This page is part of “Problems with Religions and Spiritual Traditions”.
Many of the wars fought throughout history were fueled, at least in part, by religious motives — from the Crusades to the Thirty Years’ War to numerous conflicts still raging today. The zealotry and intolerance did not stay confined to individuals or communities: once wielded by rulers and institutions, they escalated into full-scale warfare, with each side convinced that its cause was sanctioned by the divine.