As we saw in Topic 3, Bruce (2002) sees one function of religion in today's world as cultural defence. This is where religion serves to unite a community against an external threat. In such situations, religion has special significance for its followers because it symbolises the group or society's collective identity. Defending the community against a threat often gives religion a prominent role in politics.
Two examples of religion as cultural defence from the late 20th century are Poland and Iran. They illustrate how religion can be used in defence of national identity in the face of political domination by an external power. In Poland, the external power was Soviet communism, while in Iran it was Western culture and capitalism. In both cases, therefore, the role of religion has to be understood in a transnational context.
