# Religious Conflict and War in The Absolute at Large

> Theme guide for The Absolute at Large by Karel Čapek.

The universal spread of the Absolute leads to competing national and sectarian claims over 'the true God,' sparking ideological wars, as seen in the battles and diplomatic disputes over whose God is legitimate.

## Where it surfaces

- [Bishop Linda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/v-bishop-linda): The spread of the Absolute leads to clashes between clerical and progressive parties, with street closures and deaths.
- [XI: The First Blow Struck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xi-the-first-blow-struck): The physical fight between Binder's merry-go-round followers and Kuzenda's dredge followers represents the first blow in a religious war.
- [Doctor Blahous](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xii-doctor-blahous): Blahous predicts an era of religious struggles surpassing the Crusades and World Wars, highlighting the theme of conflict arising from religious division.
- [XVII: The Hammer and Star](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xvii-the-hammer-and-star): The lodge debates clerical attacks and the role of Masonic neutrality amid religious upheaval and miraculous events.
- [XVIII: In the Night Editor’s Room](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xviii-in-the-night-editor-s-room): Bishop Linda's fury and the competition among churches, monists, Masons, and socialists to claim the Absolute highlight religious and ideological conflict.
- [XIX: The Process of Canonization](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xix-the-process-of-canonization): The chapter describes theological disputes between the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Old Catholics, various Protestant sects, Jews, Muslims, and freethinkers, leading to violence and uprisings.
- [XX: St. Kilda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xx-st-kilda): The conference reveals how each nation tries to co-opt the Absolute for its own political and religious agenda, leading to conflict.
- [XXII: The Old Patriot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xxii-the-old-patriot): The chapter is saturated with reports of religious wars, schisms, and armed clashes between sects, such as the Sparta vs. Slavia football match with hand-grenades and machine-guns.
- [The Augsburg Imbroglio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xxiii-the-augsburg-imbroglio): The chapter details the outbreak of a Holy War between Catholics and Protestants, with widespread violence, massacres, and the use of religious symbols in battle.
- [XXV: The So-Called Greatest War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xxv-the-so-called-greatest-war): Mentions shifting religious authorities in St. Vitus Cathedral and the persecution of Catholics under Chinese rule.
- [A Coral Island in the Pacific](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xxvii-a-coral-island-in-the-pacific): Bondy and Captain Trouble discuss how claims to absolute truth lead to violence, with the natives' cannibalism serving as a metaphor for religious wars in Europe.
- [XXIX: The Last Battle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xxix-the-last-battle): The prophecies cited (from a Turkish prophetess, a negress in Massachusetts, and various religious figures) frame the war in apocalyptic, quasi-religious terms, yet the actual end is mundane and anticlimactic.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/themes/religious_conflict_and_war
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/themes