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you have ...good blackmailing material.

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But it will make them concentrate on trying to earn one, rather than asking for one.

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Dikiyoba wonders what gives people their sense of entitlement to a title in the first place.

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The First Crusade was indeed intended to reconquer lost territory, but that does not make it defensive. It involved attacking territories that were held by Muslims and were not attacking the West.

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The stated goal was not to protect people and ensure the safety of pilgrimages, as one might expect from a U.N. peacekeeping mission. This was an invasion, pure and simple.

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The Crusades, in theory, were a territorial grab, not an attempted genocide. They weren't trying to wipe out Jews and Muslims; they were just trying to get them out of the Holy Land.

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Have you ever heard of propaganda? Politics? The fact that something is explained as being defensive doesn't mean it is.

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And how the heck is a call to "destroy that vile race" defensive?

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Regardless, you have not addressed my point about the fact that an invasion is an offense, period.

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In Western Europe the idea of a holy war developed later and for different reasons.
So much has been written about this that there is no need to enter into detail.3 First, we
must remember that what we call a crusade was, especially during the first century or
so, a pilgrimage, and those who took part in it were pilgrims; it was a holy journey (iter,
passagium), not a holy war. It was regarded primarily as defensive, that is, armed escorts
were to protect pilgrims on their way to the sacred shrines of Christendom and were to
recover or defend the holy sites in Palestine. This defensive character differentiated it
from jiha¯d, as did the fact that it did not advocate the forceful imposition of Christianity
upon others. In subsequent centuries, admittedly, and for some participants it did take
on a more belligerent character.

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Then the pope said that in another part of the world Christianity was suffering from a state of affairs that was worse than the one just mentioned. He continued:

"Although, O sons of God, you have promised more firmly than ever to keep the peace among yourselves and to preserve the rights of the church, there remains still an important work for you to do. Freshly quickened by the divine correction, you must apply the strength of your righteousness to another matter which concerns you as well as God. For your brethren who live in the east are in urgent need of your help, and you must hasten to give them the aid which has often been promised them. For, as the most of you have heard, the Turks and Arabs have attacked them and have conquered the territory of Romania [the Greek empire] as far west as the shore of the Mediterranean and the Hellespont, which is called the Arm of St. George. They have occupied more and more of the lands of those Christians, and have overcome them in seven battles. They have killed and captured many, and have destroyed the churches and devastated the empire. If you permit them to continue thus for awhile with impurity, the faithful of God will be much more widely attacked by them. On this account I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ's heralds to publish this everywhere and to persuade all people of whatever rank, foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to destroy that vile race from the lands of our friends. I say this to those who are present, it meant also for those who are absent. Moreover, Christ commands it.

"All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested. O what a disgrace if such a despised and base race, which worships demons, should conquer a people which has the faith of omnipotent God and is made glorious with the name of Christ! With what reproaches will the Lord overwhelm us if you do not aid those who, with us, profess the Christian religion! Let those who have been accustomed unjustly to wage private warfare against the faithful now go against the infidels and end with victory this war which should have been begun long ago. Let those who for a long time, have been robbers, now become knights. Let those who have been fighting against their brothers and relatives now fight in a proper way against the barbarians. Let those who have been serving as mercenaries for small pay now obtain the eternal reward. Let those who have been wearing themselves out in both body and soul now work for a double honor. Behold! on this side will be the sorrowful and poor, on that, the rich; on this side, the enemies of the Lord, on that, his friends. Let those who go not put off the journey, but rent their lands and collect money for their expenses; and as soon as winter is over and spring comes, let hem eagerly set out on the way with God as their guide."

Source:

Bongars, Gesta Dei per Francos, 1, pp. 382 f., trans in Oliver J. Thatcher, and Edgar Holmes McNeal, eds., A Source Book for Medieval History, (New York: Scribners, 1905), 513-17

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Originally written by Startucker:
The church was destroyed in 1009, while the First Crusade was launched 86 years later. I don't think 86 years qualifies as "recently."
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This is opinion, I need a verifiable source to confirm your wildcat theories.

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In fact, the fact that I, someone without any qualifications whatsoever, can readily point out reasons for which our Jesuit friend's thesis is a crock probably suggests it isn't as sturdy as you might like.

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I don't really believe in citing sources, because you can use them to prove just about anything.

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...to say nothing of referring to one of the largest invasions in human history as a 'defensive war'.

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...so all posts have equal weight for now.

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