The topic of the crusades is one of the most frequent criticisms of the Christian faith. Today, Islamic terrorists claim that the terror attacks are revenge for what Christians did in the crusades.
In my opinion, I do not believe the crusades should ever be called the "Christian crusades." The majority of the “Crusaders” were not Christians, though many claimed to be. The Name of Jesus Christ was used but the message Jesus taught was not used. The Crusaders misused and abused the name of Christ, which shows in the historical actions of many of the crusaders.
The crusades should not be and are not relevant today. The crusades took place from approximately 1095 to 1230 A.D. That was almost 1000 years ago. The unbiblical and un-Christ-like conduct and actions of supposed believers 1000 years ago should still be held against Christians today? I think not!
Lastly, and not an adequate excuse, is that Christianity is not the only religion with a violent past. In reality and historically proven, the crusades were in response to Muslim invasions of what was once land occupied primarily by Christians and Jews.
Approximately 200 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, to approximately 900 A.D., the land of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, etc. was inhabited primarily by Christians and Jews. Once Islam began to spread and become powerful around 700 A.D., Muslims invaded these lands and brutally oppressed, enslaved, deported, and even murdered the Christians living in those lands. In response, the Roman Catholic Church and so-called "Christian" kings and emperors from Europe ordered the crusades to reclaim the land the Muslims had taken. The actions that many so-called Christians took in the crusades were still deplorable. There is no justification for conquering lands, murdering civilians, and destroying cities in the Name of Jesus Christ or for that matter, in the name of any god. Islam is not a religion that can speak from a position of innocence when it comes to crusade type actions.
In brief summary, the crusades were attempts by "Christians" for almost 200 years (10th through 12th centuries A.D.) to reclaim land in the Middle East that had been conquered by Muslims and Arabs. The crusades of that time were brutal and evil. In the Holy Lands (areas surrounding Israel) the Muslims and the Jews were destroyed by crusaders. Many of the people were forced to "convert" to Christianity. If they refused, they were put to death, much like the Islamic terror of today. This is blatantly unbiblical, which goes against all that Jesus taught. The idea of conquering a land through killing, rape, plunder, war and violence in the Name of Christ is completely unbiblical. The crusades may have been done by so-called Christians, but many of the actions that took place in the crusades were completely against everything the true Christian faith stands for. True Christians today would be the first to denounce the crusades as anything of Christ or affiliated with true Christianity.
Crusades in the name of Jesus Christ ended almost 1000 years ago. Crusades in the name of Allah, the god of Islam are still being perpetrated on the entire world today. Christianity saw the error of its ways and turned back to Jesus Christ and his teachings of love, peace, salvation, forgiveness, and mercy.
So as a follower of Jesus Christ, how can we respond to those who attack Christianity using the historical crusades against us?
Ask them the following:
Should all be held accountable for the actions of any group of people who lived almost 1000 years ago?
Should all be held accountable for the words and actions of others who claims to represent and believe in the same faith you hold?
