C
Chortle
Guest
Is it fair for the pope to suggest that Muslims should not seek to spread their faith by the sword when Christians embarked on numerous Crusades to do just that? Was the Church right in embarking on these Crusades?
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T
TimOliv
Guest
There are a few problems with comparing the Crusades to Islam’s campaign of spreading faith by the sword.
The crusades were originally started to drive the Muslims out of the Holy Land. Plain and simple.
Did the Crusades evolve into something, well, not so keen? Sure, take the sacking of Constantinople for instance.
HOWEVER, it is imperative, above all, that you remember the Christians have not had a Crusade in the last thousand years or so. While the Muslims have persisted in spreading the faith by the sword. If you don’t believe that, take into account the people kidnapped in the Gaza strip who were forced to convert on camera.
A
Atreyu
Guest
The pope suggested nothing of the sort. I suggest you read what he actually said.
The Crusades were almost certainly “Just Wars”. Killing a person can be just if it is in defence of self or of another. The macro version of this doctrine is called a “Just War”. Hopefully someone else will describe what this involves a bit better. But in a word: yes! The Crusades were definitely right to have been undertaken. Unfortunately, some of the events that happened in the course of the Crusades were not so great, such as the murder of all of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the sacking of Constantinople.
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Atreyu
Guest
On second thought, the pope did suggest that violence was not compatible with logos. If you admit that the violence done in spreading the faith by the sword was this type of violence that is not compatible with logos, then yes I guess the pope did actually suggest that for Muslims to spread the faith by the sword is to not act with logos (logos means “reason” or “word” I think). Fancy that, the pope giving an address that suggests that Islam is not compatible with the Christian view of God!
V
Verita
Guest
The Crusades were undertaken in direct response to the Muslim attack on the Byzantine Empire. Over half of the christian world had already been conquered by Islam and they were banging on the doors of Europe. The Crusades were a defensive war to preserve Christendom from being overrun by Muslims.
R
rwoehmke
Guest
Crusades spreading the Faith by the sword? Hardly true! The Crusades were a defensive reaction against Islam which was spreading their Faith by the sword. The Middle East, the shores of the Med, including Egypt, North Africa, Greece, the Levant, parts of Italy, Spain and France which were once solidly Christian had been captured by the Muslims. Turkey was once a Christian stronghold until Mohamet proclaimed his “crusade.” If it weren’t for the Crusades we would all be Muslims today. The Crusades wre not to spread the Faith, but to save it. Anyone who suggests other wise is “smoking pot” or having a “pipe dream.”
M
mlchance
Guest
The Crusades were not fought to spread the Christian faith. They were fought to defend/reclaim Christian territories from Muslim conquerors.
– Mark L. Chance.
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kleary
Guest
The Crusades were not about spreading Christianity by the sword. I.E. “Convert or die”.
IMHO the Crusades did not go far enough…the Dome of the Rock is still there and our World Trade Center isn’t.
Ken
D
Deus_Vult
Guest
I was about to respond when I read what you had to say…well put I could not have said it better.
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