The pope made waves when he said in a sermon last week that Jesus Christ redeems all: those who are Roman Catholic and those who are not; those who believe, and those who don't.
Byzantium (medieval Greece) survived the barbarian invasions that brought the Western Roman Empire to an end in the fifth century. Medieval Greece lived for more than a millennium, for several centuries a superpower. In fact, medieval Greece spread civilization to Eastern Europe and Russia.
While the functions of the Order of St. Lazarus are slightly different today in Jerusalem -- it no longer treats lepers and wounded knights -- the organization seeks to heal minds, spirits and bodies regardless of religious and political borders.
The history of Christianity is marked by violent acts that do not bring to mind images of peace or love, acts that are antithetical to Jesus' life and ministry and that fly in the face of his most important teaching: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
If St. Francis' love for all of God's creation, animals, plants, rivers and mountains is alive and with us today, just like his ascetic mission of poverty, then so is his bold peacemaking with the Muslim world. This is a mission worthy of his name, and one can only hope that the current Pope Francis heeds this call.
HERZLIYA, Israel, July 11 (Reuters) - A 1,000-year-old hoard of gold coins has been unearthed at a famous Crusader battleground where Christian and ...
Have you noticed the whackiness shared by both Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Republican Primary candidate Rick Santorum? Both favor theo...
It's dark, chewy and protein-packed. It's fruity-sweet and studded with nuts. Sticky on the inside but smooth on the outside, it travels well. It's history's first energy bar.
Surely the Muslim conquests were just as brutal as the crusades? The short answer is, "No." But, let me explain:
For better or worse, we remember the First Crusade now. But how should we do so? What did the battle of Jerusalem mean in 1099, and why should we care today?
While not a defensive war, the First Crusade was a war of vengeance. The Christians were out to avenge the sufferings of their Savior, the humiliations He was forced to endure every day...
The war for Jerusalem, in their words, was one of West vs. East. When the crusaders successfully conquered Jerusalem, observers at home marveled over what they, as Westerners, had accomplished.
There was once a pauper renowned for giving perfect impressions of the sultan...
Since it became clear that the culprit of the horror in Norway was not a Muslim jihadist, but a self-proclaimed "Christian Knight," the popular perceptions of terrorism are being questioned.
How is it that a religion that claims that followers should turn the other cheek and love their enemies can breed such hate and violence?
From Dan Brown's bestselling novels to video games to "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" to Wagner's Parzival opera, the Knights Templar have inspired ...
This Norwegian terrorist struck at a horrendous moment in global Christian-Muslim relations, when huge numbers of Muslims around the world say they are suspicious of the Crusader-like violence they perceive among Western Christians.
Is there an alternative to ideological illusion and the rhetoric of evil? Yes, there is. We must remember our common human vulnerabilities and bring them into a collective conversation within which our existential anxiety can be held and better borne.
It's obvious that his solution wouldn't be war. He might even apply the Golden Rule by treating Muslims with common humanity, tolerance, and understanding.
It's tempting to want to believe in hell for Rumsfeld and his ilk, whether we're religious or not. It can be comforting to believe that they will suffer the moral consequences of their behavior.
A thousand years ago, the pope studied the stars and found God in numbers. Our modern tension between faith and science did not exist.
This transformation of Islam into a violent caricature of itself comes at a somewhat strange juncture in the United States. All the elements seemed in place for us to turn the page on an ugly chapter in our history.
Let's be practical about it -- not getting along with Muslims is pretty much the best way for good Americans to take their minds off the fact that they can't get along with each other anymore.
In light of its recent statements against the Cordoba House, the ADL appears to have moved from a knee-jerk defense of Israel to an aggressive stance attacking American Muslims even when there is no criticism of Israel involved.
Religion's record on war may not be anywhere near as bad as is popularly believed, and therefore its potential for peace may be far greater than what many have imagined.
