Resolving conflicts between religion and politics The use of conflict to try to resolve political, religious or cultural differences has existed for centuries, violence and the state are still two prevalent issues in our world today. It is often taken for granted that violence and fighting occur between people of very different nationalities or cultures; that the differences are too great for there to be peace or compromise. But this is not the case; it's the people with the most similar backgrounds who have the most difficulty agreeing. This is the situation in Northern Ireland. The Anglo-Irish conflict in Northern Ireland is a complex web involving a struggle between class, governmental power and religion. This conflict began before the 18th century, when Ireland was ruled and ruled by the English until a keen sense of Irish nationalism emerged. The Irish people wanted freedom from British rule and independence to govern themselves. Eventually the disputes were consolidated in Northern Ireland. Factors such as class struggle and politics became further intertwined in this web. In Ireland two distinct groups eventually emerged. There was the lower class who supported Irish nationalism and freedom, and the upper class (unionists) who supported the “union” of England and Ireland. In general, the English and the upper classes are Protestants, and the nationalists of the lower classes are Roman Catholics; however religion does not play a direct role in the conflict. However it has some effect on the ongoing fights between the two groups. For example, the conflict is not due to a disagreement about religion... the center of the card... immeasurable. The Irish saw Catholicism as a way to express their identity and preserve their goals towards individual freedom, the English could never understand Catholicism as anything other than the enemy of freedom. In conclusion, violence and religion are two terms that are unfortunately very difficult to separate. The shocking thing about the situation in Northern Ireland is that both sides in the conflict have Christian traditions. There is no doctrine or rule in either Christian denomination that requires such violence. Christianity is supposed to be a religion that promotes peace and forgiveness. For peace to exist within religion the UK should be run as a theocracy, however, this will never work as globalization takes hold and multiculturalism and multi-ethnicity try to break barriers but fail..