Santorum: Leftists who hate Christendom have given the Crusades a bad rap

[pampango]

Now that Rick Santorum has explained that the bad reputation of the Crusades is the result of a plot by leftists who hate Christendom, is he going to endorse the Inquisition next, and expose Voltaire as an undercover jihadist and proto-Marxist?

No doubt the Crusaders were, indeed, fighting for the “Judeo-Christian concept of the person,” and the massacre of Jews when the Crusaders took Jerusalem (and many other massacres and forced conversions of Jews by Crusdaders before and after that event) merely reflected an excess of Judeo-Christian zeal, or the fog of war, or something.

Yes, I know making fun of Santorum is too easy to be any real fun, and that he’s not going to be the Republican nominee. But his campaign remains as a monument to the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of the contemporary GOP. And you can bet your bottom dinar Mitt Romney won’t dare criticize Santorum’s praise of one of the most foolish and immoral movements in all of world history. What’s worse, no reporter will even dare ask Romney the question.

http://www.samefacts.com/2012/01/watching-conservatives/consistency-6/

You just can't make this stuff up.

From the Politico link in the story:

“The idea that the Crusades and the fight of Christendom against Islam is somehow an aggression on our part is absolutely anti-historical,” Santorum said in Spartanburg on Tuesday. “And that is what the perception is by the American left who hates Christendom.”

After asserting that Christianity had not shown any “aggression” to the Muslim world, the former Pennsylvania senator — who is considering a 2012 run for the White House — argued that American intervention in the Middle East helps promote “core American values.”'

[think]

1. And the MSM likes this POS

[LynneSin]

2. Dick Santorum shames Christianity

Clearly the guy has never read the gospel else he wouldn't be so filled with hatred like he is.

[hobbit709]

3. HISTORY gives the Crusades a bad rap.

[justiceischeap]

16. Elitist!

You're using book learnin' to debunk the point, that's elitist...

[karynnj]

4. His comments are incredibly stupid and show no understanding of religion or history

Your comments are excellent - especially as Santorum says so many completely idiotic things that it is impossible to know where to start.

As to Santorum, I respect more and more Teresa Heinz Kerry calling him Forrest Gump with attitude when she refused to endorse him in his first run for the Senate.

[jwirr]

27. And just imagine his handling of ME issues with this kind of foundational ignorance. The Middle East

countries do not think the crusades were a good thing.

[karynnj]

31. +10000

It is quite easy to see why. I remember when Bush called the war on terror a crusade - a statement that made many cringe.

Santorum goes further.

[Swede]

5. Yeah,let's stir up shit from the 12th century.

Since everything is so running smoothly today.

[newspeak]

25. yes, let's go back to the dark ages

repugs destroying education-need a more ignorant people. Push the religious zealotry and they can have plebes they can control. We can go back to a feudal system with fiefs and the new worthy aristocracy.

I think he needs to read more history, especially about the millions of people, christian and otherwise, murdered, not only by the church, but by other christian factions. The crusades were bloody, the inquisition was bloody and down right sickeningly evil.

[MisterP]

32. actually if you read history they don't call it the Dark Ages no more

and there were some upsides to the Crusades:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picatrix
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Schifanoia

[Wind Dancer]

26. Really!

You just can't make this shit up.

[surrealAmerican]

6. That's us leftists, for sure.

Next thing you know we'll be saying something disparaging about the inquisition.
What on earth is our problem with religious extremists killing non-believers anyway?

[Charlemagne]

7. Crusaders were catholics

Dont most of his followers think that RCC is the church of the anti-christ? I know when I wasn in high school (graduated in 2001) i was told by the baptists in town catholics werent christians and that they added special extra chapters to their bible.

[Kingofalldems]

13. Santorum is a Catholic.

[Charlemagne]

19. Are his minions ok with that?

[Vogon_Glory]

8. Mischief-Making Democratic Operatives Ought To Ask Santorum About La Conquista

Mischief-making Democratic operatives ought to ask Rick Santorum about La Conquista, the bloody and genocidal conquest of Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors. While I think that Catholicism was a definite improvement over the grisly pre-Columbian religious practices of the Aztecs and certain other tribal groups, the fact is that Catholicism came in as part of a package deal including slaughter, subjugation, and oppression by bloody-handed thug-uglies in it more for the wealth and dominance than for winning souls for Christ.

I believe that La Conquista is still a sensitive subject for Mexican-Americans that a tone-deaf pol like Santorum could easily mishandle.

Of course, making such a sneaky, underhanded manuver by bringing up such a topic is something that all too many Democratic Party pooh-bahs are likely to ignore.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. Keep going Rick.

And I suppose The Spanish Inquisition was a bit of sport too.

[Blue_Tires]

11. The Inquisition was actually a Mel Brooks musical number...

[Vogon_Glory]

12. And The Inquisition Also Operated In Colonial Mexico

And the Inquisition was also a going concern in Spanish colonial Mexico.

Admittedly, the Inquisition didn't have much influence in such remote, sparsely-populated places like Texas, Mexico del Norte (New Mexico), and California, but it did have power and influence near the heart of Spanish colonial power.

I like the quote from one poor soul about to be burnt at the stake in colonial Mexico City, "Pile the pyre higher! After all, I'm paying for it!"

Again, another potentially-embarassing question that I hope and pray some Democratic operatives have the wit and courage to ask Santorum.

[EFerrari]

23. Santorum: Democrats Ignore High Native Employment Rate at California Missions

[hobbit709]

24. No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

[one_voice]

10. He represents what a...

Christian is NOT!

I consider myself a Christian, and I would kill myself if I was as hateful, miserable and judgmental as those jackasses are.

[LeftishBrit]

14. So he's a fan of terrorism when it's in the cause of HIS religion?

Because that's what the crusades were.

Santorum is truly dangerous. I know he isn't going to be president; but it's frightening that such a person can command such influence as he does.

[cthulu2016]

15. How about when crusaders sacked the seat of Christendom?

One of the crusades was disappointed with their haul of loot from the muslims and turned on the handiest rich city to sack, which happened to be Constantinople.

[joeybee12]

17. He's more unelectable than Ron Paul...nt

[whatchamacallit]

18. Some DUers like to refer to some of us as "leftists" too

Telling...

[AlinPA]

20. He's the first person I've ever heard about who defends the Crusades. Incredible.

[EFerrari]

22. Santorum: Leftists Spin Inquisition to Make Rome Look Bad.

[LeftishBrit]

29. I've heard of one or two others

but they are known to be barking; e.g. Bishop Richard Williamson who is a Holocaust denier and blatant fascist.

[justiceischeap]

21. This guy and his ilk are why religion, particularly Christianity

has gotten a bad rap. Some folks wonder why some others rail against religion and this is a prime example. The stupid, it hurts. What's said, is the stupid spreads and then you have to argue with people who think history is just a form of "leftist" Christian oppression.

[Aerows]

30. Except for this

All of the Christian religions and sects have conflicting "policies" for lack of a better word. Dancing is wrong for Baptists, dancing is fine for Catholics. Pentecostals think women wearing pants and cutting their hair is a sin, Catholics and Baptists wonder why. Lutherans think gay marriage sanctified by the church between two believers is holy, Catholics, Baptists and Pentecostals think differently.

Which branch of Christianity should we follow IF we allow ourselves to be sucked into becoming a theocracy? Look how well that worked out for Islamic theocracies. Sunni, Shia, and Ibidi all fight amongst themselves for dominance, even though they are all "Islamists". Does anyone think our "Christians" would be any different if they got into power?

I, for one, don't. They will just be fighting to see who could strip away rights quicker than the other, as our founding fathers knew they would. We separated Church and State for a reason. It's because humanity uses "religion" to keep the rights of the people in check.

[Aerows]

28. Someone is going to have to define "Christendom" for me

I was raised a Baptist, and dancing was not permitted.

I went to Catholic school, and dancing was permitted.

Pentecostal women are not allowed to cut their hair, or wear anything but below the knee skirts.

The Lutheran Church ordains gay ministers, and ordains gay marriages.

Are Lutherans, Catholics, Pentecostals and Baptists not "Christians"?

If Christians can't agree, how do they expect non-Christians to agree, either? This is why we were formed as a country, after all. Do not defile my Lutheran faith just because it benefits your Catholic faith. We are both Christians, right?

And this is the winding road we travel, and the slippery slope that we end up falling down when you attempt to turn a democracy into a theocracy because it serves your own political and religious purposes. A theocracy looks like a theocracy whether it is an Islamic theocracy or a Christian one.