Belief Systems
The power of a belief systems is their ability to govern a culture and sometimes to spread and affect other cultures.  Belief systems also can express power through their memberships.  There have been times throughout history when religious leaders have called on their faithful to perform some service, and the faithful responded.

Moral Code
Many belief systems provide a moral code of behavior that regulate the way a culture will act.  Judaism and Christianity follow the Ten Commandments, Islam follows the Quran and Sharia, Hindus obey their Karma and Dharma, Buddhists follow the Eightfold Path, and follows of Confucius believe in the 5 Relationships.  The one thing these systems all have in common is a way to regulate behavior.  These systems are very powerful in this sense because for many of them, the punishment for disobedience is eternal damnation.

Extending Power
Many belief systems have expanded beyond their original borders, extending their influence and power at the same time.  Buddhism, originally developed in India, is today most prevalent in China, Southeast Asia, and Japan, where it has had great influence on their cultural development. Christianity, begun in present day Israel, was nearly destroyed by an intolerant Roman Empire.  Yet, it eventually became the official religion of the Romans, and has since spread across the world having tremendous influence everywhere is has evolved.  One of the most striking extensions of religious power are the crusades launched by the Roman Catholic Church in Europe against the Muslims in the Middle East to regain the Holy Lands.

The Crusades began as a result of the Seljuk Turks take over of the Holy Lands from the Byzantine Empire in the early 11th century.  The Byzantine emperor asked Pope Urban II of the Roman Catholic Church to help regain these lands for the Christians. The Pope agreed, and over the course of two centuries, thousands of men and women left western Europe to fight to regain these lands. After an initial success, which resulted in the take over of Jerusalem, the rest of the crusades ultimately failed in their original purpose.  However, the Church did show the great extent of their power over the people of Europe.

Islam is another belief system with humble beginnings, that has expanded in terms of territory, number of believers, and power.  Soon after its beginnings, Islamic peoples quickly conquered neighboring territories and built an impressive empire.  They were able to do this because of the unifying power of Islam, and tolerant Islamic rulers.  Today, Muslims are found all over the world, with most living in the Middle East.  There, they have tremendous economic and political power in many places and continue to be an influence on world events.

United Nations
Besides its political and economic functions, the United Nations also has a number of social functions.  These functions primarily concern the protection and advancement of human rights. The United Nations published the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stating that all people are free and equal regardless of "race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."  Since this time, efforts have been made to end human rights abuses around the world.  The U.N. takes actions against human rights abuses through economic sanctions and military force in the form of peacekeeping missions.

Besides their work with human rights, the U.N. also promotes the general welfare of people around the world through organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).  These organizations deliver food and medical supplies to areas in need to address the needs of poverty and famine.