--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion appears in so many contexts in…" description: "\"Religion appears in so many contexts in WW1. Religion shaped the national identities and ambitions of several of the key players, especially Germany an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/philip-jenkins-10529_ambition_religion-appears-in-so-many-contexts-in_640500.jpg" --- # Religion appears in so many contexts in WW1. Religion… ![“Religion appears in so many contexts in WW1. Religion shaped the national identities and ambitions of several of the key players, especially Germany and Russia, both of which defined themselves as messianic nations. In both countries too, secular elites delved deeply into apocalyptic and prophetic…” quote by Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/philip-jenkins-10529_ambition_religion-appears-in-so-many-contexts-in_640500.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/philip-jenkins-10529_ambition_religion-appears-in-so-many-contexts-in_640500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/philip-jenkins-10529_ambition_religion-appears-in-so-many-contexts-in_640500.jpg) > “Religion appears in so many contexts in WW1. Religion shaped the national identities and ambitions of several of the key players, especially Germany and Russia, both of which defined themselves as messianic nations. In both countries too, secular elites delved deeply into apocalyptic and prophetic ideas, giving their nations a millenarian bent.” [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religion shaped national identities and ambitions, giving Germany and Russia a messianic, apocalyptic outlook during WWI. **In simple terms:** Religion fueled nationalistic and apocalyptic visions. Key Takeaway Recognize how belief systems drive political agendas. Themes history religion nationalism Mood analytical reflective Type historical scholarly When to use this quote - academic lectures - policy analysis - media commentary - public debates Key Concepts messianism apocalypticism political ideology Questions to Reflect On - How did religious ideas influence wartime decisions? - Can secular societies avoid similar pitfalls? A Different Perspective Religious narratives can be manipulated for war motives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) [Germany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/germany/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [National identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-identity/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Prophetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophetic/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Secular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secular/) ## Related quotes > [Truth can never be an enemy to true religion, which appears always to the best advantage when it is most examined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-arbuthnot/truth-can-never-be-an-enemy-to-true-religion-which-appears-always-to/) [John Arbuthnot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-arbuthnot/) > [The Hindu religion appears ... as a cathedral temple, half in ruins, noble in the mass, often fantastic in detail but always fantastic with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/the-hindu-religion-appears-as-a-cathedral-temple-half-in-ruins-noble/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [“Religion is not what appears. 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Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [“According to royal doctrine, the king’s role as defender of Egypt (and the whole of creation) involved the corresponding defeat of Egypt’s neighbors (who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-a-h-wilkinson/according-to-royal-doctrine-the-king-s-role-as-defender-of-egypt-and/) Toby A.H. Wilkinson > [Theatre has no national identity. It is something for the world, whether it is Irish, English, or French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-cusack/theatre-has-no-national-identity-it-is-something-for-the-world/) [Cyril Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-cusack/) > [People are less certain of their national identities or their place in the world. It starts looking different and disorienting. 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Partly, this is a matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/middle-eastern-christians-in-short-tried-every-possible-tactic-to/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Besides the missionary theology cultivated by many churches, we also need a theology of extinction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/besides-the-missionary-theology-cultivated-by-many-churches-we-also/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Our accepted chronology of the ancient church is wrong: ancient Semitic Christianity dies out not in the fourth century, but in the fourteenth.8”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/our-accepted-chronology-of-the-ancient-church-is-wrong-ancient/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Christianity in this region remained as much a colonists’ religion as it would be once again during the French Empire of the twentieth century,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/christianity-in-this-region-remained-as-much-a-colonists-religion-as/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Any acquaintance with recent history made nonsense of any claim that God was on the side of Christian states. 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