Why did Muhammeds teachings require an army to expand when that of Christianity did not?

Question

Vic, I will ignore your insult concerning my literacy, since you know not to whom you speak. This seems an apt response on a very basic emotional level. Yet the fact remains that your citations of Biblical scripture are woefully out of the context of the New Testament: the source of Christianity.

I will also add, or should I say Ad NAUSEUM, That the Crusades were a response to the taking of Jerusalem, and all roads leading to it, by the expansion of militant Islam, and Islamic powers refusal to allow Christian Pilgramage across their lands.
It is OUR Holy Land as well. Long before Muhammed.
I am NOT in comparisitional opposition here , nor am I attempting to state untuths.
I am merely stating valid points that require addressing if ANY type of froward hope exists.

Momma says I talk real fancy sometimes...the response to my secondary posts is deafening.....

Answer 1

That says it all doesn't it?

Answer 2

prophet muhammed ( peace be upon him) was the best of man kind , his teachiungs didn't require any army , and thw awrs in his life was of self of defence , and it was usually the last resort.

and plz read the history of both islam and christianity and u wil see the difference , for example:

When `Umar entered Jerusalem at the head of a Muslim army in 638 CE, just six years after the Prophet's death, he entered the city on foot, as a gesture of humility in a city sacred to Muslims, Christians, and Jews. There was no bloodshed. There were no massacres or forced conversions.

On the contrary, those who wanted to leave were allowed to do so with all their possessions. Those who wanted to stay were granted protection for their lives, their property, and their places of worship. `Umar very famously declined to pray one of the five daily prayers in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, lest in years to come Muslims might try to turn it into a mosque in his memory. Instead, `Umar cleansed the so-called Temple Mount with rose water and built a small mosque there, where the Dome of the Rock now stands.

All of this is in marked contrast to what happened when the Crusader armies later took Jerusalem. Seventy thousand men, women and children were slaughtered. Any remaining Muslims and Jews were driven out. When the city was recaptured by Salah Ad-Din (Saladin), the Christian inhabitants were granted protection and were escorted to safety by the Muslim army. But those who have a different aim would have us believe that it is Islam that is cruel.

When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) finally entered Makkah at the head of a Muslim army in AH 8, he did so not to force the Makkans to convert, but because they had violated their peace treaty with the Muslims. The Prophet entered with great humility, ordering that there should be no fighting or bloodshed. Instead, he forgave all those who had opposed him and the growth of Islam for so many years. Those who wanted to leave were allowed to do so. The whole city, so impressed by the men they had fought against for so long, converted to Islam.

Another great example that many deliberately choose to ignore is that of the Muslim presence in southern Spain for nearly eight centuries. Described as Islam's Golden Age, this was a time when the Islamic civilization flourished. It was centuries ahead of northern Europe in the way arts and sciences were encouraged and in the way cities and towns were advanced well beyond anything in Germany, France, or England at the same time.

During this Golden Age, the rights of Christians and Jews were respected and honored, and many of them rose to high positions at court. When the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella reconquered southern Spain, Muslims and Jews were either forced to convert to Christianity or were put to death. Mosques and synagogues were desecrated and destroyed. The excesses of the Spanish Inquisition had begun.

Answer 3

Actually Christianity did employ several military endeavors during the Middle Ages to push their teachings on the world. Ever hear of the crusades?

That being said, I definitely don't think Christianity is wrong and I don't think sharing Christianity with others is wrong.

I do however think that no one can force someone to change their beliefs, through violence or by any other means. You may be able to force them to claim their beliefs have changed, but you can not force the change of the beliefs themselves, nor should you try.

Answer 4

Because Christ is about love and mercy and islam is not.

Now, people may point out that Christians have at times resorted to violence wrongly, including the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. But the comparison is not completely apt. First, Christ Himself never advocated forced conversion and slaughter of unbelievers. Muhammad not only advocated it, but personally cooperated in it. Second, in the case of the Crusades we should be careful not to buy all of the anti-Catholic propaganda being sold. Do you know why Christians fought the Crusades? Because Muslims first forcefully took over Christian lands and persecuted the Christians living there, and controlled Christian holy sites. It is true that some Crusaders did some despicable things in a spiteful, vengeful way. But the Church herself never condoned, let alone ordered, these excesses. And as for the Inquisition, if it was as bad as some anti-Catholics claim, it is odd that there are records of people requesting transfers of their cases to the Inquisition from the secular Spanish courts. No doubt, some horrid things occurred, but it is more accurately understood as the unfortunate result of the weaknesses and sin of individuals, not the official teaching of the Church.

Additionally, the Inquisition never asserted authority at all over non-Christians, unless they were pretending to be Christians. The Inquisition was aimed at eliminating heresy within the Church, not at the conversion of non-Christians. Conversely, Islam has taught and practiced slaughter and forced conversion of non-Muslims from the beginning. It is not the case of an isolated historical event or period here or there. Even now, we have Muslim "mullahs" and "imams" (highest level religious authorities) who emphatically agree that suicide bombers are martyrs for the faith of Islam; entitled to 72 virgins and all; basing it all on the Q'ran and the traditions related to it. After 9-11, supposedly “moderate” Muslim countries filled their streets shouting with joy when the twin towers fell in New York city. Again, while this is not at all to suggest that all Muslims felt this way, there has been a disturbing lack of significant protest, forthright rejection and real action from the world-wide Muslim community to this atrocity and other more current ones. Considering the violent beginnings and spread of Islam, one may hard pressed to discount the current violence as an "aberration" or perversion of Islam. A reasonable argument may be made of just the opposite, it would seem that those Muslims who support religious freedom and tolerance today are at odds with their own prophet, holy book and history. We all ought to pray that Muslims one day reject the violent essence and genesis of their faith and make it truly peaceful. Even more, we ought to pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, that they come to accept Christ, Who is true peace.

It may also be worthwhile to discuss the nature of Mohammad's revelation (Koran). As even Muslims seem to generally acknowledge, Muhammad himself believed that these "revelations" were coming from the Devil in the beginning. It was only after being persuaded by his wife, Khadija, that he came to finally believe God was speaking to him through the Archangel Gabriel. Christians and Jews would be hard-pressed to think of anyone who wrote Old Testament or New Testament scripture who couldn't tell whether it was God or the devil talking to him.

Answer 5

Muslims were oppressed and nearly annihilated, Christianity suffered the same, except it WAS eradicated, and the neo-Pagan religion known as Christianity came to birth in 70 AD.

Answer 6

christianity was spread by war ever heard of the crusades what was that about . and if you think that you havent read islamic history. cuz even the pope apologized for saying that cuz he knows its not true.

Answer 7

Could it be that Islam teaches death to the unbeliever and Christianity teaches to love one another?

Answer 8

? Christianity is historically the most violent religion ever created. 20-30 million dead.

Answer 9

It is based on Join or die.
Join us or we will kill you.

Answer 10

you can have Jerusalem dude ...