God created Evil

[bahman]

So I think we can agree on the fact that Jesus teaching was wrong since you simply vanish if you love your enemy. What is the use of his suffering if there is no Christianity?

Absolutely not. Jesus Christ was quite right. But as He said, "My kingdom is not of this world..." What happened in the case of the Crusades is that the Catholic Church forgot or ignored that. (Of course, the Muslims never believed it at all.)

This may surprise you, but I think anytime any kind of "religious" cause gets linked up with politics, it's bad. Jesus Christ told us not to do it. It's when we forget it -- and, in the case of the Crusades, ignore Christian ethics altogether -- that we get into trouble.

That I know but you simply ignore my post. What is the use of His teaching and suffering if Christianity vanishes? Doesn't that mean that Christianity is not a good belief when it come to practical situation?

[Dontaskme]

I can define Evil as state of suffering and confusion whereas Good as state of pleasure and clarity. Do you believe that Evil exists given the definition?

''Physical punishment cleanses away evil; such discipline purifies the heart.''

Proverbs 20: 30:

The Bible aka an instruction book for Life.

“Sometimes you've got to go through hell to get to heaven.”

[Immanuel Can]

That I know but you simply ignore my post.

Categorically untrue. You asked "What is the use of His teaching and suffering if Christianity vanishes?"
It won't. It's not guaranteed by human agency or politics. It's guaranteed by the Supreme Being. And I would say that was a pretty definitive answer. But the reason we don't have to fight it out with other ideologies contesting the political sphere is that we don't look for a kingdom "of this world." As Christ said, "if it were, my servants would be fighting." But we're not, and we don't need to.

Christianity is not a political religion. And it does not need politics to guarantee its survival. But don't worry: it won't disappear.

Doesn't that mean that Christianity is not a good belief when it come to practical situation?

Not at all. It's actually the most practical of beliefs. For because we need not contest politics, we are free to do the right thing without fear that our political interests will not be served. But Christianity regards "practical" as synonymous with "practical for the purposes of forwarding the relationship between God and man," not "practical for the achievement of mere human objectives." And that is rather different.

[bahman]

Categorically untrue. You asked "What is the use of His teaching and suffering if Christianity vanishes?"
It won't. It's not guaranteed by human agency or politics. It's guaranteed by the Supreme Being.

What guarantee? You simply vanish if you don't fight against your enemy. There was no Catholic right now if there was no crusade.

And I would say that was a pretty definitive answer. But the reason we don't have to fight it out with other ideologies contesting the political sphere is that we don't look for a kingdom "of this world." As Christ said, "if it were, my servants would be fighting." But we're not, and we don't need to.

Christianity is not a political religion. And it does not need politics to guarantee its survival. But don't worry: it won't disappear.

Not at all. It's actually the most practical of beliefs. For because we need not contest politics, we are free to do the right thing without fear that our political interests will not be served. But Christianity regards "practical" as synonymous with "practical for the purposes of forwarding the relationship between God and man," not "practical for the achievement of mere human objectives." And that is rather different.

You cannot survive in a world where politic and power rules. No crusade no Christianity.

[Immanuel Can]

What guarantee? You simply vanish if you don't fight against your enemy. There was no Catholic right now if there was no crusade.

I'm not Catholic. It wouldn't bother me.

The guarantee is, among other places, in Matthew 16:18.

You cannot survive in a world where politic and power rules. No crusade no Christianity.

Not so. We can survive very well. Even were Islam, or Hinduism or Animism, for that matter, to take over the world, it would only eliminate Christianity from politics. It would never eradicate it from the heart and beliefs of those who are Christians.

Consider this: when Christianity began, it was during the Roman Empire. For centuries, Christianity only endured as a persecuted, marginalized and politically uninvolved movement in the hearts of individual believers. And during that time it expanded so rapidly that eventually the various beliefs of the Roman emperors and their empire were gone -- but Christianity remained.

Now, if what you said above were true, then how would that ever have happened?

[bahman]

What guarantee? You simply vanish if you don't fight against your enemy. There was no Catholic right now if there was no crusade.

I'm not Catholic. It wouldn't bother me.

The guarantee is, among other places, in Matthew 16:18.

You cannot survive in a world where politic and power rules. No crusade no Christianity.

Not so. We can survive very well. Even were Islam, or Hinduism or Animism, for that matter, to take over the world, it would only eliminate Christianity from politics. It would never eradicate it from the heart and beliefs of those who are Christians.

Consider this: when Christianity began, it was during the Roman Empire. For centuries, Christianity only endured as a persecuted, marginalized and politically uninvolved movement in the hearts of individual believers. And during that time it expanded so rapidly that eventually the various beliefs of the Roman emperors and their empire were gone -- but Christianity remained.

Now, if what you said above were true, then how would that ever have happened?

Christianity survived and had a chance to grow because it was not targeting the politics as you mentioned. Politician simply didn't bother about the social movement. In another hand Muslim was bothered with the belief so the situation could be completely different if Muslim could win the Crusade.

[Immanuel Can]

Christianity survived and had a chance to grow because it was not targeting the politics as you mentioned. Politician simply didn't bother about the social movement.

Oh, that's not true at all. You need to read a little history. You'll find that the Christians were ruthlessly persecuted for the first three centuries of their existence.

In another hand Muslim was bothered with the belief so the situation could be completely different if Muslim could win the Crusade.

Sorry. I don't understand your English in the statement above. What is "the belief" and what "situation"?

[bahman]

Oh, that's not true at all. You need to read a little history. You'll find that the Christians were ruthlessly persecuted for the first three centuries of their existence.

That is true. I didn't study the history of Christianity. I am not a socialist and I don't know much about the social movement. Social movement sometimes succeeds and sometimes fails. I don't know what was the key points that Christianity succeed. Do you know?

Sorry. I don't understand your English in the statement above. What is "the belief" and what "situation"?

I mean that Muslim were trying to expand their territory in order to convert people. The reason they failed was because of Crusade. I have no idea whether Christianity could survive if Muslim didn't fail.

[Immanuel Can]

I don't know what was the key points that Christianity succeed. Do you know?

Yes.

I mean that Muslim were trying to expand their territory in order to convert people. The reason they failed was because of Crusade. I have no idea whether Christianity could survive if Muslim didn't fail.

No, the Islamic invasion did not get stopped by the Crusades. The Catholic Crusades were, at most, a small setback to the Islamic Crusades that had started during Mohammed's lifetime and have not really stopped even in the present day. After all, Islam still rules most of North Africa, the Middle East and various spots in Southern Asia. Islam is a crusader religion: it never quits trying to conquer territory.

The major setback that reversed the expansion of the Islamic empire was the defeat at the Siege of Vienna in 1683. But Islam didn't "fall" so much as it was defeated and gradually forced back to its present boundaries. Islamic people have never forgotten their defeat nor forgiven those who defeated Islam. They still hope to reverse that.