Man, this thread has gone way off track. I'd like to try and bring the topic back around to this issue of people/groups/organizations using their religious faith to do evil in the name of God and Christ or whatever religious deity they worship, specifically, the Crusades.
I know the history of this Christian religious saga, but I think some people are either still confused over it or are in denial about what truly happened and how the Crusades came to be.
First, I think people (Americans) really need to read the
Federalist Papers, No. 3-5 specifically, to understand why not only it is so dangerous for "individual" rulers (Kings/monarchs) to be allowed to go unchecked, it's also equally dangers for men of such prominent power and influence either individually or collectively to go unchecked. For such men have the ability to sway the judgment of the people to wage unjust wars.
With "justification" for war by a well-intended government defending the nation against aggression both foreign and domestic (w/the consent of a well-informed electorate), we have to truly look at the origins of the Crusades and see this event in history for what it was. To that, I found this video from the
History Channel that summarizes what the Crusades were really about, who started them and why.
Moment of truth: I can certainly understand why so many on the Right were upset about this alleged "comparison" to what ISIL is doing. There's certainly a fear that their ideology will spread and that their tyranny will become the norm if allowed to go unchecked. But if you truly understand how the Crusades began, then you understand that what took place then in the name of God and Christ is nearly identical to what ISIL is using as their justification for spreading their radical form of Islam.
I've always taken the position, "Seek first to understand and then to be understood." To that, I think this article from
Politicususa.com is very much on point when the author speaks of Christian "truth serum" from the religious Right. With that, I'll let folks read the aforementioned linked articles and draw their own conclusions as to whether or not our nation's leader was right in addressing this issue of atrocities committed in the name of one's religious faith no matter what the religion may be.