How did religion influence nationalism?

Nationalism, defined as the belief in the importance of one's nation, was somewhat negatively affected by religion. People in countries with different religions found themselves further divided by their religious beliefs. As nationalism attempted to further unite citizens in a country, it became more difficult to unify people with contrasting religious beliefs. The struggle to fully unite people of a country was evident with rebellions such as the Taiping rebellion and the Ghost Dance. The Taiping rebellion occurred between the Qing government and Christian rebels led by a leader who referred to himself as a brother to Jesus, chosen by god to overthrow the existing Qing government. This rebellion went against the attempt for nationalism by further dividing China amongst itself. The Ghost Dance was a spiritual movement by Native Americans in the United States. The Native Americans began to envision reverting to their old ways without superiority of the oppressive Europeans. This was yet another event that contrasted the goal of uniting people of a country through nationalism.
Below: the Taiping Rebellion



Source for photo:
http://taipingrebellion.com/north.htm

Source:

Gloria, Young A. "GHOST DANCE." GHOST DANCE. Oklahoma Historical Society, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

"The Taiping Rebellion 1850-1871 Tai Ping Tian Guo." The Taiping Rebellion 1850-1871 Tai Ping Tian Guo. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.