Are Christians proud of the deaths their religion has caused, or ashamed?

Question

When you think of the Crusades, the Salem Witch Trials, etc. do you feel ashamed that your fellow followers would resort to such evil tactics to force their beliefs on others or do you feel like justice was served and that's just what had to be done?

Very dissappointing. My question was a QUESTION. Almost all of you just got defensive and told me to feel ashamed and not point fingers and other mindless drivel besides the ANSWER to my QUESTION. I want to know if you still think those things needed to be done to strengthen your religion or if it was unecessary violence that you don't promote. If you DON'T agree with those atrocities, TELL ME, don't just whine for a whole paragraph about my question. Obviously I'm not a Christian and I want some answers as to the extent you think you should go to in order to promote your faith. You people can be so irritating, seriously.

Answer 1

If your great, great, great, great, grandfather killed someone will you be ashamed? Do you know of Christians who claim that the salem witch trials were justified?

It is also wrong to assume that without religion there would be no wars. Wars were going on way before the time of Christ. In the jungles of Africa, without religion, tribal warfares are commom.

Lets look at Eastern Europe were communism tried to wipe out religion. Are they a better society? Russia still causes wars, Stalin was a ruthless dictator who killed millions, organized crime and crime in general are high.

Eliminating religion will not make society a better place. If Eastern Europe is an example it will make it worse.

Answer 2

It took me a long time to come to grips with what was done, I can't say I was ashamed per say, but confused. For my own personal connection with God I had to clarify this for myself and this is what I came up with:

Most Christain's are not actually Christain, they do not live by the new Testiment but rather by the old Testiment to support their own agenda's. Christ hung out with whores, lepers and worst of all, tax collectors!!! He didn't judge people, but advised us that we should leave the judgeing to God. It was his goal that we lead by example, apsire to be better on a personal level, to the point others noticed and wanted to be more like us and in turn, more like him.

Now, as for the Crusades and Spanish Inquistion we have to look from the veiwpoint of the Middle Ages Man: the world (to them) was a horriable sin filled place, called the vale of tears and other such things, and for most of them the only rewards to be had were those built in heaven as they couldn't get ahead on earth. The best way to get into Heaven was to do good works and to help others get into Heaven as well. Recaptureing the Holy Land for the church at all costs was a good work, it was what the kings and priests told the people God wanted. The Spanish Inquistion was all about saving souls (and gaining politcal power, but that's not the thrust of this discussion) and converting Jews (Primarily) into Christain's via tortures etc for the good of their soul. Afterall, what is the body compared to the everlasting glory of heaven, they asked.

The Salem Witch Trails was, if you do your research, less about being Christian and more about polical power and hate crime agains women who had lands etc that men wanted. The Purtain Faith supported that before you were born it had already been desided if you were going to heaven or hell, and, in fact, although roughly 200 people were imprisoned only 20 people were actually hanged, although some also died of "questioning" or while in jail.

So, in short, do I think it was right? No, I don't even think it was within the teachings of Christ.

Do I feel ashamed or justifed? No, I don't feel either way because I've tried to understand the view point of the people living at that time and realize that, like now, people can use anything and slant it towards their own bias to support what they want to do anyway.

Much like the Muslim attack on 9-11. Yes, the Koran does talk of Holy Wars, but it also states not to raise a weapon against an unarmed man. (Oddly enough the Koran, Bible and Torah all have basically the same Old Testiment)

Extermests of any race or religion will cut and paste any text or document to support them be they a person, a news agency, a government or a relgion.

Answer 3

The odds are good that your ancestors were Christian, so do you feel guilty for everything that Christians did? If not, why not? I mean, guilt by association, right?

That's the one little detail that most Christian-bashers tend to forget. Most of the population over the last few centuries were professing Christians, including their own ancestors.

So unless you're prepared to feel guilty about what YOUR family did all those years ago, don't go pointing your finger at anyone else.

Edit:

You ask what is obviously a loaded question, whine about the answers you get, and then have the nerve to call us irritating? Pot. . .kettle. . .black.

I don't feel ashamed about what someone else did in the name of religion, BTW. So do you feel ashamed of the 100 million people that were killed by atheistic Communism?

Answer 4

Neither. My religion hasn't caused any deaths. You are referring to churches that were also governing forces at the times. Most of these deaths were politically motivated. The Crusades did manage to stop the carnage that was done for centuries by barbaric Muslims and allowed Europe to remain free from islamic rule.

Christianity is a one-on-one relationship with God. No religion controls that.

May God Bless you.

Answer 5

The test of a religion is not how people corrupt it, but what it says about issues.

For example, where in the New Testament does it advocate the killing of anyone? Jesus pursuated the people who were lawfully (under the laws of the area) going to stone the adulterious woman not to. No where does Jesus advocate killing people. The Old Testament does, but not the New Testament.

Now compare that to Islam according to Caliph Uthman. According to the Uthman version of the Quran Muhammad not only personally advocated the killing of people for religious and economical gain, he sent his own men out to gather "booty."

To condemn Christianity because of it's misuse would be the same (imho) to condemn the spoken language because some people use it to say hateful things.

Now are you ashamed of your position?

Answer 6

This is just another question to slander Christians and no its not true Christians that did these kind of things it was religious Organizations such as the Catholic Church who also killed Christians, asking this question is like asking your self if you feel bad about all the evil your great granpapy did to the ******

Answer 7

Obviously, it is possible to kill someone without shedding his blood, but it is also obvious that if one loses enough blood, he will die. Perhaps God ties the two together in the Old Testament sacrifices because the visible shedding of the blood is a clear indication of death (whereas if something is strangled or hit on the head, it is not readily evident whether it is dead or merely unconscious). Perhaps also God uses the shedding of blood because the blood can then be sprinkled or applied as was done in the Old Testament, both at the Passover and at giving of the law, and at other times in order to associate the death of the sacrifice with other individuals, thus as it were imparting the effects of that death on those still living. But I am speculating.



As far as Christianity being a bloody religion, it is. But it is uniquely a bloody religion. Contrary to bloodless religions, it takes sin seriously, indicating that God takes sin seriously and gives a death penalty for it. Sin is not a small matter. It is the simple sin of pride that turned Lucifer into a demon. It was the simple sin of jealousy that caused Cain to slay Abel, etc. And in Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, they believed the deceiver over a good and loving God, choosing to rebel against His love and denying the goodness of His character. Christianity is a bloody religion because it views sin as a holy God views it...seriously.

Answer 8

John Paul II gave over 100 apologies during his life as Pope. Certainly, Christan's have biffed it major and caused pain & wrong doings. There is the flip side as well, we also have had millions wrongfully killed as well (prosecuted). I read about the innocent Priests being killed in India, Phillipeans, and Viet Nam and this breaks my heart. Certainly, those aiming to please God in Communist countries (like Nam) are most likly lead by God.

If you have not read any of John Paul II's formal appoligies, I would recomend you do so if you're looking for a religion reaching out for forgivness. Now it's your turn, can you forgive?

Answer 9

People set their own rules and regulations in the name of a religion.All over the world the people are same,to feed their own ego they do all the repulsive stuff.
God has made each and every one of us for a particular purpose and motive,
We as humans don't have any right what so ever to question any ones faith/belief system.one should scrutinize themselves before judging one another.
I being a follower of Jesus Christ believe in forgiveness as i pray to God 'And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."(Matthew 6:12)
Many Christians had given there life to full fill Jesus' teachings practically.Believe me when i say its not easy to follow Christ Truly as I've faced problems just because I'm a christian.I forgive them and now i have moved on,and feel blessed that I'm considered worthy enough to be opposed just coz I Love Christ.
GOD BLESS.

Answer 10

Pilgrim trumped your guilt card by playing the plausible deny-ability card followed by the victimization card.
Poor picked on real Christians.
He also used the "No true Scotsman" argument.
Nicely done, the freaking hypocrites these believers are is a constant source of amazement to me.