When Religions Collide

History is so often written when religions collide. Different faiths and the intolerance of others to conform to the practice of a certain faith has erupted into violent bloody conflicts all through-out history. It can be said that the Crusades started not because of a culture clash between Christianity and the Muslim faith but, because of the thirst for more power, influence, control and wealth of the Catholic Church and by the nations of the Islamic faith. We have to remember that when two religions each so important to the cultures and way of life of nations clash it is because one leader or another seeks more power, control, and wealth. It is this thirst for power that has instantly created a hotbed of hate which has ignited most of the major wars through-out history. Take for instance, more recently, what happened in Ireland when the Catholics and the Protestants religions ignited a total civil war. Violent assaults continued to escalate in Ireland for years before a peace agreement was reached with the Belfast “Good Friday” Agreement of 1998.

Religion, like politics even though today in the United States church and state are supposed to be separate but undoubtedly they are so much intertwined that there is no escaping the fact that one has influence on the other. When we take a close look at all the terrorists attacks that have set the world on fire because of a faith where a leader is seeking more control, power, and wealth from others we should trace back in history to find the root cause. And, from that hopefully find an applicable end to all the carnage that has only continued to escalate today between the Islamic religion and Christianity.

To step back in time and retrace the steps of the Catholic Church in 1090 which was what many historians signal as definitive moment in history that today has manifested into the global terror network we are seeing with the Islamic Extremists. This is when Pope Urban II was gradually losing influence over the rulers of Europe especially Henry VII. Let’s not rule out the fact that the Islamic religion where the Muslims were just as thirsty to quench their own thirst for more power, control, and wealth were poised to invade Constantinople. Here we have two distinct entirely different cultures and their own religious beliefs and yet a common denominator of each seeking more power, control, and wealth from the other by any means necessary.

In 1095 Pope, Urban II saw an opportunity to regain more power and authority for himself when the Greek orthodox church in Constantinople implored the Pope to come to their aid. Constantinople at the time was on the verge of being overtaken by the advancing Muslim army. As a result Alexius, the head of the eastern church (the Byzantine Empire) asked for and got military aid from the Pope. It was the Pope in seizing the moment to act to gain more power and influence by soliciting all to come to join forces in a spiritual war against the Muslims. When the Pope offered all those who would join redemption of sins and guaranteed salvation was a major influence for thousands to fight the Islamic nations. When he decreed “as Christ’s heralds come to aid those Christians and destroy that vile race those infidels from the lands of our friends, Christ commands it” was a focal point that triggered one of history’s most horrific acts of mayhem and bloodshed upon another religious faith and culture. It is said that the term infidel can be traced back to this period in history. Both religions used the term infidel believing that each religion had its own ideology that theirs was the one true religion and all others who did not practice it were considered an infidel, a non-believer. The end result was death and destruction for both Muslims and Christians. The mass carnage when the First Crusade took control of Jerusalem was a testament to the willful disregard for life.