Sarcastro wrote:Seol, you're basically correct about religious conflict usually having other important factors, such as tribalism and inequity, but it's important to note that religion is one of the things that causes tribalism and inequity. It's easy to say, for example, that the religious conflict in Nothern Ireland is really a class issue, but that would ignore the fact that the whole reason the class issue exists is discrimination against Catholics.
Yes, but
why
is there discrimination against Catholics? Why do the Northern Irish divide themselves into two communities, one of which defines itself by Catholocism and Republicanism and one by Protestantism and Unionism (and the two are inextricably linked)? And of those two, inextricably linked concepts, the one that actually seems to
matter
to people (as a basis for conflict, anyway) is which country Northern Ireland should be part of.
Northern Ireland isn't even a religious conflict. It's a political one.
volkan wrote:I agree with Sarc entirely. Religious disputes, in the sense of pure philosophical clashes, are rarely ever a cause of actual conflict (except, of course, for purges of heretics). However, religion provides a tribal label and a higher cause for what is usually politically-oriented issues, enflaming and "mutating" the problem.
I agree with this entirely. In fact,
this was my point
. The only thing that I would emphasise is that just because religion is used in this way does not mean religion is at fault, but rather the people who are (ab?)using religious labels and concepts to further their agendas are at fault.