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2
A political system is befitted legitimate when its members are tied together with a strong
belief. Every system of authority stands upon the willingness to obey, and such disposition is not
possible without a belief1. Religion has been long viewed as a decisive factor in legitimacy, but
the modern theories believe in the declining role of religion in public life2. The religious
conviction had an impact on the power dynamics of states in the old times and continued to
The Byzantine Empire and other kingdoms in Europe attempted to enforce laws based on
Christianity, but the church failed to occupy a distinct sphere. On the other hand, Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) instigated Islam, and it became successful. The only difference between the
two religions was that emperors led Christianity in the Byzantine Empire while the Holy Prophet
of Muslims directed Islam. In the Byzantine Empire, the monarchs controlled the church and the
followers of Christianity divided into two groups. There were frequent battles and conflicts
between the two Christian groups as one sect would not agree with the laws of other. Therefore,
the Christian Church never occupied a distinct sphere. As for Islam, the Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) founded a religion but he, himself, led the creed and his followers too3. Instead of
letting the emperors control the matters of faith, the Holy Prophet steered the Muslim Empire
Religions have often given rise to violent conflicts between people of same races,
different races, and different cultures. There have been many instances in the history of the world
when religion became the base of fierce battles. For example, the crusades are an illustrative
1
Barkey, Karen. 2016. "Political Legitimacy and Islam in the Ottoman Empire: Lessons Learned." Reset Dialogues
on Civilizations. July 14.
2
Billings, Dwight B., and Shaunna L. Scott. 1994. "Religion and Political Legitimation." Annual Review of
Sociology 173-202
3
Hamid, Shadi. 2016. "Is Islam ‘Exceptional’?" The Atlantic. June 6.
3
example of violence in Christian history4. Not only such acts of violence go unobserved, but
many times people, especially religious scholars, defend and justify these violent acts by
religious explanations. However, the battles and other such violence are not inspired only from
religious views, but there are many other factors in play as well. For example, in many cases
political views, resources, land, and wealth also become the reason for causing a war or battle5. It
must not be ignored, here, that all the religions, both Islam and Christianity, promote peace and
love through their teachings. Still, many fierce battles are known to have caused due to religion
as well. Therefore, we can conclude that religion has a role in armed violence, but necessarily it
is not the only reason for causing a war between people from two different dogmas.
Most of the religions base their belief on the principle that their power flows from God.
Islam and its follower strongly believe in the omnipotence and ultimate authority of God or
Allah6. According to the believers of Islam, Allah or God is the Creator of all humanity and
controls the whole universe. Further, He decides who will go to heaven and is the Master of the
Day of Judgment. In an Islamic political structure, the supreme powers rest by Allah only7.
Christians, too, just like Muslims believe in the supreme powers of God. They also think that
there is life after death where each person is treated according to their actions in the world.
Therefore, both the religions, Islam and Christianity, accept God as the highest authority and
power.
4
Ioffe, Julia. 2016. "If Islam Is a Religion of Violence, So Is Christianity." Foreign Policy. June 14.
5
Cline, Austin. 2018. "When Christianity Is Used to Justify Violence." Thought Co. July 27.
6
Krogt, Christopher van der. 2015. "Who is Allah? Understanding God in Islam." The Conversation. April 13.
7
Ibid.
4
Monotheistic religions often make unstable states as they usually try to defend
themselves and offend their enemies8. As it is evident from the history of Muslims and
Christianity, the monotheistic religion followers are generally bent to fight for their honour and
religion and tend to indulge in wars more often than other creeds. Therefore, we can say that
states formed on the basis of monotheistic religions are not very stable as compared to other
liberal states. Furthermore, such states tend to neglect the cultural diversity and are more
Religion has a vital role in deciding the legitimacy of a state; shaping its political views
and culture, and promoting violence amongst its followers. However, it would not be right to
blame religion alone for the battles, wars, and conflicts fought in the name of religion. In many
cases, religion is used to justify the violent act which is wrong ethically and morally. Further,
states based on monotheistic faith are usually unstable as they tend to indulge in fights and wars.
8
Momigliano, Arnaldo. 1986. "The Disadvantages of Monotheism for a Universal State." Classical Philology 285-
297.
9
Ibid.
5
Bibliography
Barkey, Karen. 2016. "Political Legitimacy and Islam in the Ottoman Empire: Lessons Learned."
https://www.resetdoc.org/story/political-legitimacy-and-islam-in-the-ottoman-empire-
lessons-learned/.
Beyer, Catherine. 2018. "Monotheistic Religions of the World." Thought Co. August 12.
overview-95935.
Billings, Dwight B., and Shaunna L. Scott. 1994. "Religion and Political Legitimation." Annual
Cline, Austin. 2018. "When Christianity Is Used to Justify Violence." Thought Co. July 27.
249551.
Hamid, Shadi. 2016. "Is Islam ‘Exceptional’?" The Atlantic. June 6. Accessed October 15, 2018.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/06/islam-politics-
exceptional/485801/.
Ioffe, Julia. 2016. "If Islam Is a Religion of Violence, So Is Christianity." Foreign Policy. June
religion-of-violence-so-is-christianity/.
6
Krogt, Christopher van der. 2015. "Who is Allah? Understanding God in Islam." The
allah-understanding-god-in-islam-39558.
Lindsley, Art. 2018. "What Does the Bible Say about the Role of Government?" Institute for
Faith Works and Economics. January 17. Accessed October 15, 2018.
https://tifwe.org/bible-role-of-government/.
May, Samantha, Erin K. Wilson, Claudia Baumgart-Ochse, and Faiz Sheikh. 2014. "The
the Shifting Boundaries of the Sacred." Politics, Religion & Ideology 331-346.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/21567689.2014.948526.