How can christians reminisce about Adam and Eve, Noahs flood, and Jesus dying on a cross yet?

Question

when it comes to things like the Holocaust, the Crusades, and the Witchtrials, they would rather bury it and let it be *in the past?*

Oh yeah Slavery in the civil war era, and the Spainish Inquisition?

Answer 1

+ The Holocaust +

Depending on who you ask, the Nazi's were either pagan or atheists. They were not Christians.

It is only right to place the Jews first on the list of the Nazis' victims. Over 6 million Jews were killed.

However millions of Catholics and other Christians were also killed. No one knows exactly how many. I've seen claims of up to 42,000,000 but I could not find documentation for this number.

One example, over 6 million Poles perished during WWII. That was 22% of the population of the country. 3 million were Jews. Almost all of the others were Catholic.

Also remember most the the allied military dead were Christians.

For more information, see: http://www.holycross.edu/departments/history/vlapomar/hiatt/catholic.htm

+ The Crusades +

Muslim armies had conquered much of northern Africa, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Spain, which had been some of the most heavily Christian areas in the world.

Thousands, and possibly millions, of Christians died during this drive to eventually bring the entire world under Islam.

The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to check the advance of the Muslims and regain control of the city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

I am sure that some atrocities were committed by both sides during this war but by most people's judgment this was a just war.

For more information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade

+ Slavery +

The Catholic Church was one of the first groups to condemn slavery.

The Bible does not condemn slavery. Colossians 3:22 even states, "Slaves, obey your human masters in everything."

This was much debated before and during the US Civil War.

The condemnation of slavery is one of those nonbiblical doctrines that Catholics have developed through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit over the centuries.

+ In 1462, before America was discovered by Columbus, Pius II declared slavery to be "a great crime" (magnum scelus)

+ In 1537, Paul III forbade the enslavement of the Indians

+ Urban VIII forbade it in 1639

+ Benedict XIV forbade it in 1741

+ Pius VII demanded of the Congress of Vienna, in 1815, the suppression of the slave trade

+ Gregory XVI condemned it in 1839

+ In the Bull of Canonization of the Jesuit Peter Claver, one of the most illustrious adversaries of slavery, Pius IX branded the "supreme villainy" (summum nefas) of the slave traders.

+ Leo XIII, in 1888, addressed a letter to the Brazilian bishops, exhorting them to banish from their country the remnants of slavery -- a letter to which the bishops responded with their most energetic efforts, and some generous slave-owners by freeing their slaves in a body, as in the first ages of the Church.

For more information, see: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14036a.htm

+ The Inquisition +

Modern historians have long known that the popular view of the Inquisition is a myth. The Inquisition was actually an attempt by the Catholic Church to stop unjust executions.

Heresy was a capital offense against the state. Rulers of the state, whose authority was believed to come from God, had no patience for heretics. Neither did common people, who saw heretics as dangerous outsiders who would bring down divine wrath.

When someone was accused of heresy in the early Middle Ages, they were brought to the local lord for judgment, just as if they had stolen a pig. It was not to discern whether the accused was really a heretic. The lord needed some basic theological training, very few did. The sad result is that uncounted thousands across Europe were executed by secular authorities without fair trials or a competent judge of the crime.

The Catholic Church's response to this problem was the Inquisition, an attempt to provide fair trials for accused heretics using laws of evidence and presided over by knowledgeable judges.

From the perspective of secular authorities, heretics were traitors to God and the king and therefore deserved death. From the perspective of the Church, however, heretics were lost sheep who had strayed from the flock. As shepherds, the pope and bishops had a duty to bring them back into the fold, just as the Good Shepherd had commanded them. So, while medieval secular leaders were trying to safeguard their kingdoms, the Church was trying to save souls. The Inquisition provided a means for heretics to escape death and return to the community.

Most people tried for heresy by the Inquisition were either acquitted or had their sentences suspended. Those found guilty of grave error were allowed to confess their sin, do penance, and be restored to the Body of Christ. The underlying assumption of the Inquisition was that, like lost sheep, heretics had simply strayed.

If, however, an inquisitor determined that a particular sheep had purposely left the flock, there was nothing more that could be done. Unrepentant or obstinate heretics were excommunicated and given over to secular authorities. Despite popular myth, the Inquisition did not burn heretics. It was the secular authorities that held heresy to be a capital offense, not the Church. The simple fact is that the medieval Inquisition saved uncounted thousands of innocent (and even not-so-innocent) people who would otherwise have been roasted by secular lords or mob rule.

Where did this myth come from? After 1530, the Inquisition began to turn its attention to the new heresy of Lutheranism. It was the Protestant Reformation and the rivalries it spawned that would give birth to the myth. Innumerable books and pamphlets poured from the printing presses of Protestant countries at war with Spain accusing the Spanish Inquisition of inhuman depravity and horrible atrocities in the New World.

For more information, see:
The Real Inquisition, By Thomas F. Madden, National Review (2004) http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/madden200406181026.asp
Inquisition by Edward Peters (1988)
The Spanish Inquisition by Henry Kamen (1997)

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Illiteracy



Josephus, a Jewish historian, mentioned Jesus in his writings toward the end of the first century C.E., roughly 60 years after Jesus' death.
As a non-Christian, Josephus would have no reason to accept the historical reality of Jesus unless there was some sound basis for it.
In one of his works, Josephus discusses disturbances that were caused by the Jews during the time Pontius Pilate was governor of the region of Judea (26-36 C.E,) The disturbance centered around a man named Jesuss and his followers, Josephus identifies Jesus as "a wise man....a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of men who received the truth with pleasure," and he notes that Jesus was later condemned by Pilate to crucifixion. While this mention of Jesu does not suggest that Josephus himself accepted Jesus or the claim made about Jesus by his followers, it does seem clear that Josephus recognized Jesus to be a historical person who had a profound impact on the people he encountered.

Read also about Tacitus, a Roman historian.....Pliny the Younger another Roman source and Suetonius a Roman historian and lawyer.
All these writers prove the historical existence of Jesus......rather than biblical sources.

Answer 3

As a Christian, and speaking as a individual not every person who calls themselves a Christian... I am appalled at any and all atrocities committed irregardless. The Holocaust, African Diaspora... slave trade, the Crusades, etc. Hurricane Katrina... Oklahoma bombings, WTC... take your pick. We share a very sad history and there have been atrocities committed by groups of people in the world under the guise of many a belief... Christian, Muslim, Religious and non-Religious. I believe the bible is the inspired word of God, but I also reconize that many ignorant, paranoid, ill-advised movements were used to justify atrocities. The bible was used to justify slavery in the U.S., however, I am an intelligent person and recognize that people are like children... without proper supervision.... we are likely to play with fire and burn our own homes down.

Answer 4

You need to do a lot more study on all of the history you mention... and try to achieve some minimum undersanding of The True Christian Faith... the links you try to imply, between the events and, supposed Christian instigation, have been debunked long ago... with a few possable exceptions involving the many different "witchtrial" times... there are no justifications for making any claim the they were initiated by any with true Christian intentions.... as all are in direct violation of God's Word and Will for mankind....as you are only interested in attempting to re hash misapplied history inorder to bash Christians and not to state truth of history there is no reason to go further with you.

Answer 5

Because these awful events had nothing to do with the eternal truths of Christ but only evil hearted people who completely misunderstood Christ, His purposes and Godly love. btw I can understand the Crusades and the witch trials being listed against the Christians as a whole but the Holocaust had nothing to do with Christianity, nor did slavery. The Holocaust was perpetrated by Hitler who never claimed to be Christian and slavery had to do with economics not religion.

Answer 6

I don't think anyone enjoys thinking about failures. You can't deny them. But we prefer to think about positive things. I don't reminisce about Adam and Eve at all. I hate to think about them losing perfection. There are many Biblical stories which don't make us feel good. And we tend not to focus on them, but it is a natural human reaction. The same goes for the U.S.. We tend to think about how we won WW2, but then like to forget about our Japanese concentration camps. The other thing is that a lot of bad events were from the Catholic Church. I tend to not associate myself with those events since I am a protestant and I can see how those things were and always will be wrong. Why did you mention the Holocaust? That was not a Christian thing at all. I hope you aren't someone who thinks Hitler was a Christian, because he certainly was not. He closed down churches and even took down the bells from the steeples to melt down and turn into bombs. He was a Fascist who wanted people to worship him and the fatherland instead of God.

Answer 7

A lot of believers admit our predecessors sins in the past. And we are trying to be way better than they. The holocaust was a horrible evil when believers remained silent and allowed many of their fellow humans die needlessly. Even during the segregation of our nation. It was sad that they let it happen. As well as events prior to those, slavery, crusades, etc. I repent on behalf of my fellow Christians.

Answer 8

Actually, I don't know anyone who can "reminisce" about any of the biblical things because none of us were alive then. We also were not alive for the crusades, the holocaust or the witch trials. Why do you people keep trying to blame us for horrible things that happened before we were born? Do we sit around blaming all the pagans alive today for the sacrifices of babies that were commited hundreds of years ago? I'm sorry, but if that's all you got to mock christianity with, you best be off to another section.

Answer 9

Excuse me, just because a dummy group of morons decided to burn people back in the day and happened to be Christians doesn't mean that it represents Christianity. (I am a christian) It's kinda like saying that all middle eastern people are terrorists because of what happened on September 11. Anyways, there were people who were Christians who opposed to the witch trials. Just because a certain group did something horrible a long time ago doesn't mean that it was right to do it.

Answer 10

Peace be with you. All history repeats itself. There are 4 year, 40 years, 280 years, 1960 years cycles. The last Age is a Half Age.

Answer 11

Even today the tyranny continues! Look at what is happening in Iraq? What happened in Vietnam?

The so called christians should put their heads down in shame! and ask apology for what they have done.Christ taught us to love your enemy and to show your other cheek if you receive one on the other.

Adam & Eve and Noah are all fictions and we do not have to consider all that.But Jesus' message is everlasting.