Religion is a belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regraded as creator and governor of the universe. There are many different types of religion and religious groups in this world and they all believe in different gods and have their own way of life that was based upon their belief. Such differences in background and lifestyle has caused many problems and conflicts throughtout history and is still causing lots of problems. There had been many wars and fights in the past (and still happening) concerning people from different ethnic groups sharing the same religion. So therefore, religion is affecting the world in a negative way because it raises tension among different religious groups.
A Holy War is a war fought in God’s name. In other words, it’s saying that they have a right to fight in order to defend their religion and beliefs. An example of this would be the Christians and the Muslims in the southern Maluku island of Ambom. This conflict between these two religious groups began months ago. Dozens of people of both sides were being killed weekly. As a result, Indonesia is now rife with refugee camps. But why is there conflict between them? The answer is because of ethnic and religious tensions that slowly built up from about 30 years ago. Thirty years ago, the island’s religious mix began to change because the Indonesian government started encouraging hundreds of thousands of Muslims to move to the Moluccas (which was mainly inhabited by Christians). On top of the ethnic and religious tensions, this war has to do with the urge for revenge. Last year Christian militias destroyed the Muslim town of Maliput, so that made the Muslims even angrier. So now more tension grew between these two ethnic groups, who both claim to gain back their homes and fight this war to defend their own religion. It is evident that in this case, religion is influencing a nation in a very negative way. Innocent people are being killed everyday simply because what they believe seems to be wrong to others or they believe in something that the other side doesn’t. As you can see, religion is playing a very unfair role in this particular situation and this clearly shows that it’s affecting the world in a negative way.
Another perfect example of a religious conflict would be the one in the Balkans. The southeast quadrant of Europe has had an exceedingly involved and complex history, owing in large part to the nature of the land, which is deeply shattered by numerous mountain ranges. Fertile river valleys being set between these mountains, the Balkans have provided many opportunities for ethnic groups to develop in isolation from one another, although nearby in straight line distances. The region has never been completely unified, the closest approximation to this was during Roman Imperial times. So why is there conflict in the Balkans? The reason’s because of ethnic tensions. The region is mixed with people with different ethnic background so they have opposing views and ideas, which is causing conflict. So this conflict also revolves around religion and beliefs. Isn’t religion supposed to promote peace in this world? But no, rather than promoting peace, it creates conflicts and raises tension. So it’s easier to say that religion is definitely jeopardizing the life of many and increasing problem around the world.
In conclusion, religion is affecting the world in a very negative way. People are killing and dying because of it. In the Spice Islands dead bodies are pouring out daily and all they’re saying is that they’re fighting in the name of God. Does that make any sense? People are interpreting religious scriptures for their own benefit and killing people who don’t fit in, categorizing and dividing people. Take a look at the Balkans, the conflict in the Balkans had started ages ago, but it’s still not quite solved. There’s still tension in the area and the area’s still not unified, just because they have different values and beliefs. See, these two problems and many other smaller problems around our world are based on religion. So how can one say that religion is a positive influence to us? To sum up, religion shouldn’t be a reason to cause fights. People should respect and tolerate other religions and their beliefs, creating a healthy environment for everyone.
