This blog is in response to the article found at the following address: http://www.firstprinciplesjournal.com/articles.aspx?article=1483 I am not about to reiterate what Mr. Crawford said in his article but instead I am giving a brief opinionated review about what he said.
Shortly after the attacks of September 11th in the 2001 former president Bill Clinton gave a speech at the University of Georgetown. Within this speech the former president made some rather ignorant remarks about the crusades.
“When the Christian soldiers took Jerusalem [1099], they…proceeded to kill every woman and child who was Muslim on the Temple Mount.” He went on by citing Raymond of Aguilers when describing the event. “Soldiers walking on the Temple Mount…with blood running up to their knees.” This tale, the former president went on to say, was “still being told today in the Middle East and we are still paying for it.”
One thing I would like to point out about this article is that many people in modern society look back at the crusades as an unholy stain in the history of the Catholic Church. I think that everyone can admit that mistakes were made at the hands of corrupted knights. There were huge massacres of innocent Muslims over the few hundred years of the crusades. There is no excuse to be made for these dreadful incidents. The popes would pardon soldiers of their sins if they promised to fight in the crusade but it definitely does not mean that they condoned the murder of innocent women and children.
Men are corrupted when greed comes into play. Dreadful mistakes were made when men in power wallowed in greed and decided to play Satan’s game instead of the good Lord’s. Obviously it has been admitted that these massacres happened but we also must look at other reasons beside greed. As was stated in Mr. Crawford’s article the Muslems were attacking Christian provinces for more than four hundred years before the first crusade was started by Pope Urban. Is retaliation in the form of massacring innocence a good Christian reaction to the four hundred years of Muslem persecution? I would have to say no, but before we condemn those Christian knights to the eternal fire it is good for us to hear the whole story.
One of the my favorite parts about Mr. Crawford’s article is the following statement. “As difficult as it may be for modern people to believe, the evidence strongly suggests that most crusaders were motivated by a desire to please God, expiate their sins, and put their lives at the service of their “neighbors,” understood in the Christian sense.” Aside from the few instances of greed and depravity, the crusaders had high ideals and were obviously motivated in serving the heavenly Father, and their earthly father the vicar of Christ.
It is hard for me to have the same nonchalant attitude towards Mr. Clinton as Paul Crawford does in his article. Instead I will only give you a slight notion of my distaste for the Clinton regime. Mr. Crawford’s article is very informative and a quick read. I ask that you read it and maybe you will find it as good as I did.
Discovering Reality 