Why do people keep saying that Christians don't kill anyone anymore?

Question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070220073324AAOGz7L

How about the Irish? Protestants and Catholics killing each other over how to worship the same God. And let me tell you, I DARE you to walk up to one of them and tell them they aren't Christians. I know people who have come here from Ireland, this is still a very touchy subject and they still strongly identify with their faiths.

And for those who say the Crusaders and priests who went with the Conquistadors weren't Christians....you are wrong. Those people believed with every fiber of their beings that they were doing God's will and quite frankly, you have no right to judge them. Especially since they were willing to give up everything they had and everything they were to do God's work. Tell me, what are you doing to further God's work today?

Okay, you guys are missing the main part of my point, which is that this is ongoing. Still happening. How come no one has a response to that?

Ignoramus: well, the name certainly fits. Why else would someone give up everything they had--family, title, possessions, everything--for near certain death if they didn't believe?

Utuk: Whatever the true reason may be, they claim to be fighting over religion. So as far as I am concerned, they are fighting over religion.

Meg, if they are only fighting because the English invaded, then why are they mostly fighting each other...?

I'd also like to point out to all you wikipedia fans that it is hardly an exhaustive or particularly reliable source. ANYONE can edit it, including people who have no idea what they are talking about.

Serena, in case you didn't know, the whole Crusades thing was the idea of the Pope--the infallible voice of God on earth. You don't get much more sanction than that. Also remember, that when the Crusades took place, no one but priests were allowed to read the Bible, so these people had no idea that what they were doing was wrong.

Answer 1

You believe that if someone says they believe that Jesus is God that makes them a Christian? Think again. the Apostle James said the devils believe that and they tremble.. It takes faith to follow Jesus, faith to bend our will to His, faith to live by His commands. Only if a person does that are they Christian. In doing that killing is WAY outside being a Christian.... Christians don't kill anyone EVER... Jim

Answer 2

You obviously don't know very much about the history of the Crusades,do you.
Why shouldn't we judge them?They were clearly violating commandments.We are even told in the Bible to 'judge with a righteous judgment'.I'd advise you to leave Christian matters to Christians instead of acting knowledgable.
The conflict in Ireland is about a far more than Catholic vs Protestant.Have you read or studied the issue in depth?
Now,I prefer to work on more pressing matters,such as the hundreds of thousands of Christians being murdered in Sudan.Do you care about that?

Answer 3

Excuse me! I am Irish and I actually choose to live here! Great question - but you've asked two questions, and one needs defusing and addressing in the interests of common humanity (and the fact that we are now in 2007!)

How about us? How do you define Irishness? What if they happen to be Jewish, or Muslim, or Hindu? They are still Irish citizens! And if visitors, don't guests of your country surely deserve to be greeted, made welcome, have a little conversation & exchange impressions before being grilled? Even in cyberspace?

Is it now compulsory in First World countries to declare yourself to be a Christian? History records other lapses in courtesy and where they led.

I think you are right in saying that there was an original fundamentalist 'Catholic versus other religions' conflict. During the English Civil War, fear of the 'other side' did grow into popular terror and hatred of all foreigners or differences, & achieved the same results. But how long ago was the English Civil war? Since then, you have the growth of democracy, a more even sharing of prosperity, increased education and tolerance of those we trade with. Back then? 1% of Europe's population owned most of the wealth. Naturally, they wanted to encourage a divide & conquer policy. Meanwhile, back in 2007 ...

Are you aware that Northern Ireland declared a ceasefire about a decade ago, and that peace then broke out?

The first half of your question would be considered an incitement to hatred, in modern, multicultural Ireland. On both sides of the border. In the interests of peace and civilised debate, please! Hasn't it occurred to you that the Irish have long since moved on, and that religion, language and colour are no longer the narrow definitions of Irishness? It's considered a crime to kill people here. Worse, it's unpopular, to the extent that we voted to abolish capital punishment (the death penalty) several years ago.

There certainly are millions of Irish people worldwide, of all beliefs and colours, who have never considered killing anyone, nor wished to encourage others to, and who actively speak out against those who do, yet still speak fluent Irish, love the country, music, writings and many other aspects of our culture, and have never driven a car in anger. And we welcome visitors : )

Answer 4

Wow!
You just solved the Irish conflict! Boy, all those political scientists who classify that conflict as a struggle over economic models are going to happy!

Why do you think they call it the IRA (Irish Republican Army) instead of the ICA (Irish Catholic Army)? Do you honestly believe that the conflict over there is religious in nature, and not a struggle over Irish independence?

I guess the American Revolution was a religious war! Man, those history professors are going to be surprised!

(I'm not even going to start on the Crusades - you'll need to take a high school history class before we straighten out your misconceptions over that.)

Here is a link. Educate yourself!

Answer 5

What am I doing to further God's work? I am trying to make good choices. I pray for those who are hurting and for peace and for my family. I tithe to my church. I read scripture to my children every night. I go work at a school , and though I don't teach about God, I try to instill morals like fairness, kindness, and honesty in my students. I go online and try to share what I know of scripture to people who are confused or hurting. I pray for the words and the wisdom of what to say and how to answer-because by myself, I know nothing, and can do little of lasting value without Christ. As for "Holy wars", I believe those people are misguided. They are putting their effort and energy into the wrong things. They may believe they are doing God's will, or may be caught up in what they were told. There are many other factors, nationalism, politics, etc. Sometimes I think, religious titles (Catholic vs. Protestant) may engender anger that has nothing to do with God.

Answer 6

Don't mix man's doings with God's doings. The Christian religion does not ask its believers to go out and kill in the name of God, like the Muslim religion does...there's a very big difference. You keep going back to the Crusaders, this again was a period of man''s ignorance in a century of the past whereas, the Islam of today still upholds the word of the Koran to kill the infidels in the name of Allah, again, there is a very big difference between the Crusaders of the distant past and the Muslims of today!!!

Answer 7

Good question.

In my humble opinion, one should never fight another over faith unless the other person is trying to destroy the first's faith.

Mankind today is always so meddlesome. The U.S. want to spread democracy while our OWN democracy is ****** up. The Muslim sects wish to spread Islam by force when the Qur'an teaches them the exact opposite.

The way I see it, EVERYONE should get right with THEMSELVES before trying to fix anything else. Also, the way I see it, the world got along fine LONG BEFORE any of us were born and the world will be fine LONG AFTER all of us pass. Enjoy this life and don't take it too seriously because it is NO WAY permanent...

Knowledge is Power; Power is Freedom; Freedom is Peace...

So may Peace be upon you...

Finally, above all, we should choose Peace, because one moment we're here...

Answer 8

Every culture has a killer in there somewhere. Any religion wants to believe they are working towards the ideal. The ideal Christian certainly doesn't kill people in the name of God, but sadly, it happens. It's happening now as someone that claims to be a Christian is sending people in to kill others in Iraq. (the President). That is murder, no matter how you look at it. It's still killing someone else. It is ending a life.

And people that killed "in the name of God" doesn't mean that God endorsed their work. A whole lot of crazy people say they are doing God's work, but does that mean God supports everything that has his name on it? No, he doesn't.

What am I doing to further God's work? I think you mean more along the lines of what are you doing to further the Kingdom of God. I woke up today. I thanked God for bringing another day to me and praised him for allowing me to have the air to breath. I went about my day doing the duties that I knew that I needed to get done. I prepared myself for my fast for Lent starting tomorrow so that I can prepare myself for Holy Week and Easter. I spoke to my mother who had a very rough night last night and I wanted to make sure she is okay.

You see, doing God's work doesn't have to be doing some miraclous event and going out to preach on the streets. We sometimes are stuck in a time that we have mundane things to do. I am with no job right now and I am waiting for applications to be approved in colleges I applied to. The best thing I can do to help with God's kingdom is to love everyone around me and treat them with God's love no matter WHAT they do to me.

Amanda

Answer 9

they belong to Christendom, not Christianity. there's a difference: Christians actually know God. Christendom is just associated with Christ.

some Catholics, mormons, some orthodox Christians, private interpreters, carnal (technically saved but living like sinners) people, people who pick and choose which commands to follow, and technically religions that acknowledge that Jesus was more than a man are all part of Christianity.

anyone who believes God, believes what Christ did for them, Believes that Christ is God, has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and has repented of their sins and lives Holy according to God's standards is Christian.

Answer 10

Can putting your faith above the lives of others get you anywhere? I think not. To spread happiness, I am living as good of a life as I can and am trying to help others live lives without regret.

Everyone knows about the evils of killing, but many do not believe it to apply to them personally. I have the right to judge who I will. If humans can't judge other humans, then who does have this right?