The Justification of the Crusades

[hmm]

Thanks for writing that. As a student at university, my history prof likes to blame the CC for all the war crimes and atrocities that accompanied the Crusades, but, with help from your post, I’m able to defend the pure foundation for the Crusades and Christianity/Catholicism in general. Thanks again.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

Thanks for writing that. As a student at university, my history prof likes to blame the CC for all the war crimes and atrocities that accompanied the Crusades,

Who else is there to blame ? It was Innocent III who called the sack of Constantinople “a work of darkness”, not your history prof. Or is raping Greek nuns, burning Greek churches, & slaughtering non-combatants the will of Christ & a good action ? Such things are not the whole story - but they are part of it, & to ignore them is immoral, as well as bad history.​

but, with help from your post, I’m able to defend the pure foundation for the Crusades and Christianity/Catholicism in general. Thanks again.

Why is it so important to defend them ? There is a lot to blame in them, which should be no surprise, if our belief about sin is more than empty words; & trying to excuse what is inexcusable only risks making the CC look immoral “I believe in the holy catholic Church” =/= “I must defend absolutely everything the Church has ever done” - because the acts of Christians are not doctrines, let alone dogmas. We make needless difficulties, for others as well as ourselves, if we don’t make that rather basic distinction. Don’t take my word for it; Karl Keating said it years ago: & he at least can hardly be branded a “modernist”.​

 

[hmm]

Who else is there to blame ? It was Innocent III who called the sack of Constantinople “a work of darkness”, not your history prof. Or is raping Greek nuns, burning Greek churches, & slaughtering non-combatants the will of Christ & a good action ? Such things are not the whole story - but they are part of it, & to ignore them is immoral, as well as bad history.​

Why is it so important to defend them ? There is a lot to blame in them, which should be no surprise, if our belief about sin is more than empty words; & trying to excuse what is inexcusable only risks making the CC look immoral “I believe in the holy catholic Church” =/= “I must defend absolutely everything the Church has ever done” - because the acts of Christians are not doctrines, let alone dogmas. We make needless difficulties, for others as well as ourselves, if we don’t make that rather basic distinction. Don’t take my word for it; Karl Keating said it years ago: & he at least can hardly be branded a “modernist”.​

I suppose my thanks was a little too succinct. What I meant was that the Catholic Church as a Divine institution remained pure and righteous, NOT specifically all the people in it, and that was the point I was able to make in class. I didn’t defend the actions of the Crusades, but rather the Church they were fighting in the name of. My prof kept making it seem like the horrors of the Crusades were because of Catholic dogma/doctrine, when that wasn’t the case… and it’s been awhile since I read Keating’s comments, which I should probably do again

 

[losh14]

You’ve done well to point out the myriad and complex issues surrounding and motivating the Crusades, and I find that should anyone attempt to challenge me on them, it’s often easier to just head them off.

If someone says “How can you justify the Crusades?” I can think of shorter options:

1. “You mean, you want me to apply modern themes of justice, human rights, diplomacy and sovereignty to medieval men who lived in medieval times and had medieval mindsets? I shudder to think how our great-grandchildren’s great-grandchildren look back and judge us as the barbarians we appear to be.”
2. “A half-million hostile Muslims are at your back door offering conversion or the sword, how would you respond?”

If they take it more personal, “How can you be a part of a Church that killed so many people,” I retaliate:

1. “And who are you to judge me by the decisions of those who died before the language that we speak today came into being, across an ocean you’ve never crossed, in a land you’ve never been, in a time you couldn’t imagine?”
2. “I assure you, next time it comes up, I’ll ask that we not go to war.”