In the 1400s, Europe was predominantly Christian, but also served as home to many Muslims and Jews who inhabited the surrounding areas. Europe; however, it was the site of the first major religious conflict. For over 300 years, countless religious crusades were waged by European Christians and Muslims. This conflict has been described as a “holy war”. Inevitably, this war turned to conquest as each conflicting religion attempted to prove itself superior. America was discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus. After the founding of the “New World” – as it was called centuries ago – this land served as a refuge for countless immigrants for religious freedom. The melting pot of these religions and the tolerance that accompanied them in the creation of America transgressed over the year to where they are today. However, in the early years of American history, there was not one, or even a few, defined religions. In Mississippi culture, religion was primarily devoted to worship of the sun, considered the creator of life and fertility (Grayling, 2007). Native American religion was based on the belief that nature was life, pulsing with an “aura,” a spiritual power. On the African continent, religion created culture. These "pre-civilized" religions had similarities with many current religions, namely the belief in an afterlife and revelations as a source of acquired spiritual truth. Ironically, these "pre-civilized" religions were not tolerated by the same immigrants who sought to escape religious persecution in their home countries. As has been proven, there have been an abundance of religions throughout history that were not extremely tolerant of each other. Religion tended to differ radically and disagree on many levels. Until the middle of the document......ance has negative consequences such as cultural unrest, benefits of religious tolerance i.e. social acceptance and global unity explain these consequences and in turn promote increased tolerance. .Work Cited1. Grayling, A. (2007). Toward the Light: The story of the struggles for freedom and rights that shaped the modern West. London: Bloomsbury.2. Halbert, M. (1996). “Autonomy, Tolerance, and Group Rights: A Response to Will Kymlicka,” in Tolerance: An Elusive Virtue, D. Heyd (ed.), Princeton: Princeton University Press, pp. 106-114.3. Gibson, J. L. (1992). “The political consequences of intolerance: cultural conformity and political freedom.” American Political Science Review 86(2):338-56.4. Skeels, Christina. “Tolerance or lack of tolerance”? Scanning e-wallet. Digication Inc., March 2013. Web. May 2, 2014. (Internet resource)