The Crusades

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Throughout its existence, religion has been a powerful historical force that has established conventions, promoted inter-people community, and served as a mediator to pull a person out of a crisis. It is thought that dozens of distinct religions have existed on Earth for thousands of years, dating back to polytheistic ancient mythology and continuing to today's monotheistic faiths. Through biblical teachings like the Ten Commandments, religion has acted as a basis for moral frameworks and legal systems. It has provided individuals and societies with a feeling of purpose by offering answers to life’s biggest questions, including how humans came to be, and the answer to which varies depending on the religion. Religious belief has served as a …show more content…
Religion can be viewed not only as a source of solace, as a reformer, and unifier playing a positive leading role in the life of mankind, but also as a powerful force of tyranny and division. From centuries ago to even today, religion served as the fabricator of injustice, the justification for oppression, and the motivation for hundreds of years worth of violence. One of the most well-known instances of religion’s adverse consequences is the Crusades, a series of eight religious conflicts waged by European Christians against those they believed to be the enemies of Christianity. Between 1096 and 1291, the Crusades were driven by religious passion, xenophobia, and brutality, as European Christians attempted to retake sacred regions and restore Christian domination through invasion, embodying the true meaning of religious extremism. To Islamic followers, the Crusaders were “immoral, bloody and savage,” targeting religious minorities, such as “Muslims, Jews, and other non-Christians,” simply because they were not Christians (“Crusades”). The Crusades were ultimately considered to be a Muslim win, yet it contributed to the strengthening of Christianity, increasing its wealth as well as the power of the …show more content…
The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, for instance, recently approved “‘the nation’s first religious charter school,’” a “Catholic public school in the state” that is “highly regulated and publicly funded” (French). The actions of the Oklahoma school board, as well as those of other politicians who are oblivious to the separation of church and state, not only infringe on one of America’s most important foundational principles but also reveal a flaw in American democracy, a democracy that lacks legitimacy due to its negligence in formulating policies in the best interest of all citizens. The violation of the separation of church and state is most demonstrated by Christian nationalism, or the implementation of legislation that reflects Christianity. With Christianity being the most common religion in the United States, it is no surprise that a majority of politicians identify as Christian, but it is not until their religion infringes on their political ideology that their religious affiliations pose a threat to American
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THE CRUSADES The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars that were started to gain control of the Holy Lands from the Turks and to allow Christian access to holy areas in and around Jerusalem. This is the main and most known reason that is known for starting the Crusades. It is universally accepted that Pope Urban II had called the Christians to join him in a Holy War as an act of Christianity. However, many attributes of the motivations of the Crusades were not characteristic…

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The First Crusade, led by Pope Urban II, was a successful battle resulting in new Christian allies, the expansion of the Holy Roman Empire, and possession of the sought-after Holy Land. The Crusades as a whole were a series of holy wars, used to either expand the Holy Roman Empire or to assist allies in battle. There were seven major crusades in addition to several minor ones, the timeline of these wars starting from 1096 to 1291. While the First Crusade was the most successful, the others were not…

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The crusades were a mindless and barbaric way for Christians to colonize more. The crusades were coined as an armed pilgrimage against the ungodly Muslims that have control over the Holy Land, but in reality it was a church political movement to gain more land and power. The western Christians, and the Muslims were greatly affected by sheer brutality of the Crusades. The crusades were considered nothing more than a zealous Christian colonizing venture because they forced their way into the Holy Land…

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