What is your opinion of the Crusades and Inquisition?

Question

Come on now, if you're a Christian its in your history. Are you proud other believers like you brought war down on others to try and convert them and most likely succeeded any number of times?

Answer 1

They continue today. I say this due to the fact I've posed some "religious tolerance" questions and have received quite a few answers saying the only way is the Christian way.....what a shame we haven't learned anything in the past several thousand years..............

Answer 2

The Crusades and Inquisition are misunderstood. The Crusades were to liberate the Holy Land from Muslim invaders that had made it impossible for Christians to make pilgrimage.

The Inquisition has been exaggerated in part because Protestant England wanted to make the Catholic Spanish out to be horrible people.

The General Inquisition had know torture or killing element. It started in Italy as an attempt to correct prominent heresies of the time. In Spain the King demanded loyalty from all his subjects, so under the guise of a Church Inquisition he persecuted potentially disloyal subjects. It was this inquisition that was considered brutal. It was NOT done for religious reasons, but political.

Answer 3

Arguably, the Crusades are unreflective of the Christian mission. Most histories demonstrate that xenophobia and turmoil in Europe as well as Papal promises of a kind of forgiveness for knights' misdeeds as well as popular lack of industrious things to do ... these all contributed to the first several Crusades. Once there (as Amin Maalouf's solid almost journalistic effort, THE CRUSADES THROUGH ARAB EYES explains) they acted rather treacherously, again, doing a less than 5-star job of spreading the Gospel by example.

A lot of the success (particularly in the First Crusade) was due to surprise, good fortune (i.e., luck) and temporary cohesion (that usually fell apart).

The Inquisition is an even less stellar example of Christianity. To be frank, I'm something of a lapsed Christian, but, neither of these periods do much toward bettering the name of Christ.

The Red Cross is a better example.

Salvation Army, for that matter.

People flipping over tables of moneychangers is one thing, but Christ didn't whip out a sword. He would have swords sheathed (a la Peter).

Answer 4

The Crusades were never about converting anybody they were about expelling the infidel Muslims from Christianity's Holy lands.

The Inquisition also had nothing to do with converting people from other faiths into Christianity, the intent of the Inquisition was to ensure that Christians remained faithful to Christianity but most importantly subservient to the Church.

Answer 5

Actually, those were Catholics---priests, bishops, and the popes who succombed to corruption, greed, and a desire for absolute power. You've heard the phrase: Absolute power corrupts absolutely? Well, there you go. The Dark Ages were when everyone thought the world was still flat? When medical care consisted of leeches, salts, and witchcraft? When lead chalises and lead plates were the leading cause of death---lead poisoning? When women were nothing more than pawns, toys, and could be bought and sold at liberty by their fathers, brothers, and Mayors of the towns?

Not much progress and certainly not the level of education, knowledge, and access to information that we have today. I believe that's why they were called "The Dark Ages." After the Catholic Church had murdered enough people, called enough people witches, and was so successful in putting the Church above God------God said---ENOUGH!!!!

And there was this tiny little creature---a flea---that just sprung up from nowhere and infested all of the rats that roamed the filth, squaller and pestalence. These tiny little fleas caused an illness called "The Black Death," or the "Plague"---what we know today as the Bubonic Plague.

Then came the Renaissance---the New Birth of the Ages. Geniuses such as Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Martin Luther--who broke away from the corrupted Catholic Church and its sadistic, unbiblical practices. Then arose, in the 1700s a man called Voltaire to championed the civil rights of citizens over the Catholic Church.

Now, the group of Christians to which I believe you refer your question are the Fundamentalist Bible Christians---those who put their complete trust in no man---such as the Pope, a Priest. We have fallen for the preaching from the pulpits of Jim Baker, Jim Swaggart, and others---but Christians are human too. That's why there are so many warnings in the Bible about "false prophets," and those who will call on the name of the Lord, but God will not hear them. But, I digress.

The Crusades and the Inquisitions were all born of the Catholic Church, the Popes, the Bishops, the Priests, and all of those men who decided they would rather have all of the gold in the world than the riches in heaven. So, they used their power to steal from those over which they governed---the faithful of the Catholic Church.

Then Martin Luther decided---Nah, this isn't right. I don't have to be forgiven for my sins by these men who are guilty of far more haneous crimes than I am. I believe God will hear my prayers and forgive me if I just pray to God directly. So, Luther started the Reformation of the Church! The beginning of the end for the corrupted Catholic Church.

Fundamentalist Bible Christians are those who will do their best to live by the teachings of the Inspired Word of God, the Bible. We don't believe that the Pope is infallable because he isn't. Peter was the first "Pope," and we all know he wasn't perfect!!!

Priests, Popes, Bishops, Cardinals---and all those guys who decided they were more powerful than God decided to wield their power in an inhuman way. Humans are capable of such atrocities against each other, even today. Fundamentalist Bible Christians are not going to allow any "man" or "woman" to have that much power in their lives. Only Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. No man on Earth, nothing any man could say or write down is worth the powder it would take to blow it up, unless it is grounded in the scriptures. Period.

So, yes---those were terrible days. And I'm glad they're in our past so we can learn from our mistakes. You're human---you make mistakes, right? I'm just glad that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again and is seated at the right hand of the Father; I know that my sins are forgiven and that as long as I live my life according to the scriptures---as closely as my sinful nature can be fought----I will see my Lord in Heaven; he will look into my face and tell me, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." I can put up with just about anything just to hear those words!

Answer 6

Just terrible. The crusades were crazy christians going after everyone, killing, trying to convert them. Sort of what they are still doing to this day.

Answer 7

Christian Faith can not be spread at the point of the sword... The crusades were in fact not a Christian mission... God did not approve... look what happened to those who took part... did'nt work did it... God let them get their tushies kicked.

those who led the inquisitions are paying for that as well... not one who led them was saved.... no pope can say to any one that he or anyone else is Saved. no one in that cult is going to find themselves where they hope to be... if youdont know if you are saved...you aint

Answer 8

Well, the crusades were actually about defending Europe from the Muslim hordes taking it over.

My opinion on it? Well, I guess I am glad they had them because if they didn't I would be a muslim right now. Sorry, but I like my freedom of religion. I wouldn't want a religion forced on me.

Answer 9

Another excuse for the Catholic Church to increase it's wealth and power at the expense of thousands of the underpriviledged. Too much damage has been done in the name of "Chrisitanity" and yes I do mean to sound critical. Religion seems just an excuse to behave badly, then say it's okay 'cuz "we're forgiven".

Answer 10

Horrible, it was good business for the Catholic church back then. It showed how ignorant people can get. The question is, are the crusades really over? Or have they just evolved.

Answer 11

I am not now nor have I ever been in favor of forcing anyone into my belief. Today the only religion I know of that behaves that way is islam. I guess they weren't paying attention when the rest of humanity "evolved" out of the Middle Ages angst.