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Originally Posted by AChimp
Dude, I said a temple in Bethlehem, not the Temple of Solomon in Jeruselem. It had already been destroyed for over 1000 years with JEWISH (not Christian) temples being built/torn down/rebuilt during that time.
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ok, i didnt see that you were talking about bethlehem. by your timeline, the temple of solomon would have been destroyed during the lifetime of jesus...i honestly dont know if that is true :/
i DO know that it had been rebuilt by the jews, byzantine christians, and muslims over a period of however many years.
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Originally Posted by AChimp
And, yes, I know that it wasn't the sole cause of the Crusades. It was, however, one of the excuses that the Pope needed to convince everyone run off and at the same time, inconspicuously increase his power.
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the pope didnt need to increase his power. he was the most powerful man in europe at the time of the crusades. the reasons i stated were the causes of the crusades, maybe yours helped fuel it, i dont know.
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Originally Posted by AChimp
Muslims DID tolerate other religions, as long as those others recognized that they were infidels (which is still the case today). They didn't prohibit other religions in anyway, however. The Knights Templar weren't formed until AFTER the first Crusade was over, and of course the "raiders" would be attacking pilgrims and people travelling around; they were soldiers trying to take back the land that they had been kicked out of.
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yes i know that the muslims didnt forcibly convert the christians, but you should re-read what i wrote earlier. they were not tolerant of any faith besides their own, they allowed it because they didnt want rebellion. saladin himself said this. the knights templar were technically formed DURING the first crusade (1119) and the raiders were not trying to take back the lands they had lost. these were seljuk raiders in anatolia, which never left muslim hands.
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Originally Posted by AChimp
You seem to think that the Muslims were barbarians, when in reality they were much more civilized and advanced, both culturally and technologically, than Europe.
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nobody was very civilized in the era we are talking about, but i am not trying to make them out to be barbarians. i am trying to dispell the image you have of them being some kind of gentleman race desperately trying to defend themselves from the bloodthirsty crusaders.