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.