Swords clash, bombs explode and governments disintegrate; the world is at war and God is the commanding general on both sides? Past, present and future, there is in fact a holy war being waged. The fighters are not typical organized armies, they are bodies of faith. Religious conflicts have been an essential part of existence since the dawn of time. Ted Hodges, an expert on historical conflicts, said: “Some of the worst wars, massacres and other outbreaks of violence in history have been motivated by religious hatred or revenge. And often, the roots of such violence and hatred are found in an event or grievance that occurred hundreds or even thousands of years earlier” (Hodges 48). So why is this? What makes it so necessary for people of the same religion to go to war? No answers have been found to date (Hodges 14). God is God. There is no debate between Christianity and Islam regarding the existence of a single, omnipotent, omnipresent and all-powerful being. Both religions accept that God is separate from humans and resides in another realm and plane called Heaven. All the messengers of religions are accepted by both sides as prophets of the word of God. For each body, it is believed that all commandments transcribed in the sacred text derive from direct conversation with God. Christians and Muslims follow the Old Testament. Although there is a parallel beginning between the Holy Bible and the Quran, Islam considers the text corrupt and follows the later writings of Muhammad. Christians simply refer to the preceding texts as the Old Testament, while Muslims call it Injil (Islam versus Christianity). Muslims argue that the current version of the Christian Old Testament is corrupt; Christians believe this is the infallible point...... middle of paper ...... highlighting the similarities between the Old Testament and Injil, respect for God as the one and only God and l ethic to which it all comes down the removal of God's children from this world. Who is right and who demonstrates strength of conviction seems to be the overall goal. The Crusades, terrorism and the war to end the world reflect my original idea: past, present and future, there is in fact a holy war being fought. Whose side is God really on? Works Cited Hodges, Ted. Religion and global conflict. Farmington Hills: Thomas Gale, 2006. PrintThe Holy Bible: New International Version. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1998. Print. “Islam vs. Christianity – What are the main differences” Islam vs. Christianity. Np, nd. Web.5 January 2012 “Islam against Christianity, the coming holy war. » Islam against Christianity, the holy war to come.Np, nd. Internet. January 28 2012.