Religious Conflict Through the ages Essay Example For Students

Religious Conflict Through the ages Essay The role religion plays in world history is, at best, tremendous. Through the ages, religion has both unified and divided civilizations often bringing extreme human casualty, in the case of division, or creating interesting new cultures, in the case of the latter. In the Ancient civilizations such as the Greek, Kush and Egyptian empires religion serves as a catalyst further strengthening the bond found in such homogeneous societies. In these civilizations it is important to note that the inhabitants did not conceive of religion in terms of a belief system in a higher moral authority, rather, the belief system was such a part of their lifestyle that there was no differentiation. In discussing ancient civilizations such as the Greek and Kush empires it is also important to understand that nonconformity was not even a mode of thinking, therefore, there was no room for religious disunity. In homogeneous societies, religion serves to further bridge the culture together. This is not the ca se in other later civilizations. Englands King Henry VIII separation from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century presents the most interesting scenario in discussing the role of religion and how it either unites or divides people. For the first time, moreso than Romes conversion to Christianity, a religious division was taking place within a relatively homogeneous society. Religion perhaps is predominately viewed by most contemporaries as problematic given the current divisions among many Catholics and Protestants in Ireland and the continuing conflict between Muslims and Hebrews in the Middle East. The Crusades serve as an example of how two religiously unified societies become fierce competitors in the conquest for world domination, in this sense, religion is divisive. The dynamics in determining whether religion unites or divides people are extremely complex especially when discussing civilizations from the Egyptians to the English dynasties. However, three distinctions ca n be outlined in this discussion. Firstly, religion serves as a catalyst further unifying homogeneous civilizations such as the Greek, Ku*censored*e and Egyptian societies, secondly, religion serves as a primary focus of difference when two homogeneous societies, such as the Muslims and the Christians involve themselves in a conflict for spiritual dominance, and, thirdly, how religion, in some homogenous societies such as the Protestant Reformation of the late Tudor and early Stuart dynasties in England, serves to divide the people. Religious observance in ancient civilizations serves to further bridge the connectedness that the people of those societies felt. In the ancient Greek, Ku*censored*e and and Egyptian cultures religion was such a integral part of their lifestyle that it was totally indistinguishable in terms of contemporary classifications. The ancient Greeks held close to a common polytheistic belief system and operated the government, domestic lifestyle, and recreation from this system. The evidence is abounds in that the Olympic Games were held at the feast of Zeus at Olympia in Elis, and the Pythian Games were held at Delphi, in honor of Apollo. Although the Greeks were advanced in the governmental procedures such as their creation of the republic, Kings such as Darius yielded extreme power and control. The Ku*censored*es who first known around the sixth century B. C.(538 B.C.) were the darker skinned people who rivaled, to a small extent, the great Egyptian dynasties. The Ku*censored*es had a cen tral belief system that revolved around the ka or soul as Miriam Maat Ka Re Monges explains in her book entitled Kush: The Jewel of Nubia. The ka was used as a term for the creative and sustaining power of life which every human being shared by entering the world. Another important factor in explaining how religion within homogeneous societies serves as a bonding force is the Ku*censored*e custom of regicide. In Meroe as well as other Ku*censored*e kingdoms, the killing of the king was an accepted custom. The religious belief is that the Kings physical well being was directly tied to the gods and to the fertility of the lands. Monges, in her book, further contends that:since the king was responsible for Maatterm a number of positive qualities, i.e. righteousness and truth and since the fertility of the land was necessary for balance and order, the decreased vitality of the king would affect the production of the land. This suggests an underlying reason for the ritual killing of the king(109)This was an accepted custom for ages until the belief system was challenged by King of Ethiopia Ergamenes during the reign of the second Ptolemy. Ergamenes was educated in Greece, and, therefore, did not have the true understanding of Ku*censored*e custom as his predecessors. Two belief systems clashed. Eragmenes was the first to have the courage to disdain the command because of his Greek training, consequently, he puts the priests to the sword, and after abolishing this custom ordered affairs after his own will. This occurrence serves as concrete example of how religion can become extremely dangerous when one, in power, disrupts the common belief system of a homogeneous society. Monges, in her book, further contemplates the Ergamenes situation:The ritual killing of the king was being practiced by these African people. It isapparent that the culture was not fully understood by these outsiders. DidorusGreek historian who records the account writes that prior to Ergamenes, t he ritual killing of the king was accepted by the simple mind of a creature shaped by old and ineffective customs. The Greek mind separated the material and the spiritual.(113)Precisely, the Greek mind in Ergamenes did not allow him to simply give up his wealth for something spiritual that he could not see. In the case of Ergamenes the only bloodshed caused was that of the priests, however, in other cases where two belief systems clash, especially when these two belief systems are religions dedicated to world dominance such as with the Christians and the Muslims, the extreme human destruction is incalculable. The ancient Egyptian civilization, which spans over 3 millenium, is yet another example of how religion within the contexts of a homogeneous society further bridges people to a commonality. For the most part, Ancient Egyptian religion was polytheistic with tremendous pyramids and other religious objects dedicated to this religion. An example of how important religious conformit y is among the ancient Egyptians one can look at the reign of Ahmenhotep IV. Amenhotep IV undertook a religious reform by displacing all the traditional deities with the sun god Aton . In the gods honor, the pharaoh changed his name to Akhenaton, Akhenatons reforms were one of the earliest attempts to enforce monotheism among a longstanding polytheistic culture. Images and inscriptions of other gods were removed, moreover, Akhenaton, to further enforce his views, moved the countrys capital from Thebes to a place up north which he called Akhetaton. His obsessive concentration on religious reform allowed for the empire to disintegrate to a degree. After his death, Tutankhamun, restored the original gods and returned the capital back to Thebes. Again the internal religious belief system of a homogeneous culture is threatened, but unlike the case of Ergamenes in the Ku*censored*e kingdom, Akhenatons reforms were overturned. In these three cultures, one can readily observe how religion s erves as a catalyst further strengthening the bond of the homogeneous societies. Only in cases, where the religious belief system is threatened is the continuity of the civilization in jeopardy. Harriet tubman EssayReligion has both united and divided societies since the beginning of history. As demonstrated with the ancient Ku*censored*e, Greek, and Egyptian cultures, homogeneous societies use religion as a bridge further developing the interconnectedness of the group of people. The second distinction made in discussing whether or not religion unites or divides is understanding the origins and plight of the Crusades. When two homogeneous groups of people with differing belief systems collide, the results are horrific. The Protestant Reformation provides a twist in the discussion. A homogeneous people with religion being problematic in that it divides them between their King and their God. Religion is at once dividing and uniting. It serves as a means for humans to explain their existence and substantiate their place in this world, however, as demonstrated the impact of religion in world civilizations has been tremendous, and should continue to be. Thesis: There are, however, three distinctions that can be outlined in the discussion of how religion divides or unites civilizations. Firstly, religion serves as a catalyst further unifying homogeneous civilizations such as the Greek, Ku*censored*e and Egyptian societies, secondly, religion serves as a primary focus of difference when two homogeneous societies, such as the Muslims and the Christians involve themselves in a conflict for spiritual dominance, and, thirdly, how religion, in some homogenous societies such as the Protestant Reformation of the late Tudor and early Stuart dynasties in England, serves to divide the people. I. In the Ancient civilizations such as the Greek, Kush and Egyptian empires religion serves as a catalyst further strengthening the bond found in such homogeneous societies. A.In homogeneous societies religion serves to further bridge the culture together. B. The dynamics in determining whether religion unites or divides people are extremely complex especially when discussing civilizations from the Egyptians to the English dynasties. II. Religious observance in ancient civilizations serves to further bridge the connectedness that the people of those societies felt. III. Religious observance in ancient civilizations serves to further bridge the connectedness that the people of those societies felt. IV. The third distinction outlined earlier discusses how religion in homogeneous societies can divide people. The Protestant Reformation perhaps is the best example of this occurrence. V. Religion has both united and divided societies since the beginning of history. As demonstrated with the ancient Ku*censored*e, Greek, and Egyptian cultures, homogeneous societies use religion as a bridge further developing the interconnectedness of the group of people. Bibliography:Baines, John. Religion in Ancient Egypt. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1991. Hiro, Dilip. Holy Wars: The Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism. New York: Routledge, 1989. Knox, Ellis. The Crusades. The Crusades (31 July 1995) 21pp. Online. Internet. 31 July 1995. Monges, Miriam Maat Ka Re. Kush: The Jewel of Nubia. Trenton: Africa World Press, 1997. Prall, Stuart E. Church and State in Tudor and Stuart England. Arlington Heights: Harlan Davidson, 1993.