Organized religions have affected people in countless ways throughout history.
One major negative effect religion has had on society is the biggest, longest, and bloodiest wars in the history of humanity. The Crusades (1095-1291) were a series of religious expeditionary wars blessed by Pope Urban II and the Catholic Church, with the stated goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem. The Crusades had major political, economic, and social impact on western Europe. It resulted in a substantial weakening of the Christian Byzantine Empire, which fell several centuries later to the Muslim Turks. Another great example of wars brought on by religion are the ongoing wars in the Middle East. The roots of the modern Arab–Israeli conflict lie in the rise of Zionism and Arab nationalism towards the end of the 19th century. Territory regarded by the Jewish people as their historical homeland is also regarded by the Pan-Arab movement as historically and presently belonging to the Palestinian Arabs, and in the Pan-Islamic context, as Muslim lands. The conflict between Palestinian Jews and Arabs emerged in the early 20th century, exploding into a full scale civil war in 1947 and expanding to all Arab League countries with the creation of the modern State of Israel in May 1948.
Organized religion has also had many positive effects on society. They have been responsible for assisting in teaching people morals and values. A classic example of this would be the “Ten Commandments” which served as a moral guideline for the people of the time, and influenced even modern laws. They assisted in teaching people that murder, theft, infidelity, and things of that nature were not only immoral, but began the movement to make such things illegal. This was a necessary addition to society, as there were no rules of this nature to keep people in line, and without