The Crusades were a series of military campaigns—usually sanctioned by the Papacy—that took place during the 11th through 13th centuries. Originally, they were Roman Catholic Holy Wars to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims, but some were directed against other targets, such as the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars of southern France, the Northern Crusades, and the Fourth Crusade which conquered Constantinople.
If Christians have been fighting a holy war since 1009 AD, now that muslims have started to fight why are they termed ignorant and abused for it....do christians have some thing specail...
2006-06-12 21:09:38 · 22 answers · asked by MUSLIM 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
From your answers does it not mean that christians are afraid of Muslims as they have been since history
2006-06-12 21:16:46 · update #1
Jihad : the concept of Holy War in Islam
The Quranic term 'Jihad' means, "Holy fighting in the Cause of Allah or any other kind of effort to make Allah's Word (i.e. Islam) superior. Jihad is regarded as one of the fundamentals of Islam."
Muslims refer to a 'greater Jihah' (the personal struggle against sin), and a 'lesser Jihad' (holy warfare against the enemies of Allah and Islam). This distinction is often lost in the media, in part because some Muslims deliberately misrepresent the concept of Islam.
For Christians:
Many Christians talk about a "Just War", but the Gospel of Jesus is the Gospel of Peace, there is no way in the New Testament to justify any bloody War... it is difficult to justify even the just, defensive war if one takes seriously the message of the Sermon on the Mount, which is the heart of the Gospel (Mat.5:28-42).
Jesus changed the whole attitude on warfare:
For a Christian, the answer to any war will be to "turn the other cheek"...To Peter, and to you and me, Jesus said: "Put your sword back in its place", because Jesus will bring the sword, Jesus will take care of you, because “vengeance is mine,” says the Lord (Mat.5:39, 26:52, Rom.12:19).
However, indeed there have been hundreds of wars made by Christians against Christians and against non-Christians... I am sure you are thinking about Ireland, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Crusades... the wars of France, Italy, Spain, Germany, England, USA... all Christian countries, and dozens more... and that's all wrong for Christians, even if it has been done for centuries!.
Actually, things are changing, even the Pope John Paul II is a pacifist at heart, an activist against war... with 137 documents against war just in the 3 months before the war of Iraq (January to March, 2003)... before the war, the Pope sent a cardinal to Washington to plead with President Bush not to attack, and another cardinal to Baghdad to press Saddam Hussein to cooperate completely with U.N. weapons inspectors.
This is what Jesus said and did:
In the Sermon of the Mount:
This Sermon, called the Constitution of Christianity, contains in Mat. 5 the "Law of Christ" of Gal.6:2. In it Jesus fulfilled the Law introducing several changes in Matthew 5:17-48.
One of them is about aggression, defense and war:
You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. (Mat.5:33-41).
No "eye for eye" in Christianity, but "turn the other cheek"... no revenge, no war... it is difficult to justify even the just, defensive war if one takes seriously the message of the Sermon on the Mount, which is the heart of the Gospel.
Just Love!... put the other cheek... he steals your tunic?, give him your cloak as well... it sounds incredible... impossible to follow... it is the Law of Christ, the Prince of Peace and of joy and of love... This is Christianity!.
At Gethsemane:
Jesus is telling us what he told Peter:
"Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?. But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?"... "But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him." (Mat.26:50-54, Lk.22:51)...
The weapons Jesus left us are prayer and forgiveness, and love and service, trusting always in the Lord... never the sword, Jesus will bring the sword!.
Paul in Romans:
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil... not "an eye for an eye", but "turn the other cheek", said Jesus.
19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. ("Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord", says in the King James Version).
20 On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom.12:17-21).
At Calvary, the same lesson:
Praying forgiveness for those who crucified him, "And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Lk.23:34).
Love and service and prayer and forgiveness were the weapons of Jesus, and love and service and prayer and forgiveness should always be the weapons of a Christian.
The Gospel is a Good News of Peace:
- It started in Bethlehem, with the announce of the angels: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Lk.2:14, KJV).
- The first words of Jesus Resurrected: Peace be with you!... Again Jesus said, Peace be with you! (Jn.20:19,21,27).
And all of this, not only in wars between nations, but also in wars within the home, wars on our streets, wars in our culture, wars within the heart...
Life is not easy. Often, we cannot choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them...
If I am a Christian, I should respond as a Christian... and it is the very best way!... the best way to obtain sure victory, and to live in peace, with joy and love always... yes, it is the Christian way, to trust always in the Lord, the real faith in action... Vengeance is mine!, says the Lord (Rom.8:28-39).
Jesus never organized a war:
He never killed any one, and he never organized any kind of war to kill the evil-doers of his time, not anyone!.
Jesus fought with his words, in Matthew 23:
One of the most impressive chapters of the New Testament, with the seven strong woes for his enemies, the scribes and Pharisees.
Here is the seventh one: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." (Mt.23:27-28).
Yes, Jesus, with His attitude, taught Christians to fight back in self-defense and in defense of the truth... with very strong words!
Jesus fought also with his deeds, just with a whip out of cords: Not swords nor bombs, no blood shedding:
14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.
15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 To those who sold doves he said, Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!
17 His disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me. (Jn.2:14-15, Mat.21:12-13).
Yes, Jesus, with His attitude, also taught Christians to fight in defense of a good cause... but, again, he never used swords nor bombs!... never blood shedding!
So thier is no point is fighting....all the religions in the world teach love and peace...not "Holy war".....some politicains just use this word for their own benifits to get powers n distruction......
2006-06-13 20:54:45 · answer #1 · answered by ♥peacemaker♥ 3 · 5⤊ 1⤋
Lets not forget that it was the Muslims who first invaded Europe, and the Crusaders took back what had been conquered by the Muslims, and THEN attacked the Middle East.
That aside, Jesus Christ never sanctioned a "holy war" He said that His kingdom was not of this world, and that if it were He would have an army. The Crusades were a twisting of Scripture, in an effort to gain money.
Unlike the Qur'an which teaches warfare on "infidels" Lets not confuse the two.
Christians admit that the Crusades were not Biblically sanctioned, nor were they the will of God, but were in fact the will of the Catholic Church Papacy. Muslims on the other hand cannot admit that Allah does not command them to strike the enemies of Islam.
2006-06-12 21:16:18 · answer #2 · answered by AirborneSaint 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Ok the one that said Christians are special because they're right... that isn't a very Christian statement; don't listen to crap like that!
The Crusades were waged by the Catholic church, which was the only church around at the time and people pretty much believed whatever crap came out of Rome at the time either from total ignorance or simply being scared to death. The church had a phenomenal amount of power and did a LOT of damage with that power... not very Christian either, wouldn't you say?? Most modern Christians, however, realize that God does not approve of his followers getting involved in the politics and wars of this world and so there are no longer any 'holy wars' for Christians.
And I seriously hope you are not condoning the actions of certain Muslims because I'm sure that religion, loving God also, does not approve of it.
2006-06-13 00:28:03 · answer #3 · answered by ~Donna~ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Welcome to the hypocrisy that is Christianity.
Christians try to forget their bloody past. One only needs to read the Old Testament to see that the bible is all about blood and conquer until Jesus myth comes along and brings about a peace-based idealology, but all religions are just pretty fake fasades that attempt to hide the ugliness of the greed and selfishness that rule the lives of pretty much all of the self-righteous. Of course the crusades happened. Of course Christians critisize those "barbaric muslims" for their holy wars because they evolved past holy wars hundreds of years ago. Now they all live in America with their American lives and have no need for holy wars the way the Muslims do. They are not typically living in an environment that promotes such violence the way many Muslims are currently, but that does not mean that if the tables were turned that we would not see more crusades on the part of the christians.
2006-06-12 21:21:14 · answer #4 · answered by moonsmagicdust 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
As you yourself said, the Christian 'holy wars' ended in the 13th century. That was 800 years ago. Let it go, man. Stop whining about battles fought centuries ago. It doesnt give Muslims the right to fly airplanes into buildings or blow up hospitals. 800 years ago, things like diplomacy were unheard of. Any and every conflict, disagreement, and misunderstanding was solved through physical battle. The Muslims did it too. Lest we forget, After Mohammad united the mid eastern peoples, they conquered, killed, slaughtered and razed most of the middle east to unite it as one people and to destroy anyone that did not agree with the Islamic view. The Muslims have been waging holy wars for nearly as many centuries as the Europeans. So the Muslims have not now 'started to fight' as you put it. By the by, Iraq wasnt even a country until the British Mandate created it following World War I. Regardless of the country- Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, etc, Muslim Extremists blow themselves up and kill innocent children because they are brainwashed into it. It really has nothing to do with waging a 'Holy War', 'Jihad' or 'Intefadah'. Most of the victims of these Homicide Bombers are their own coworkers, neighbours, and friends. The majority of the victims of the 'holy warriors' are the people they live and work around, not the 'evil' white westerners they profess to hate so much.
Blowing up several of your sister's classmates and the guy who runs the local grocery store seems an odd way to express anger with a group of people half way across the world.
Osama Bin Laden brought all these troubles upon himself, and the Muslim people in general. Look at the Mid East prior to September 11, 2001- The US (and other Western Countries) were not militarily involved in anything there. Yes, The US, Britian, and other western powers had advisors, specialists, and so on, but we have them everywhere, as do the Russians, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Saudis, Israelis, Germans, and many more.
Now look at the middle east- The US led coalition had steamrolled through 2 countries, and is preparing to hit the third target, Iran. Yes, it's true the US is having problems with the extremists in Iraq, and yes, the US doesnt have a clear exit strategy, but look how much death and destruction has been wraught in the last 5 years. What did Osama accomplish? Nothing positive. All he did was make himself out to be the world's most hated man, and make Muslims and the Islamic religion look 100 times more evil and vile than before. 99% of the American people are not suffering due to the middle east wars or the events of 9/11. The majority of the people suffering live in the mid east.
2006-06-12 21:34:35 · answer #5 · answered by Bradly T Weatherford Jones 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I actually thought the bible was true, I would have to believe it was inspired by satan. I can think of no other book in the history of mankind that has caused so much hatred, violence and slaughter as the bible.
The concept of a "holy war" in the 21st Century only proves that humans are some of the stupidest animals on the planet.
Additional comment:
I'm an atheist and if you are a Muslim, you must be one of those Tel Aviv Muslims. Afraid? The more correct term is "pity."
2006-06-12 21:16:36 · answer #6 · answered by Left the building 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
WOW, amazing... you point out the Crusades and yes, the Catholic Church did do this... BUT don't you think you're a little late in getting even on the "Holy War" thing?
And, I think the Christians were ignorant then for doing it, so why wouldn't I think Muslims are ignorant for doing it too?
2006-06-13 05:46:06 · answer #7 · answered by Kithy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wars don't determine who is right, only who is left...
A lot of atrocities on both sides of this conflict have been committed in the name of religion. The Crusades were WRONG!
The useless slaughter using religion as an excuse is WRONG!
We don't need to fight it always leads to more and more conflict and loss of precious human life. The Christians argue among themselves and each claim the other sect is wrong. Only the divine being who rules over all, whether you call him Allah or we call him God....knows. The Qua ran says we should live in peace, our Bible tells us the same. It is wrong to spill blood and murder people. It is imperative that we honor all religions and respect the different points of view. As for the person who said Christians are right. You can't say for sure that only the Christians are right. It is a pompous and stupid attitude that has caused countless wars and suffering down though the ages.
My Grandfather used to say " the first man to raise his fist in anger, is the first man to run out of ideas"
We CAN live in peace.....it is possible We just need to put down the weapons of destruction and STOP repeating the errors of the past.
It takes time to ruin a world but time is all it takes.....No one has been right............no one...
Peace be with you........
2006-06-12 21:36:15 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Read History from all points of view, History books are usually biased. Especially those that are taught in schools. One you study for yourself or at Uni Your studies will soon reveal that all sides have fought for their beliefs. Some losses and some Victories were gained not by defeat of enemies but corruption The Crusades were last because of a pact between King Richard and The Turks/Arabs So he could return to England to fight for his throne which was in danger. Long before Historical age stone age/bronze age social conditions different beliefs religions.philosophies etc Changes in climate beliefs etc. Lead to conflicts That continue. Most are forgotten. Some are recorded historically distorted by time and prejudice Just as they are by today's media
2006-06-12 21:31:18 · answer #9 · answered by Cedwen M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Answer to your to your second question... no. To you first question why not? but honestly is that the best way to treat a brother? man christians in the past got it wrong, they called a "holy war" on muslims for political reasons not for religious reasons. As sons of abraham should we spend our time feuding and righting every wrong with another? Nothing can ever redeem the sins of europe, no war can end the pain left from the past only GOD (Allah), our lord can.
2006-06-12 21:38:38 · answer #10 · answered by SIMPLEMAN 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In all frankness......... That's just stupid (not your question, but the holy war thing). It is man that take on the authority of God and make claims like "Holy War" to further their own cause......"Greed" for land and fortune.
Those crusaders made the true worshipers of God look stupid.
If you feel that God needs your help like they did in the Middle ages "Holy War"...then your God is not God, but is in all truth, a weakling.
My God is the Almighty God, father of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and if he needed to prove his power to mankind, he would have done that when mankind tortured and crucified his son...but then that would've derailed his plan to save mankind.
Think about it......
2006-06-12 21:52:13 · answer #11 · answered by KeAhi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋