There were many reasons
the men had for going to war, and they were incredibly varied. The Pope’s
speech in the beginning of Book I pointed out a few of these reasons. He began by
detailing the gory persecutions that the Christians faced at the hands of the
Persians. Then he encouraged them to exhibit “manly courage” (81). He pointed
to the courage of their forefathers, and hoped that they would draw inspiration
and strength from their ancestors. On top of all of this, he appealed to the
men not to avoid war for the sake of their families. After all, Jesus did say “he
that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (81). Finally,
he appealed to their sense of ownership of the “land of milk and honey” (81). These
reasons, among many others, led men to fight and die. They were compelled to
crusade, and I think it is really important to look at the reasons why.
I commented on Jacob and Daniel's posts.
I commented on Jacob and Daniel's posts.
I believe that the Pope wanted to incite courage in the hearts of the men in order for them to fight and fight hard for their faith. You are right, the Pope had to appeal to these men so that they would be willing to die for this cause and not run from the fight. It is important to know why you fight for something, and know your own motivations.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of any great task, a call for glory and honor is always needed. Couple that with a plethora of other promises, such as salvation from hell, food and drink, the end of suffering, etc. and you have a very good premise for a call to action, whether just or no.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad though how all of this had to be settled through bloodshed. I wish there could have been a more peaceful way of settling these problems. If people could only accept the idea of respecting other peoples opinions and beliefs, there would be a lot less fighting in this world.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I was a fan of how much the Pope tried to appeal in the ways he did, mainly concerning the way he used Scripture. I know we should fight for God with every bit of our being, but knowing the history of the church isn't perfect, one has to question whether this is the true will of God for justice.
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with Ethan. Even though the Pope had to give a cry for honor and glory to the Crusaders, I don't think I agree with the Crusades as a whole. But, I can see where it was necessary to fight for your faith.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is sad that they claimed to be fighting for their faith, when they should have been sharing their faith with the people they were fighting. It is not wrong to kill in self-defense but they were not being obedient in sharing the gospel with the nations.
ReplyDelete