devisive

Religions, to a large extent, became divisive rather than unifying forces. Instead of bringing about an ending of violence and hatred through a realization of the fundamental oneness of all life, they brought more violence and hatred, more divisions between people as well as between different religions and even within the same religion. They became ideologies; belief systems people could identify with and so use them to enhance their false sense of self. Through them they could make themselves __ight_ and others __rong_ and thus define their identity through their enemies, the __thers_, the __onbelievers_ or __rong believers_ who not infrequently they saw themselves justified in the killing.