Unlike many who will read this I have known the terrible effects of religious violence. I grew up in Northern Ireland where a conflict between two parts of Christianity caused the death of three and a half thousand people. At nineteen, I chose to leave the place of my birth because I did not want to be defined by membership of either of the religions of that place.
Northern Ireland may seem like an extreme example but spin a globe and you will find region after region where religious conflict has spun into violence. The question which needs to be asked is why should religions, which have concepts such as love and peace, at their heart, be the source of so much conflict? I intend to explain how the problems found in religions, in unstable societies, are simply a magnification of those problems found in stable societies.
Religious faith goes to the heart of the human psyche. For those with a strong commitment it defines their identity and purpose in life. Religions' potential for deep harm, arises not from the doctrines at the heart of it, but from the intensity of commitment it inspires.
To have a religious faith is have a worldview which is opposed from many sides. If people disagree with us over music or sport, it might be annoying, but they are not questioning our very identity. When our identity is challenged our response is often to cling more tightly to it. In a more unstable society that threat can become perceived as life threatening. In a more stable society it often leads to religious attitudes spilling into political and social views.
When a deeply held viewpoint is threatened, taking actions in line with it, and making outward demonstrations of our belief, provides us with a feeling of re-enforcement. The more threatened we feel, the more likely we are to seek refuge in the company of fellow believers. From them we will find a re-assurance of the rightness of our views. This process has the effect of segregating society. Children are sent to religious schools and adults increasingly mix in social circles made up of fellow believers.
Where these groups have viewpoints which differ sharply from other groups in society, conflict is inevitable. An obvious example is the arguments over evolution in the United States. The process of division here is the same as in less stable societies. The difference is that in less stable societies, where religion is often not the only source of division, the conflict is more likely to be expressed through physical force.
These divisions become ingrained within societies. They are passed from generation to generation. Faith is seen as the defining factor for all of humanity. Human beings are seen primarily as Catholics or Protestants, Jews or Muslims, Hindu's or Sikhs. Religious beliefs are often interpreted in a way that dehumanizes those of different faiths, and extreme actions become justified. Religious practices are strictly adhered to.
A friend of my late father's practiced law for many years in Northern Ireland. He told me of a defendant, in one of the cases he had dealt with, who read his bible, for an hour, every evening without fail. He did so on the days when he went out and randomly murdered Catholics. This attitude to religion is precisely the same as found in Jihadists. It is at the extreme end of a continuum.
Most religious adherence is, of course, non violent. For many, faith is a comfort. However, what cannot be denied is the capacity faith has to divide societies. The stability of societies may define how violently the divisions are expressed but it is the extent of adherence to religious practice that defines the pattern of division.
In England and many western European countries religious adherence is low and there is little problem with religious division. Where religious adherence is high, such as Northern Ireland, division is marked. A marked difference between England and the United States is that there is very little controversy over evolution in England, where as there is an intense debate in the United Sates.
Where there is a deep attachment to a belief, and a concomitant attachment to a religious community, which forms a sizeable part of the population, and that belief is in conflict with other sizeable forces, sadly, it seems, religious conflict is inevitable.