Tag: crusades

Who are the true presenters of peace?

 Who are the true presenters of peace? Those who preach and conquer by violence? Or those who preach peace and love?
There are those who claim they are peaceful, yet they promote violence!
Christians were accused of embarking on the Crusades!

Islam and the Crusades Cover

The Christians explained that they were forced to embark on the Crusades in self-defense. They said they were pushed into a ‘life or death’ situation; there was nothing they could do to free themselves from the brutalities of the Jihad, so they had to fight back.

The Jihad

The Jihad started after 633 AD. Lands were conquered and the conquered people told they had to convert to the new religion. If they did not convert, they had to pay a protection levy so they could remain in their faith. However, they would not be allowed to proclaim openly their religious faith. Some could not pay the tax and so had to covert and accept the new religion imposed on them.

The warriors called their war(s) “The Jihad” — striving for God (which became popularized as Holy Wars); wars promoting God’s cause or religion.

Many died in the wars. Women and girls captured in the wars were forced to marry the conquerors and the sons of the conquerors. (The conquerors said they were doing the women a favor by marrying them as their husbands and men had died in the wars.)

Christians could not openly proclaim their faith anymore. Some churches were converted to accommodate the new faith and to serve as worship centers for the new faith. When the Christians could not bear the agony any longer, they cried to their leaders to do something about the situation. At first, the leaders would not respond.

Then the conquerors blocked the Mediterranean area, making trading activities difficult. When Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the Christian Holy Land, was also made difficult to Christians, the Christian leaders decided to respond.

It took 400 years for the Christians to respond. (The first Crusade was in the 11th Century, while the Jihad started earlier in the 7th century.)
The Christians responded to free themselves and their lands from the invaders who had caused much pain and sorrow to many families.  The invaders cried out and condemned the action of the Christians. They said it was wrong for the Christians to rise up and fight (though the Christians were actually defending themselves).

The Christians, too, (actually) went into excesses

Although the Christians went into excesses, those who started the hostilities (the Jihad) 400 years earlier should also have been told that they were wrong in starting their holy war. But that did not happen; rather the Christians who decided to defend themselves were accused of embarking on the war (to defend themselves).

The Crusades (and the Jihad) finally ended.  Both Muslims and Christians learned that war was not right.

(You may want to read, “Conquering Without  Being Violent.”)

Now another form of Jihad has emerged!!!

Suicide bombings, horrific killings, (decapitation of Christians, journalists and others), abductions, rape, etc., are being used to promote a cause.
Those who commit the atrocities say they are a peaceful and loving people. They assert that they are preaching a peace-loving deity, and that they are only proclaiming to the world how good it is to follow their ‘peaceful’ cause. They use violence because they want everyone to love and worship their compassionate deity!!!

Is this the world God intended?

The Bible presents a God of peace who sent the Prince of Peace (Jesus Christ) to preach love, forgiveness, peace and non-violence.

(Get a copy of “Persuasion Is Better Than Force”)

Peace-lovers preach a peaceful God, not a violent and killer deity!

Peace-lovers do not preach hate!

You destroy the cause you represent when you preach and practice violence! You destroy the testimony of your fellow believers who are peace-lovers and who preach peace!

Blessed are the Peacemakers… Part 2

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God,”(Matthew 5:9).

The CrossHolySpirit And The Crescent
The Peacemaker:  The CrossHolySpirit And                                             The Crescent

Jesus taught His followers to strive for peace always. Being the Prince of Peace, Jesus  abhorred violence.

Albert Einstein said, “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”

  • Attacking people rather emphasizes people’s perception that you are not a peacemaker.
  • People will see you as evil and your cause as inimical when you attack and kill their loved ones. They will hate you.
The Charlie Hebdo attack

On the morning of 7 January 2015, Islamist terrorists armed with assault rifles and other weapons forced their way into the offices of the French weekly, Charlie Hebdo, in Paris. They fired up to 50 shots, initially killing 11 people and injuring 11 others, shouting “Allahu Akbar” as they shot and killed.

Though the satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, was wrong in provoking Muslims, the Islamist terrorists, too, were wrong by attacking and killing.

The attack on Charlie Hebdo rather made the paper sell millions

Before then the paper had never sold in enormous quantities.  The paper had even closed down and reopened. The response by the Muslims won sympathies around the world for Charlie Hebdo; although Charlie Hebdo was wrong in caricaturing other people’s faith. The attack  failed to stop the Atheist weekly from mocking religions.

Across the world (particularly in Europe and Africa) Muslims reacted violently to express their anger. In Niger,  Muslims burned churches that had no relation with Charlie Hebdo, simply because they are Christian churches.

The BBC carried the reported attack on its website.

See the BBC report

Why did Muslims attack the Christian churches when an atheist newspaper mocked them?The Atheist Charlie Hebdo had caricatured Christians, Jews, and other religions; they too are victims just as the Muslims.

In France, people not related to Charlie Hebdo were taken hostage. Some  people even died in rescue attempts.

Muslims tell us that Islam is a religion of peace and that there is no compulsion in religion. Yet Islamist militants continue to attack and kill in the name of a peace-loving God. They slit the throats of people they have captured while reading the Qur’an and shouting praises to Allah.

Religion should be used to promote peace and love

We ought to portray the peaceful attributes of our religions. We should make people see our prophet or mission as good and not evil.  The attack on Charlie Hebdo, the killing of innocent people and the destruction of churches rather painted a negative picture of the religion the militants promote.

Jesus told His disciples not to compel people (Luke 10:5-12)
  • When a deity directs innocent people to be massacred…
  • When a deity instructs that children be abducted…
  • When a deity instructs that  women be kidnapped and forced to marry others…

That cannot be the way of Peace

  • The Islamist militants, Boko Haram, continue to devastate communities in Nigeria in God’s name…
  • In Pakistan, militants attack schools and kill innocent people in God’s name…
  • In Iraq, people are killed by suicide bombers, etc.,  in God’s name…

These mass killings are done by people who claim they promote a God of peace…

No religion or ideology can wipe out all other religions

  1. The Islamic Jihad (or Holy War), which started in the 7th century, could not wipe out Christianity and the other religions.
  2. The Crusades, coming 400 years later to stop Islam being forced on Christians, could also not wipe out Islam.
  3. Hitler tried to exterminate the Jews from the face of the world… and he failed.

Only the Almighty God has the power to wipe out all things that He does not want to exist.

Jesus, the Prince of Peace said,
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God,” (Matthew 5:9).

Read Rockeybell’s testimony