Religion And Religion: The Cause Of War

Religion had a large effect on violence that broke out within the two empires. Within Islam, two sects reigned supreme. The Sunni and the Shiite. The Sunni believe that Muhammad's bloodline is not the rightful heir to becoming a caliph. Sunni believe that the next Caliph should be voted upon by the Islamic people based on merit. The Shiite believe that Muhammad's bloodline should reign supreme and the Caliphates should only follow lineage. This diametrical opposition directed the Sunni and Shiite to despise one another. Because of these conflicting ideals, riots, attacks, murders, and bloodshed occurred between the two sects. This raging controversy has continued to modern day. Christianity in the Byzantine Empire had bloodshed and destruction

“God save the King,” you could see this phrase plastered on propaganda all around the British empire, but this was more than just a simple phrase. This phrase gives a deeper look into the role that religion played in how the war played out. Although often overlooked, religious propaganda transformed the war and impacted how people saw religion in all parts of the world. Consequently, looking at religious propaganda can help to understand World War 1 on a deeper level and help to understand why people took up arms.

Originally published through a series of entries in a magazine, The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells is one of the earliest works of fiction that deal with extra-terrestrial creatures. Written at the end of the 19th century, the story depicts an alternative present where Earth is invaded by Martians and humans must fight back for survival. The novel was later adopted to the big screen in 1953 after undergoing some modification, namely the spatiotemporal setting was changed from Great Britain at the end of the 19th century to at the time present day United States. Assuming the movie stays truthful to the author’s message, what role did religion have in The War of the Worlds?

The court preacher, Hoe von Hoenegg, a very staunch advocate of Protestant success, knew the strength and impending power of Hapsburg influence in Europe. However, Hoe von Hoenegg refused to concede to the idea of alliance with Catholics. “Thus it would be forever a shame and unjustifiable if one should or would now, benevolently or willfully, surrender something from the true Church of God that could still be reserved for its benefit” (140). This, of course, was not what the Elector desired to hear, yet this memorandum or reminder did show those at the time the religious reasoning existing behind the war. Hoe von Hoenegg lists all that has been sacrificed by Protestants and urges that it cannot be in vain. However, this is not a revengeful statement; rather he insists that no one surrender what God Himself has given. Seemingly meant for public consumption this article will, as the introduction suggests, set a precedent for many to keep fighting at whatever cost. It would seem that even this far into war fervent religious reasoning still exists. The following documents will contrast this sentiment alluding to the conflicting motives and actions by all sides of this conflict.

During the 16th and 17th centuries a series of religious wars raged throughout Europe. In the fight to gain religious tolerance it created a split between the Catholics and the Protestants. The Dutch Revolt in the Spanish Netherlands was part of the series of religious wars in Europe. For ten years, a civil war raged in the Netherlands between the Catholics and the Protestants. Religion and politics were at the center of this revolt. Calvinism was spreading rapidly and became popular among the lower classes, lesser nobles, and town leaders. However, the strong Catholic King, Philip II desired to eliminate Calvinism within his territories. Philip II believed if he tackled Calvinism, then it would enhance his power in his monarchy. Therefore, politics were at the heart of this revolt since Philip II desired to impose Catholicism in an attempt to centralize his power in the Spanish Netherlands. Furthermore, politics and religion were also at the center of the French Wars of Religion. The religious differences between the two religious sects, the Huguenots and Roman Catholics, reveal that religion was also responsible for these series of wars in France. Therefore, politics and religion were both at the heart of the French Wars of Religion because it created fractional rivalries between the major families in France, members of the Royal Family made several attempts to sustain their power within the estate, and caused several religious battles between the Huguenots and the Roman

“Religion is often still another determinant of political behavior, and in many societies, plays a role in the formation of social and political values, especially when religions diversity is present”. (Camp.1993.Pg. 86) Even though the pre-dominance of Catholicism has strong religious differences, it can be described as a battle between secularism and religion.

The eight wars of religion escalated thought-out 36 years, with intermittent interruptions. The Protestant progressing originated in Northern Europe in the early 16th century. but escalated in the 19th century. It began as a reaction to the Medieval Roman Catholic doctrine and practices. After a procession of European religious wars in the 16th and 17th centuries, and especially in the 19th century, it spread throughout the world. Wherever Protestantism arose, it altered the social, economic, political, and cultural life of the area The wars would end with the Edict of Nantes an edict that ingrained a limited tenacity. Frances struggle with religious turmoil between Catholics and Protestants was an ongoing crisis, however, the Spaniards belief in religion provided vast support to the moral code and allowed the police authoritative power of the state to loosen its grip on the community. History shows that atheistic, totalitarian states used force rather than religion to enforce obedience to government tyranny.

Before and after the 16th century, religion was not a word or a characteristic that was used to describe any one individual. Rather, religion was like a way of life-incorporated into the individuals and also into family values, beliefs and morals. The church played an important role in the community by offering educational opportunities especially through the monarchies, the stability of religious presence etc. The wars of religion were basically a chain of events and happenings that caused religious wars to be waged in Europe. These wars started with the Protestant reformation- Martin Luther 's attempt to change the ways of the Catholic church.

The Irish-English combat was one of the bloodiest religious wars of all time and led to many deaths. To make things worse, all of these battles stemmed from a few different beliefs on how to worship the same God. This led to England ignoring the Irish when they were in trouble and killing them when they fought back. However, all of this acrimony is not distinct to Victorian England; rather, religious hostility is a common occurrence that extends its reaches into the modern world and always leads to war-torn areas of the world like the Middle East. England’s relationship with Ireland shows a prevalent historical theme of how religious nationalism leads to conflicts that always draw

Unclear: Watkins mentioned that “piety linked more conspicuously with the war than in France, where the call for a union sacree challenged Catholics and secularists alike to support the nation's involvement in the war.” I am quite unclear on why piety is close connected to France than any other countries. Secondly, a fact that is quite surprising and unclear to me at the same time is that Billy Sunday flirted with the “Ku Klux Klan.” Aren’t they extremist who expressed their disagreement through terrorism? What does the statement mean?

The crusades were series of violent wars that fought over one place; Jerusalem. This mass of religiously driven conflicts was started in 1095 by a man called Pope Urban the Second. He preached that, if you wanted to be saved from your sins, you could go fight in the crusades for “the divine one” and even if you killed someone, it would be in Gods will, and you would go to heaven. For most people, going to Hell was their greatest fear in life, and would do anything to be graced from their sins. There were three to four main crusades, but there were approximately nine-ish in total. Oddly enough, Muslims and Christians, the two opposing sides, worshiped the same gods and had most of the same beliefs. The bloodshed lasted 196 years and in the

Daniel Rogers’s discourse on the political, commercial and religious environment of Denmark-Norway, Jean Hotman’s musings on the ideal diplomat and Francois Dubois’s representation of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre appear disparate and unrelated; however, their wider significance as a vignette of the evolving diplomatic and religious landscape of Western Europe in the latter half of the sixteenth century is extremely noteworthy.

Trade, religion, and politics: these are the root causes for war. For centuries, war has been driven by the ever enduring growth of mankind. Mankind has continuously created its own barriers for success and proliferation through these barriers it has created massive tension amongst itself. The Crusades, the Russo-Japanese War, and the Boxer Rebellion are all conflicts throughout time that exemplify mankind’s yearning for advancement. The control of trade, the spreading of religion, and the projection of political beliefs are the three root agents for war.

According to the course readings, there is both a “war of ideas” within the Islamic world and a “war of ideas” between Islamism and Western values. Briefly, identify the contours of each of these two debates, then focus attention on the “war of ideas” within the Islamic world. What is being fought over in this war and what is at stake?

Religion is a cause of all wars, is a phrase which is often heard and said by many. The question here is, does religion really cause wars? It may not be the reason for all the wars that have taken place since this world came into existence but several wars which have been fought in the past and today are done so on the basis of religion.