Throughout history and varying degrees, religion has served as a dividing factor. On a lesser scale, faith has torn apart families; on a larger scale, it has sparked full-fledged conflicts. It caused millions of deaths throughout history and still causes division among people today. Because it offered comfort and hope, religion played a significant role in historical events. Globalization has changed the significance of faith in the modern world, making it more meaningful. In situations where political and national connections are lost, religion survives. When the former Yugoslavia fell apart, it revealed religious divisions between the Bosnians, Croatians, and Serbs along Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim lines. Misunderstanding various cultures and belief systems is the root of religious disagreements. Therefore, religion fosters hatred and conflict between different cultures and origins and has played a significant role in most historical battles and contemporary terrorism.
Numerous wars in history have a religious component. Religious conflicts and wars are contradictory because killing people is nothing inherently sacred. For a fight or battle to be deemed holy, three criteria must be met:
- The conflict must have a religious cause.
- The participants must receive a spiritual reward.
- A religious leader must have inspired the competition.
The main reasons for religious wars are: to spread the faith; to convert nations to a particular religion, such as Christianity, even when there were no Christians in the country before; to defend against infidels; to reclaim holy sites, and to avenge blasphemy and any form of cruelty directed toward adherents of a particular religion, regardless of when it occurred. Regarding conflict dynamics, religious groups are involved in low-intensity and structural and cultural violence, in addition to spiritual warfare. Numerous conflicts in the modern world include a religious component.
Conflict over religion was another major factor during the colonial era, particularly in the United States. The European colonial rulers wanted to force their faith on the indigenous people. Because the English believed their religion superior to all others, they forced everyone in their colonies to practice strict religious observance, whether or not they shared their ideas. The conflict between the colonists and the natives resulted as a result. The English brought their faith with them when they first arrived in America, and they wanted to convert the Native Americans to Christianity during their interactions with the locals. The Native Americans, meanwhile, practiced their religion, which they had done for generations. The Native Americans’ resistance to their faith, which they believed to be superior, enraged the English and this ignited a war between them and the English.