Wednesday, September 08, 2010

GKChesterton on The Crusades

Snatched from Badger with no apology, we have Chesterton on the Crusades and Islam:

Yet there are some who cannot see what the Crusaders were fighting for; and some even who talk as if Christianity had never been anything but a form of what they called Hebraism coming in with the decay of Hellenism [Matthew Arnold]. Those people must certainly be very much puzzled by the war between the Crescent and the Cross. If Christianity had never been anything but a simple morality sweeping away polytheism, there is no reason why Christendom should not have been swept into Islam. The truth is that Islam itself was a barbaric reaction against that very humane complexity that is really a Christian character; that idea of balance in the deity, as of balance in the family, that makes that creed a sort of sanity, and that sanity the soul of civilization.

Indeed--it is the monotony of the distorted monotheism espoused by Islam that caused Belloc to define Islam as a Great Heresy.

Badger has some thoughts on what SHOULD be burned at that post.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That Chesterton quotation perhaps is put in the proper context, along with our current state of affairs between Christianity and Islam, with this source. Fairly balanced. I wish I could say the same about your "history lessons".


www.catholiceducation.org/articles/civilization/cc0112.html

Dad29 said...

And your point is?

Schall's essay is dead-on, e.g.:

Belloc is quite clear that the Crusades were a defensive effort, a response to centuries of Islamic conquests at the expense of Christian lands and peoples.

Gee. Sounds familiar, just like the history I posted.

The subsequent rise of the Ottoman Turks and their incursions into Europe are of interest to Belloc as a witness to the perennial nature of Islam to continue on what it calls its mission to conquer the world for Mohammed.

He's not alone in that observation, either.

Badger Catholic said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Badger Catholic said...

I found Jeff Cavins take on Islam insightful(I don't remember his source). As Ishmael viewed Abraham as his Master, so does Islam view God as a type of slave driver. And as Issac viewed Abraham as a Father, so do the Judeo-Christians view God as one who punishes only as a father corrects a child.

Unknown said...

I am a middle school teacher in NC and came across your site while researching the Crusades for my history class this year. I just wanted to thank you for the great information and articles.

We would love it if you could write a couple articles for us, link to us to help us spread trusted resources to other teachers, or even if Tweet or "Like Us" on Facebook. Anything is much appreciated in our quest to spread trusted resources.

http://www.thefreeresource.com/the-crusades-1095-1798-timeline-history-facts-and-resources

Thanks and keep the great resources coming

Bre Matthews

Dad29 said...

Middle and high-school is where ALL the action is, and you are to be commended for reaching beyond the usual sources for information.

But if you're interested in actual SCHOLARSHIP on such matters, get in touch with "Grim" of Grim's Hall. http://grimbeorn.blogspot.com/

Great medievalist, terrific military historian, knows from the Middle East (he was there for quite some time).

And, to boot, he's a gentleman! (Not my forte..)