Why do many Christians believe its ok to murder?

Question

I learned in one of my University history classes that the first cruisade was in 1096. During the cruisades, the pope ordered the army and jesuit priests to kill people who are not christian and who will not convert. One of the commandments is: Thou shalt not murder. It is the belief of most people that these church leaders are bible experts. So why do they think its ok to murder? Killing someone for being another religion is murder. I see many similar situations today where political leaders who tell everyone all the time that they are Christians believe its ok to go to another country and kill innocent people if the project is something that will make money.

Answer 1

I can not answer for these people. One of the people you refer to is dead, and the other political people I have no affliation to.

A couple of things to consider...

A) Do people ever act contrary to their stated philsophical, political, or religious views?  If so, then someone claiming to being christian and acting contrary to its teachings should not surprise you.  You should look at what the religion actually teachs.  

B) There is a concept called the "just war docturine" -- most would agree that going into a country and killing innocent lives to make money is the opposite of a just war. However, you may need to talk with these politicians to see if they feel that the just war docturine applies in the specific instances you vaguely referred to.  It is possible that they truly believe that the just war docturine applied in that situation.  -- Even if you and I disagree with them.  

As for the crusades.. they were hundreds of years ago.  A lot has changed since then. The Catholic church still teachs the same core docturine, but how it implements those teachings has changed.

We have to be careful applying the values of today, our ideas of justice etc. to events of the past.

Back then, the Just War Docturine was much less developed then it is now.

Muslims moved into and attacked Christians.. Christians then moved in to expel them. This was the concept of a just war back then.

The Pope never condoned crusaders killing innocent lives.  He simply sanctioned the raising of an army to take back the holy land.

It is easy for us to point fingers NOW, especially since he is dead. .... right?

C) Lastly, we have the most OBVIOUS conclusion.  That is if their actions are contrary to their professed belief then they don't truly believe what they profess.  That is to say.. "They are lousy christians or possibly NOT christians at all"   Anyone can call themselves christian.  There is no formal registry for ALL christians. In many churches there isn't even any real process or ritual you have to go thru.  You simply profess that you are christian and many churches will accept your word.  Therefore, in the real world.. anyone can say they are.

Many people claim they are simply because their parents were christian..so they feel that makes them one to.

These types of christians act more like secular atheists in their actions then anything else.

I am just answering the implied question of how someone could call themselves Christian and kill innocent people.

Answer 2

Most politicians even today say they are christian, and at the same time they give orders to their citizens and armies to go places and kill people, even when its not self defense, but to make money. And some of these people who die are innocent, which is murder according to the bible. Some people say - well that is just part of war. If thats true then these people who give the orders to kill will spend eternity in h**l. I feel it is wrong spiritually to force people to pay money in taxes to fund these projects since I dont believe in murder or killing people. But I have to pay or they will put me in jail. Something is very wrong.

Answer 3

First of all, you're clumping all Christians together into the Catholic group, which isn't quite right. Don't ask me why the pope killed the non-converts. There are many different 'kinds' of Christians, some believe that Jesus was the Son of God, others try to ignore the New Testament.

But to answer your question, I don't know any Christians who believe in murder... Maybe the Pope thought killing those people was okay, I don't know much about the Crusades. We can't really speak for him, because he's not alive.

Answer 4

Well, you fail to see the reasoning that went into the Crusades. And this is happening again right now. The Muslims tried to take over Europe, as they are doing now. In case you don't know.

Muslim immigrants are the so-called peaceful side of Islam, they immigrate to other countries, set up communities and then attempt to change the laws to suit their religious beliefs. This is happening right now as it is did in the past.

It is not OK to murder but causes are worth fighting for, if the person believes that the danger is to their own way of life.

Answer 5

The Crusades were bad. We don't think they were okay. The people who did that were not TRUE Christians.

Answer 6

Right. Christians who think murder is ok are not true Christians. I am a minister and I notice that most of these people

did not read the question or are biased.

-It says "many" not "all"

-If you pay taxes or support most dem. and rep. leaders including Bush, you support wars that kill innocent people - murder.

-If you know people who support leaders who control wars where innocent people die, you know Christians who support murder.

-If your not Catholic, but you pay taxes or know people who support politicians who control wars, you support murder.

-This question is not just about what "many" Christians did in years past but what "many" and the majority of americans are also doing now. Christian is the largest religious group in the US and more than half of the US has been in support of wars. Read the question. Most people seem too confused to even answer the question honestly, which is sad.

Answer 7

Your university history class teaches events, but does not teach context. Typical scholastic shortsightedness.

The Crusades took place because the Roman Catholic Church translated the Bible into Latin, locked it up behind gates and said, "Thus and thus is what God says." From this we got inquisitions, crusades, indulgences and the like.

When the reformation translated the Bible into German and English, the average person could stand up to the evil popery and say "No!" for the Bible says thus and thus. Then the killing and fleecing soon stopped.

Reference the book "How Should We Then Live?" for a much better history lesson.

Answer 8

It's pretty easy and safe to point the finger at the pope from over 900 years ago and say "shame on you" now it isn't it? With that in mind, I'm not defending his actions or decisions, mostly because I don't think it's necessary but the Church isn't perfect; there were dark times that we're not proud of. Not to mention the fact that you're judging those crusades based on the very biased and twisted reality those books and professors want you to believe in order to kick the Church as much as possible. But I digress... my point is that I don't think you have the knowledge and subsequent authority to say that the pope at the time was out of line.  

Answer 9

The Crusades were lead by the pope who is Catholic. I'm not Catholic..

You said why do Christians think it's ok to murder ? Catholics are not Christians...Hope this helped..God bless you !

Answer 10

the Christians of today cannot answer why the Christians of 1069 did what they did, nor should we be hated for it or held accountable for it. And if you KNOW Christians who believe its ok to go to another country and kill innocent people then you need to meet some real Christians.

Answer 11

you are right it is always the people that are in power that send ordainary people to war as you say to murder but by saying do this in gods name is completely wrong but you should always defend or go on the offensive to save what you believe in GOD IS THE ONLY JUDGE IF YOU BELIEVE