The supposed beliefs are not the best way to look at the distinction, especially sociologically - that&#x27;s like examining Catholic &#x2F; Protestant split through the lens of their position on transubstantiation.<p>Far more interesting is the way in which they, eg, handle selection of clergy, or marriage patterns.<p>Shia clergy for instance is far more hierarchical than Sunni, which arguably is better for social stability since it avoids as many random yahoos deciding they have a hotline to god, who incidentally wants them to go on jihad.