And God Commanded
by
David Pekrul
copyright 03-08-2006
Age Rating: 10 to 127
…..and he walked into the crowd and started shooting,
saying that God had commanded him to do it.
..…and they are told that we are unbelievers and must die,
for God has commanded it.
But God has commanded…..
that we love Him with our whole heart, soul and mind,
that we love our neighbour as ourselves,
that we love our enemies,
and do good to them who do us wrong,
to forgive one another,
and to be our brother’s keeper.
He said that if someone sins against us,
we are to forgive them seventy times over,
and that vengeance belongs to Him alone.
He said that love is patient and kind,
is not jealous, boastful, proud or rude,
it does not demand its own way and is not irritable,
nor does it keep records of being wronged,
it does not rejoice in injustice, but in truth,
it never gives up, never loses faith,
and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
and we know that God is love,
He not only displays His love,
But He IS Love.
…..yet they say, “God told me to do it.”,
but what god are they listening to?
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I know I have gotten myself in over my head with this one. I am not an historian, therefore I appreciate, all the more, Gregory's comments and teaching. I must confess that I don't know all that much about the Crusades, and his comments have taught me a lot.
But even reading his explanation, it still appears to me that the Crusades were more political than Christian. Or maybe they were more religious than Christian. You may see where I'm going with this, but I do not believe that true Christianity is a religion in the strict sense of the word. Jesus came to earth to fulfill a purpose, which was to bridge the gap between man and God, a gap which was brought about by sin. He did not come to form a religion, but only to bring mankind into a right relationship with God. I believe He is "God come in the flesh", and He is the only way to God The Father and eternal life.
The Crusades seems to be a defending of one religion that was being put in jeopardy by another. I wonder what Jesus would have said about all that?
Hello David: yes, certainly a lot of evil was committed in the name of God, but there was also much good. Putting things in perspective of human history and interaction, we can take most of the blame. You've presented a most compelling issue and one of great controversy. Although there have been volumes written about the Crusades, we must put the matter in perspective of history.
Today's inclination is to say the Crusades was the product of Christian aggression. Not so. Pope Urban II officially declared the First Crusade on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 1095 with the goal of liberating the Holy Land, formerly held by Christians. Urban's declaration was not an aggressive venture by the Europeans, but rather a defensive move to counter the blatant aggression by Islam upon Christian lands and their faith. After the death of Mohammad, Arab armies began successfully invading other nations. Muslim jurists in order to sanction and justify their conquests instituted the concept of jihad, or holy struggle. The objective of jihad was to conquer the rest of the non-Muslim world, "so that the world would reflect the divine unity [of God]."
Clearly, Muslim aggression acted as a catalyst to Urban's declaration. Christians were called "People of the Book," and were restricted by prohibitive taxes and laws and many forced to convert to Islam. To Urban, the lands of the Middle East and their people were the property of the Church, to be defended from the Muslims, "Deus hoc vult!" Therefore, because of Muslim aggression and persecution, the Crusades were a defensive measure to counter Eastern conquests and religious expansion. The West has nothing to apologize for. Granted, there were atrocities committed on both sides, but as I said, that is our human nature. We must put it everything into perspective.
This is a fascinating topic especially in today's climate of jihad and Muslim fanatics rampaging all over the world. Thanks for introducing this topic, a real subject for intense debate!
Gregory
It is certainly true that in the Old Testament God set out many commandments for His people as they were travelling back from Egypt to Canaan. He was very strict in how people were to treat each other, and if someone purposely injured or killed someone, they were dealt with severely. But on the other hand, the people in those times also speak of the great mercy and patience of God. (and believe me, the way the people acted towards God after He showed them so many miracles, He had to be really patient. I think you and I would have just gotten rid of them)
Yes, Jesus was a bit of a rebel and although He preached and displayed love, He was not happy with the way the money-lenders had desecrated the temple, so he ran them off the property. In the Old Testament, God would probably have killed them for the same thing, for He always warned them not to get too close to the Tabernacle in the wilderness (except for the appointed priests) or they would die. I think God's presence was just too overwhelming for us mere humans to handle.
When Jesus was arrested in the garden, Peter drew his sword and cut off one of the soldier's ears. Jesus rebuked him for that, healed the soldiers ear, and reprimanded Peter by saying those who live by the sword would die by the sword.
The Crusades are definitely a black spot on church history, but keep in mind, just because something is done in God's name, does not mean that He condones it. I think the Crusades were more politically motivated (as the troubles in Ireland) than religiously motivated. I also don't believe that those in the Crusade were real Christians and I don't for one second believe that God condoned their actions.
If I remember the bible, this is going back a lot of years,,lol.
I thought that God was also portrayed as a vengeful being. Eye for an eye and so on.
Didn't Jesus start a riot with the money lenders?
Also told his followers to arm themselves in the garden.
What about warrior priests, cross in one hand and a sword in the other, they also claimed God on their side.
Or is my memory adrift?
Welcome !
