Religious wars have taken place in the world since ancient times. The confrontation between civilizations and religions often became the cause of massive bloodshed, and plunged many states into chaos for many years. What is the essence of the "war of religions" and how is interfaith confrontation expressed?
There are no atheists in trenches under fire
"Great Soviet Encyclopedia" and "Electronic Encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius" only give a definition of the religious war in France between Catholics and Huguenots. It does not say anything about the Crusades and about the religious wars of the 20th century. It turns out that there is no clear definition of what a "war of religions" is.
However, conflicts on religious grounds occur in the world all the time. In many countries of the Muslim world today there is a "holy jihad", which implies the widespread spread and establishment of Islam, up to the "holy war" against the gentiles.
There are signs by which one can define a “war of religions.” These include: the performance of religious rituals by military personnel, participation in hostilities of clergymen and the direct involvement of spiritual images in the war. But the main feature is the belonging of the opposing forces to different religions.
Unfortunately, religion is often used as a tool to settle scores and unleash carnage. In order to raise a wave of indignation in society, and to get many supporters on your side, it is enough to publicly burn the Bible or the Koran.
Often billions in profits are behind the "war of religions". This has been the case since the time of the Crusades, when those who did not even have the moral right to wear the Christian cross joined the crusaders.
What factors can trigger the start of the "war of religions"
The desire of the people to obtain autonomy based on the difference of religions. In this case, religion is a kind of generator that fuels the desire to form a new nation state.
A uniting religious war, which is based on the desire of the people scattered across the territory of different countries to reunite. At the same time, the divided people profess a religion that differs from the generally accepted religion in the state where they live.
Community or internal religious conflicts that occur within one state between different sects within the same religion. Today, this confrontation between Sunnis and Shiites is taking place throughout the Middle East.
Religious - absolutist conflicts arise in countries where, on the basis of the propaganda of one religion, intolerance towards representatives of another religion is manifested.
An illustrative example of how one thoughtless provocative act on religious grounds can lead to the death of people. American pastor Terry Jones staged an action with the burning of the Koran, which caused massive attacks in Afghanistan on employees of international organizations. The pastor himself got off with a small fine, and the result of his act was the death of innocent people.
