In reading chapters 8-10, I found the portion written on expansion via crusade or "holy war" to be most interesting, or "eye opening," to be more accurate. As a young child in Catholic school we read stories of the bravery and valor of the crusaders, hearing stories of the likes of Joan of Arc, who fought bravely and courageously in the face of danger in the name of the Lord.
Now of course, the stories read to those in elementary school are often sugar-coated and watered down in order to protect young, innocent minds; however, I unfortunately can't help but see parallels in the "holy wars" of the past and those that wage "holy war" in the name of whomever (God, Allah, etc.) today. Our book states, "In European thinking and practice, the Crusades were was undertaken at God's command and authorized by the pope as the Vicar of Chris on earth. They required participants to swear a vow and in return offered an indulgence, which removed penalties for any confessed sins, as well as various material debts. Any number of political, economic, and social motives underlay the Crusades, but at their core they were religious wars" (Strayer, 286). Clearly, the idea of "trading" or "selling" indulgences to those who are willing to fight for God is immoral and not Christian. To essentially say, "If you come fight or us it doesn't matter what you've done or did, you'll be saved a seat in Heaven" is pretty ridiculous. After reading and taking notes on Chapter 10 it made me think long and hard about if these crusades were going on today - what would we say? Who would be the bad guys? What would be reported on the news?
All interesting food for thought...
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