Can the current problems in the middle east be blamed on the Catholic church for the Crusades?

Question

Please only respond to this question if you know about the history going back this far.

Answer 1

While the Crusades are certainly a factor for the current problems in the Middle East they cannot adequately take all the 'blame'. While many of the Crusade may have been politically motivated, the theory of the Crusades is what is important to the modern situation; the Middle East is the location that three major religions consider as their 'holy land'. While the current situation is more political, the radicals involved in the Middle East problem hold this religious mantra.

The factors that the Crusades can not account for are the division of territory from the Ottoman Empire, multiple Muslim factions and the various attitudes towards Israel. These three factor predominate over the role that the Crusades play in the current Middle East situation.

Answer 2

Not rationally.

The Crusades, which primarily occurred during the 11th to 13th centuries, caused a lot of political unrest at the time. However, most of that resolved over the centuries that followed.

The Ottoman Empire in WW-1 caused even more political upheaval, and that was less than a century ago. Most of the current political structure in the Middle East has arisen during the last century.

So, while the Crusades may have created some lingering bias against the Middle East in western nations, that is at worst only a very small component of the cause of the current conflict.

Granted, there could be some connection if you look at it from the perspective of the Middle Eastern countries, some of which still harbor resentment against Europe (and by extension the US) for the Crusades. But again, the effects of WW-1 were much more recent and much more prominent in terms of shaping the current political climate, so the 800 year old influences are pretty attenuated.

Answer 3

No, and after the Crusades came the Ottoman Empire (Turks), who were hated by both the Arabs and the Jews- probably the only time in history they fought together against a common enemy! Better to lay the blame on the British. Whatever countries they try to lay claim to, get screwed up. In this case, they made a mess. On top of that, or underlying that, is the Moslem requirement to kill all Jews and other non-Moslems. If you read the Koran, you will see that they hate the Christians more than even the Jews. Unfortunately, most Christians don't seem to know that. That hatred stems from Biblical times. The moral of that story (of Abraham, Sarah & Hagar) is not to have children with anyone but your wife. Jewish men still haven't learned not to cheat on their wives, but men are really slow.

Answer 4

No, the crusades were about the Europe/Persia conflict. That conflict dates back to Alexander the Great and before.

Plus the Christian crusades were an answer to the Muslim crusades of 630 AD.

The conflict in the Middle East has been going on for a long time, this is just the latest chapter.

Answer 5

The First Crusade (1095)
Pope Urban II was responsible for assisting Emperor Alexus I of Constantinople in launching the first crusade. He made one of the most influential speeches in the Middle Ages, calling on Christian princes in Europe to go on a crusade to rescue the Holy Land from the Turks. In the speech given at the Council of Clermont in France, on November 27, 1095,

Pope Urban II "The noble race of Franks must come to the aid their fellow Christians in the East. The infidel Turks are advancing into the heart of Eastern Christendom; Christians are being oppressed and attacked; churches and holy places are being defiled. Jerusalem is groaning under the Saracen yoke. The Holy Sepulchre is in Muslim hands and has been turned into a mosque. Pilgrims are harassed and even prevented from access to the Holy Land.

The crusades were called in order the stop the Muslims from taking over and harming Christians

Answer 6

ROFL, wasn't it the English who perpetuated the Crusades.

Blame them, not their religion. the Crusades had little to do with religion and more to do with politics and economics.

I mean, after all, if they really were catholic, the crusades never would have happned in the first place right?

Muslim extremests didn't invent using your religion as an excuse for attrocities. People have been doing it since the dawn of time.

Answer 7

I don't think so. The problem is that the Middle East is out of sync with modern times and there is no separation of church and state. In fact, state law is really a religious code. The problem is that they're just as intolerant of us as we are of them. If everyone would just, at the very least, respect the inviolability of national sovereignty and territory, we wouldn't have as many problems - and daily casualties.

Answer 8

Utterly ridiculous.

Those who look to things that happened several centuries ago for their justification for terrorist acts today are dangerous ... as are those who accept those excuses.

You really need to educate yourself on issues like this, instead of blindly accepting what the terrorists claim as Gospel truth. Those fanatics will blame anyone and everyone but themselves ... and claim they are fighting for religious purposes.

Nothing could be further from the truth. They are simply power-hungry little thugs who have conned some undeducated mental midgets into believing it is about faith.

Terrorism is not about religion. It's about power and jealousy.

Answer 9

No, there is a Biblical response but not really sure you're looking for that answer. If you are, post the same question in the religion and spirituality and limit the responses like you did with this one. Remove your reason from the blame too.

Answer 10

They are a part of the problem. There is a long history of turmoil in the mideast and the crusades were definitely a part of it. The turmoil goes much further into the past than that though.

Answer 11

no it cant. But nice try on putting your opinion in there. Here is why... It may date back to those days but the current actions as it is need to take responsability and if your trying to place blame on something else what are you doing your passing the responsability of blame on something else and not takeing care of your own