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A review by latviadugan
The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade by Philip Jenkins
4.0
That World War 1 "destroyed one religious world, and created another" is a thesis Jenkins well supports. This period of history witnessed the end of the Ottoman Empire and the redrawing of borders in the Middle East, the October Revolution, the Balfour Declaration supporting the formation of an independent Jewish state, and the end of the Caliphate. Colonial peoples began organizing for independence. In Europe itself, the war gave birth to apocalyptic interpretations of history on the one hand and challenged traditional teachings of the church on the other. In the years leading up to war, nationalism was fueled and sanctified in religious terms. Soldiers on all sides were fighting for the kingdom of God.
"Religion is essential to understanding the war, to understanding why people went to war, what they hoped to achieve through war, and why they stayed at war."
World War 1 serves as a sound warning of the dangers of religious culture wars and the idolatry of nationalism. It illustrates how quickly the world can change and the great capacity for evil that resides within us.
The war permanently changed the political, religious, and economic landscape not only of Europe, but the world.
"Religion is essential to understanding the war, to understanding why people went to war, what they hoped to achieve through war, and why they stayed at war."
World War 1 serves as a sound warning of the dangers of religious culture wars and the idolatry of nationalism. It illustrates how quickly the world can change and the great capacity for evil that resides within us.
The war permanently changed the political, religious, and economic landscape not only of Europe, but the world.