They are called the "Albigensian Crusades" And they were wrong. I think that letting the cathars develop their own views would have benefited christian theology in the end. While many of their doctrines could've been rejected, some of their mistakes could have given us glimpses of the greater overarching truth of God.
But what's done is done, and for better or worse, here we are with a history full of mistakes and tragedies. That being said Crusades were not all bad, and I think we should have another one, but do it right this time.
Ryan Powell
A blessing and a curse to us middle eastern Christians. On one hand, the crusaders inflamed the already hostile Muslim Christian relations and we got caught in the middle. They also pushed Byzantium over the edge and persecuted Arab orthodox Christians in the holy land as if they were Muslim too. However, on the other hand, the French crusaders were pleasantly surprised to find the Maronites, fellow Catholics, who were the only people who greeted them welcomingly. The Maronites has been living in mountain valleys for centuries and had long awaited the arrival of catholic reinforcements. Up to 40,000 Maronites fought with the crusaders, many taking the role of crossbow archer. It was at this crossroads of history that the destiny of the Maronites truly began. From then on we had a consistent relationship with France, who saved us from the ottoman Turks and later created Lebanon, the only Christian-led middle eastern nation. Without Lebanon, Christianity in the Levant May have had a far different outcome. As a Maronite myself, the crusaders were a curse when it came to our relationship with Muslims and orthodox, but also a blessing that empowered us.
Hey, did u write this comment of your own accord? I'm asking because . Can a MOD confirm this please, I assume you can see deleted comments? Maybe the Islamo-Christian ecumenist MODS took offense with my wording ("removing muslims"/"freeing from muslims", whatever it was).
