Religion: A Historical Dividing Force

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At its core, religion and history are intrinsically intertwined. Religion is often humanity’s driving force while history is the record of what they do with it. However, different belief systems are a diverse as the people who believe them. When these different religions come into contact with each other, there’s bound to be conflict. Prominent examples of these conflicts are causing warfare, division within a single belief system, and societal issues. Religion has been a major dividing force throughout history and it still is today. Countless times throughout history, religion has turned violent. Whether the issue is diplomatic in making decisions by a certain code of conduct or staking claims in culturally significant land, the body count has been piling up all across the board. A well-known conflict of this variety is the struggle for the Holy Land in the 11th to 13th centuries between the Catholic Church and Islam. Muslim territories were expanding into the area around Jerusalem and Pope Urban II set off the first crusade in 1095. While the Muslims stood their ground and tried to fend off the European forces, the Catholic church believed that the crusades were “undertaken, in fulfillment of a solemn vow, to deliver the Holy Places from Mohammedan tyranny,” simply taking a defensive stance in protecting the land of their sacraments and lore (Knight). At first they succeeded in taking back Jerusalem in 1099, but after a long and bloody struggle were ultimately kicked back out in 1291. While religions can turn against each other, they also divide within themselves. Even those under the same umbrella of fundamental beliefs tend to evolve differently depending on their environment and eventually these differences become too much... ... middle of paper ... ...ull spectrum of different religions on earth is so vast and diverse that discrepancies are inevitable. Due to the nature of passionate groups of people, there is inevitable conflict also. These conflicts take multiple forms as they shape history; such as a single religion dividing within itself, multiple of groups warring against each other, or as a tide of social interactions. The ebb and flow of history has and always will be greatly affected by the human actions driven by religion. Works Cited "Islam Sects" ReligionFacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2014. "Religious Views on Abortion." Religious Views on Abortion. SPUC International, n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. English Standard Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2001. Print. Erricker, Clive. Buddhism. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2001. Print. Knight, Kevin. "Crusades." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA:. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014.

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