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The Catechism doesn’t seem to particularly mention the Crusades, even though the Crusades have been associated with the history of Christianity. Why not?
In answering the question, one should perhaps focus on the purpose of the Catechism. Its purpose is to discuss the teachings of Jesus and what’s written in the New Testament as it pertains to how people should live in Christ. The Catechism doesn’t attempt to justify the Crusades directly, even though the original intent of the Crusades was to protect Christians in the face of the Muslim onslaught in the prior millennium.
In a sense, a related set of passages in the Bible would be part of the advice Jesus says to his followers in John 16:1-4, after making his followers aware in John 15 of different peoples who will hate them in a manner that includes extreme prejudice, “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.” Given that Christianity worships the same God as the Jews, it isn’t a stretch to apply what Jesus says to his followers, to Christians who are threatened by others because of the way they worship.
So, one should also focus on the Christian Crusades themselves, as a clue as to why the Catechism doesn’t seem to mention the Crusades by name. Some believe the Christian Crusades were a cold-blooded campaign against those who aren’t Christians. But there is strong support in favor of the Christian Crusades being a defensive undertaking. In fact, the Christian Crusades began when Christians in the Holyland were militarily threatened by the Muslims. In this regard, it is the fulfillment of what it is written in Part III, Section Two, Chapter Two, Article 5- The Fifth Commandment, 2309 of the Catechism which discusses the conditions for legitimate defense by military force against others.
The Fifth Commandment is God’s Commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” Section 2309 justifies killing when it is a matter of self-defense. It’s interesting that Jesus in John 16:1-4 doesn’t tell his followers what to do if they’re under attack, but 1 Timothy 5:8 makes accountable anyone who doesn’t look after their household. And in that regard, the household doesn’t just include people under the roof of your house, it can apply to your community, your city, up to a whole nation you may be in charge to look after. To the extent the Crusades protected Christians under attack, it seems they’ve fulfilled Section 2309.
Some may assert that those Crusades killed others in cold blood, including Jews and others who did not attack Christians. But the word is there were renegades, for lack of a better word, amongst the Crusaders, who murdered and pilfered for their own gain. Some argue it’s the same as in World War II in which certain groups of soldiers of the Allied Forces went off by themselves unauthorized and killed and robbed civilians where they were. There will always be some bad apples in every barrel, and instances of self-seekers disguised as being part of a righteous cause, the wolf in sheep’s clothing in the room.
But it seems the Catechism was not meant to glorify specific actions taken in fulfillment of our faith in God through Christ. I guess that if it did, it would take away from the primary focus of the things we should know that would instruct us in fulfillment of our faith. If it brought up the Crusades, it would be discussing what man does instead of what God wants, possibly falling into the trap mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 15:9 in which Jesus refers to Isaiah’s being critical of those who teach the doctrines of man rather than of God. God is the Catechism’s focus.
In answering the question, one should perhaps focus on the purpose of the Catechism. Its purpose is to discuss the teachings of Jesus and what’s written in the New Testament as it pertains to how people should live in Christ. The Catechism doesn’t attempt to justify the Crusades directly, even though the original intent of the Crusades was to protect Christians in the face of the Muslim onslaught in the prior millennium.
In a sense, a related set of passages in the Bible would be part of the advice Jesus says to his followers in John 16:1-4, after making his followers aware in John 15 of different peoples who will hate them in a manner that includes extreme prejudice, “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.” Given that Christianity worships the same God as the Jews, it isn’t a stretch to apply what Jesus says to his followers, to Christians who are threatened by others because of the way they worship.
So, one should also focus on the Christian Crusades themselves, as a clue as to why the Catechism doesn’t seem to mention the Crusades by name. Some believe the Christian Crusades were a cold-blooded campaign against those who aren’t Christians. But there is strong support in favor of the Christian Crusades being a defensive undertaking. In fact, the Christian Crusades began when Christians in the Holyland were militarily threatened by the Muslims. In this regard, it is the fulfillment of what it is written in Part III, Section Two, Chapter Two, Article 5- The Fifth Commandment, 2309 of the Catechism which discusses the conditions for legitimate defense by military force against others.
The Fifth Commandment is God’s Commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” Section 2309 justifies killing when it is a matter of self-defense. It’s interesting that Jesus in John 16:1-4 doesn’t tell his followers what to do if they’re under attack, but 1 Timothy 5:8 makes accountable anyone who doesn’t look after their household. And in that regard, the household doesn’t just include people under the roof of your house, it can apply to your community, your city, up to a whole nation you may be in charge to look after. To the extent the Crusades protected Christians under attack, it seems they’ve fulfilled Section 2309.
Some may assert that those Crusades killed others in cold blood, including Jews and others who did not attack Christians. But the word is there were renegades, for lack of a better word, amongst the Crusaders, who murdered and pilfered for their own gain. Some argue it’s the same as in World War II in which certain groups of soldiers of the Allied Forces went off by themselves unauthorized and killed and robbed civilians where they were. There will always be some bad apples in every barrel, and instances of self-seekers disguised as being part of a righteous cause, the wolf in sheep’s clothing in the room.
But it seems the Catechism was not meant to glorify specific actions taken in fulfillment of our faith in God through Christ. I guess that if it did, it would take away from the primary focus of the things we should know that would instruct us in fulfillment of our faith. If it brought up the Crusades, it would be discussing what man does instead of what God wants, possibly falling into the trap mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 15:9 in which Jesus refers to Isaiah’s being critical of those who teach the doctrines of man rather than of God. God is the Catechism’s focus.
