The belief systems of the modern world have helped determine the policies and
politics of nations around the world. For centuries before, and almost
definitely for decades after now, there will be disputed between people and
countries on account of their faith. Religions have started wars, ended them,
impacted, and persuaded people. Needless to say, beliefs are very influential on
the world today. People of different faiths don’t only fight over their basic
beliefs and land but they end conflicts. Making amends between religious groups
greatly helps relieve the constant strain of division that we are all too aware
of these days. The Lutheran religion began 482 years ago when monk, Martin
Luther, attacked the practices of the Catholic Church. These who followed his
ideas eventually into what we call Lutherans today. For those 482 years,
Lutherans and Catholics have stayed divided on uneasy terms. Now the leaders of
the modern Lutheran and Catholic churches both signed a document that laid to
rest those many years of differences under the explanation that it was all a
misunderstanding. Sometimes different faiths just don’t seem like they want to
even try to compromise on a conflict. The Jordanian Muslims and the Israeli Jews
fighting over which side of the Jordan River Jesus was baptized on is a perfect
example of this. The Muslims have invested over one million dollars t fix up the
site. The site will bring in expectantly millions of tourists and with them
billions of dollars that will be spent locally to boost the economy. Looking
past the irony of the Jews and Muslims disputing over a Christian site, the
focal point of the quarreling is that such a site will bring. The Pope and
Prince Charles have already scheduled a visit, but as of now, no resolve has
come about. These days it’s not always conflicts between two specific regions,
but between regions occupied by faiths who disagree on certain topics. The two
groups being the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the compromise on the rift
in the settler movement conflict arising in those countries. To the Jews the
West Bank is part of the greater Land of Israel, given by God to the Jews. To
cement their control over the land, the Jews built forty-two hilltop encampments
on the West Bank. They did this to prevent it from becoming a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian government claimed that some of the outposts didn’t have the
necessary building papers and twelve of those sites were dismantled. This
disagreement is, for the time being, settled peacefully despite the denounced
accord from the Palestinians. In the future more outposts are likely to be taken
down. Whatever the rhyme or reason, religions and belief systems have tremendous
effects on the way things work in this world. Hopefully nations are learning
from their past mistakes what not to do if such an occasion arise again. Whether
the Lutherans and Catholics are putting years of disagreement behind them, the
Jews and Muslims are settling their dispute, or Jewish outposts are being taken
down, we are moving forward into a new and brighter future, and gaining
information as we go along. Maybe in the future, more of the religious spats
will be settled as the Lutheran/Catholic dispute was...peacefully.