The Coplins and the Congars generally get very little respect, but nobody either assaults them, or is assaulted by them - the only exception being their general bootlicking behaviour when the Whitecloaks turn up and they collaborate with them.

in TGH at the end, Rand finds himself fighting against Baalzamon above Falme, where a legion of Whitecloaks engage in battle against the Seanchan occupation. His Sheathing the Sword occurs after he realizes that his battle with Baalzamon mirrors the battle below in him Falme, and saving Egwene from a lifetime of slavery to the Seanchan depends on him being willing to sacrifice himself. When I was much younger, I read a story about King Arthur and someone else, where King Arthur and the other person are playing a game of chess (or near-enough) while their forces are fighting, and the game of chess reflects the battle outside. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dream_of_Rhonabwy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ywain As always, the Matter of Britain provides still inspiration for authors.

I'm getting into Yet Another Re-Read, and am enjoying it.

Actually, if you want references to religion in The Wheel of Time, look at the Darkfriends. And the human equivalent to the Myrdraal, the Whitecloaks. When the Whitecloaks catch some actual Darkfriends in their Citadel of Light, the Darkfriends are reciting a credo and a catechism. And they talk about The Great Day of Return - now what is one of the most "popular" religions in the US at this current moment, with televangelists understandably drawing the mockery of others - remember that 80s movie Pass the Ammo, starring Tim Curry as the hypocritical televangelist whose hand is always out for the poor folk's money? My guess is that RJ saw what was going on when he was demobilized/discharged, with books like The Late Great Planet Earth in circulation, and televangelists raking in the dough while wallowing in their depravity, and it ate at him until he turned it into a story, just to get it out of him, so he could stop thinking about it.