Crusade and Crusaders

The name Christian had become popular in Europe. Nearly everybody was recognized a Christian unless he disavowed it and claimed to be a Jew. The drowsy spell was broken by what some would term a fanatical outburst of fervor, which claimed that Christians should wage war on the Turks, Jews and others. The Crusades made their mark in history. Under the spirit of the time, thousands of the noblest of their day traveled hundreds of miles by land and sea to fight for the Cross against the Crescent. It was considered specially grievous that Jerusalem was under Moslem control, and thousands of lives and fortunes were spent in "Crusades to deliver the Holy Sepulchre from the Infidel Turk."

>From our present-day standpoint and clearer perception of things, people generally style the Crusades an outbreak of foolishness, wasted effort, manifest ignorance and bigotry. But perhaps Christians today have something equally foolish and irrational. The human mind will be active in some way. The folly of others is easier to recognize than our own.

Some day it will be owned that Christendom today is as foolish in some respects as in the days of the Crusaders. Do not the great kingdoms of earth style themselves divisions of Christendom (Christ's Kingdom)? Are they not building great Dreadnaughts that cost a fortune for every discharge of their cannons? Are they not drilling vast armies, and equipping them with costly implements of war? For what purpose? Either because they have evil designs upon the other so-called Christian nations, or that they distrust the others. How foolish this shall yet appear!

How much better it will be when the Word of God is fully accepted, and when its spirit of Justice and Love will govern the world! Then the wealth and energy wasted in Crusades, Dreadnaughts and armament will be used to the general betterment of the people. Only Messiah's Kingdom can restore man to God's image and make God's footstool glorious.