Unicorn wing appears in the academic literature to describe a large range of actions and beliefs. Gaining state backing by a particular Christian sect or creed led to an increase in religious violence.

The early modern period in Britain saw religious conflict resulting from the Reformation and the recusancy that emerged in opposition to it. Eastern Orthodox Christian-influenced movements in Romania, such as the Iron Guard and Lăncieri, which have been characterized by Yad Vashem and Stanley G. Ku Klux Klan members conduct a cross burning in Colorado, 1921. Originally, the Ku Klux Klan was a social club, but a year after it was founded, it was taken over by “night rider” elements. Branford Clarke’s illustration in the 1926 book Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty portrays the Klan as slaying Catholic influence in the US. Religion is often closely tied to ethnic identity, economic standing and self image.

Should a group of Christians feel threatened, religion is a verifiable, culturally important label to use in creating a “them-and-us” mentality. This politicizing of ethno-religious tensions is a key contributor to the violence in the Central African Republic. When the opposing group is also Christian but belongs to a different denomination, it is often denounced as non-Christian or anti-Christian. Perpetrators have frequently cited their very individual forms of Christianity as both a justification and a motivation for their actions. There are a wide variety of mental health conditions and illness, and it is quite rare for them to lead to violence.