you wonder how much of this is the result of young Muslim men without a feeling of a place in life being sucked into something that appeals to their desire for control and purpose.

I think any religion that uses an external god or higher authority is going to have potential for violence. Look at christianity. Surely that has to be one of the most violent religions?
Just take America as one example of a large state comprised for the most part of christians. They are the most violent organized state on the planet.I think.
I don't have a death count, but it has to be somewhere near the top for the most kills and violence acted out on others.
It could be argued that all these mass killings are not a religious war, but a war on freedom.. I mean for freedom or simply taking resources because they can.
But I do think these people get a lot of their moral justification from their god.

On a human level, I think people just need an excuse to act out their wants without thinking of consequences or having to feel responsible personally.
The religions of the world generally allow people to act in extreme ways and still feel forgiveness from an outside authority.
I used to be very religious, after growing up in an american Christian/Zionist religion.
The result was that I had a lot less morals. I learned that if I follow certain rules i get into this nice place when I die, so growing up the motivation to do good and nt dobad came from a need for a reward in the afterlife, this caused me to go on a complete bender when I left, you could saya little extreemist in my hedonism at that early stage.
This is how I see other religions and their effects on people.

Now that I left all religion behind me, I have developed real morals, not ones thatare based on rewards. But purely based on my thinking. And thatis the key i think to living in peace and harmony. Independance of mind.

To recap then, I think it is all religions with external gods, that can be one of the root causes of violence.
On the most violent religion, I think we need a death toll for states, I would guess Christians though.
Although this does not account for domestic violence or other issues. But I think the root is there in religions.