Some were monsters, and most were probably the same mix of virtue and clay we find in ourselves. We know today that imposing the truth on people through violence or any other kind of intimidation betrays God s love and violates the dignity of His children. But the Crusaders can t finally be judged without an accurate understanding of their historical context which, rightly or wrongly, they often perceived as a struggle for Christian survival against an aggressive alien religion. Actually a lot, especially when it comes to building a culture of life. Memory is powerful.
Purified memory is the voice of learned truth.
Personal renewal comes from remembering the past honestly, turning away from the sins we find there, and beginning again in humility. The same applies to nations. God inscribes on the heart of Israel, His presence. God imprints on the memory of Israel, His commands. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in His ways and by keeping His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you . . . .