In discussing the Crusades and the conquistadors with some people today, I realized one thing. If you're going to blame the Catholic Church for either of these, then you must blame the Protestants as well. Firstly, there were no Protestants during the Crusades. Everyone was Christian, and all of the same faith. Secondly, Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1942, and the first conquistadors arrived in the New World in 1512. These are all before Luther's 95 Theses were "nailed" to the Castle Church in Wittenburg in 1517. So it seems that everyone was Catholic at that time too. Hence, you can't just blame the Catholic Church. These actions were the responsibilities of all Christians. So why not blame the Christians?
Here's why. When looking at the Crusades, you really have to look at what happened. And being as that I can't explain it as well as others, here is an article by Crusade Historian, Thomas Madden. Read it; you might just learn something. And when looking at the conquistadors, it must be noted that at least 9 million Aztecs were converted by the Catholic Church ending their mass human sacrifices. The disease that was brought over by the Europeans was not a planned attack on the native population. And Queen Isabel, Prince Ferdinand, and the Pope all condemned the unjust actions of the conquistadors (just as was done during the Crusades by the Popes). None of these show that the Catholic Church is to blame for the situation of death in the New World. Heck, Queen Isabel's beatification and canonization are being pushed forth, being thatshe was the Converter of the Americas.
If you just can't simply believe that I'm defending the Catholic Church in these events, first think about whether or not you're Protestant. If you are, then you are culpable to your own attacks. Secondly, regardless if you're Protestant or not, read up on the topic. And don't just get your information from books like Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Remember that figures such as St. Louis the King and St. Bernard of Clairvaux existed during the Crusades, and that Columbus opened the other half of the world up to international commerce and trade. Read real history books where historians try there darndest to be unbiased. Look at history objectively, not through the eyes of Hollywood.
St. Louis the King, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Christopher Columbus, and Queen Isabel...pray for us
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment