Religion and politics

An even better example is that of Mother Theresa, Albanian by birth, who, despite her strong Christian affiliation, was able to successfully take care of millions of Hindu India's poor. Above all, religion has the capability to unit a people; unfortunately, as there are so many religions; it ends up dividing people.
             So what indeed accounts for the religious violence that has so characterized our dispensation? What aspect of religion could make a Palestinian youth jubilate holding high hands covered with the blood of an Israeli soldier? Put simply, its religion plus politics. Religion has the potential to do a world of good, but when it gets tangled in politics it becomes another matter. In the past, there was often no real clear distinction between religion and government, and this accounts for the numerous religious wars and religious repression that was rampant at the time. These also set the groundwork for most of the religious conflicts we have today, in that it caused imbalances of religious groups everywhere. During the Middle Ages, religion was often an inherent part of government. This is reflected in the Four Crusades, the Holy Roman Empire (headed by the Pope who wielded enormous power) the primary waves of Islamic Jihad, and the growth of the Ottoman Empire, which caused serious religious imbalances especially in the Balkans which consequences erupted in the last decay. At birth, the United States, most of whose citizens were from Europe, took note of these and made a clear separation between church and state. Today, most states have declared themselves as secular, yet there are still many instances for clashes to occur. .
             The main difference between now and then is in the real and true motives. Then, it was largely religion behind the conflicts, but today it is not. And this is one truth that is hidden from many. That there is much more to religious conflicts today than mere die-hard fundamentalists on both sides, that behind all that noise is political greed, and a protracted struggle for power and resources.