When Christians toss around the word "crusade", do they realize how offensive it is to many people?

Question

Chris: I'm not talking about using the word to actually discuss the crusades. I'm talking about "Join my crusade to________!"

Answer 1

Yes, and we don't really care. We can't change history. Not talking about something doesn't make it not true.

Btw, I am offended by this question, but do you care? Noooo.

Answer 2

Christians do allot of things which offend people, but as long as they're not burning for the rest of eternity they couldn't care less.

It makes me sick.

Maybe we should SHOW them how offended we are by them.

Answer 3

The Catholic church will never hear the end of it for all of their crusades.

Answer 4

When unbelievers use the name of our Savior as a curse word, do they realize how offensive it is to Christians?

Answer 5

us christians do a lot of offensive stuff and i don't know why i just want to live my life and then die and hopefully go to heaven i dont want to stop g*y people from being together i dont care if somebody has an abortion for all i care you could have a g*y abortion but thats just me so bring on the thumbs down and tell me about how as a christians i should get up in peoples faces and make an *** out of myself and yall should change up your game plan what your going to get in somebodies face who just had an abortion and tell them their going to h**l yes that will make them follow the light and if i thiught i was already going to h**l i would probably stab you in the jaw because whats the worst that could happen like you just said i'm going to h**l

Answer 6

Most of them simply don't care.  The militant fundamentalist ilk presents just as hateful and heinous regardless of which major religion they wear as a cloak for their filthy conformist agenda of lies.

Of course calling them "Christians" is like saying the two shooters at Columbine represented the entire senior class in terms of attitudes and outlooks.  The garbage generated does not accurately reflect the contents of any banquet.

Answer 7

YES, but it's the truth!

GOD BLESS!

Answer 8

Probably, but those people are considered heathen and they don't give a toss.  Go figure.  

Compassion goes out the window for non believers most times (not always) and especially with fundies.

take care,

Ape.

Answer 9

I'm not quite sure.  I'm personally not offended by it, but I can definately see why some people could be.  The Inquisition was a crusade that killed thousands.  The Crusades in general were crusades (duh) that killed probably millions.  The Holocaust was a crusade against Jewish people that killed millions.  And they were all based off of religion.

I don't think religion in general is a bad thing.  Just extremists views on it that bring about things such as crusades.

Answer 10

I don't think that Christians do toss the word around. Just because a word carries negative feelings from centuries ago does not mean we should not use the word.  Words change their meanings over the years and we have all had to get used to that.

Just because some people are offended by a particular usage of a word does not mean that the rest of us should pussyfoot around it.

These days, a Christian crusade usually means a series of meetings, often held in large marquees or halls where there are visiting preachers and much singing and Christian fellowship. All very nice, decent, gentle and far from offensive.

Crusades are not always connected with Christians so is there a reason why it is offensive when we use the word but not offensive when some other group or religion use it?

Answer 11

I don't toss that phrase around.

Are YOU aware that Mount Rushmore is a religious offense against Native Americans, and in fact, if you live in the USA, the very place where your home stands is an affront to Native Americans?

_________________

@Mary Shaw-- your claim is absurd, and historical statistics do not back you up.  Research "The Crusades in context" and you might be enlightened on the matter.

Answer 12

Christians have slaughtered many, many people in crusades and inquisitions.

If you compare it to todays world population you could say that Christians would have slaughtered about 150 million people.

Answer 13

You mean to Muslims and Jews.  This offence has only been taken in recent years, as people have started to connect the word with the historic crusades, and as a result, Christians are beginning to use other terms.  For many generations nobody took offence since there was obviously no connection between the historic crusades, and an "evangelistic crusade".  And I suspect that those who first brought out the offensiveness of the term were neither Muslims nor Jews, but rather disaffected Christians.

Answer 14

Why were you there ? Did you know someone there ?

  How about Soldier American history ?

I knew someone that was a child on the Trail of tear's ""

    Now that's offensive , what the whites did to a complete nation .

  Oh ya - Can we have our water and mineral rights back ?

Answer 15

huh...i rarely use that...actually i hear Muslim extremist use it more than i have heard Christians using it...besides...being offended is a personal choice...

Answer 16

Yes, I do.

However, Islam is not moral.

Wife beatings, acid burnings, honor killings; no birth or death certificates or even graves for women is offensive to me. And you?

All the best.

Answer 17

I'm a Christian. There are very few occasions in which I would use the word "crusade" to begin with. But there are secular crusades in my area (crusades for proper pre-natal care and so forth). I'm not an Evangelical Christian, so the word "crusade" just doesn't really come up much for me. But when the Billy Graham Crusade or something like that comes on, I don't automatically think of the historical Crusades. In fact, I never made that connection until you mentioned it here. The Crusades imply warfare. The average "crusade" (whether religious or secular) implies something different. At least the warfare is more of an abstract nature (in the crusade against breast cancer, one is warring against a deadly disease and is attempting to save lives, rather than actually going out and slaughtering people). A "crusade", by its own dictionary definition, is not necessarily tied in with the Crusades. The meaning is more like "campaign".

Answer 18

They do not care. Time for a return to the Church Militant perhaps?

Answer 19

I'm getting my statement from what i see on this site. on this site..non-believers toss that word about to try and prove that God is a cruel God. I've never used the word until now.

also, i had nothing to do with the crusades, so i don't really see the point of getting blamed for something i had nothing to do with.

that's like me putting all nonbelievers in the same boat as Nero--he murdered millions of Christians.

Answer 20

no, they fail completely to realize the blood associated with that word.

Answer 21

If those modern day f***y pack christians want a war let them bring it on

Answer 22

I'm sure they do..

However, people in today's world should grow a thicker skin... its just a word, like Jihad.

Answer 23

yeah universalizing every christian into one lump of offensive people is highly offensive.

****** is offensive too, but are people going to stop using it? no. Because people in general are stupid.

Answer 24

Are you referring to the European Christians defending Europe and their faith from Islam?  I suppose, instead of defending themselves, they should have just let the Muslims march and have Europe (that was their intention).

    

And if you think Christians were oppressive, you obviously have not lived in an Islamic country.  If a Muslim converts to Christianity, they are usually killed.

Answer 25

I'm not a Christian I'm an atheist - TALKING about Crusade is not offensive to anyone (unless your an idiot) but saying 'Oh yeah Crusade was a very good thing' now that is offensive because it caused loads of suffering and mortality.

Answer 26

Shouldn't it depend upon the context? For instance, one of the dictionary definitions of crusade is:

3.any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense or advancement of an idea, cause, etc.: a crusade against child abuse.

There are good crusades (such as those of Benny Hinn for instance in which many people around the world are healed and find the Lord) and there are bad crusades such as those in which Christians wrongly killed people in the past (and wrongly portrayed themselves as representing God in the process).

Answer 27

Gee the babies that were baptized just before being smashed against rocks so they could go straight to heaven didn't protest about it during the Spanish inquisition...

It's right there in the word "be ye like babes" babe...

Answer 28

Of course they do.  Xians do not care how their muderous history offends decent people--the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust.  

Answer 29

Do people know how petty that is?

Answer 30

Perhaps as offensive as "jihad" sounds to many? By the way I do not use that word for anything but as a historical term.