What atrocities have Christians committed against people of other religions?

Answer 1

All religions of the world have had a chequered history for one reason. Despite the message of the religion, they are populated by human beings with their weaknesses and human failings.

That said, the Christian religion was founded on the love of God through Jesus Christ, who preached that we should not hate our enemies, but love them, and pray for them when they persecute us. This is directly contrary to Islam, for example, where their god Allah commands them to hate or even kill those who do not believe, nor take Jews or Christians as friends (The Koran 2: 98, 2:161, 2:191, 5,54 and many many other references).

That said, despite the love of God within Christianity, there have been times when Christian has waged war on Christian and on others. In the middle ages the Church waged war on the Cathars as they believed them to be a dangerous heretical sect - which was in reality not far from the truth. In the Crusades, Christians waged war on the moslems - but again not without some justification, as the Muslims had invaded and captured Jerusalem which was seen then as a predominantly Jewish and Christian city without the links to Islam that, say, Mecca had. Later, the Catholic Church through the Inquisition, committed quite violent atrocities in the name of 'Christianity' to stamp out what they deemed as heresy. In the politics of England in Tudor times, Queen Mary, a Catholic, was instrumental in the execution of hundreds of protestants as a lesson for what her father Henry VIII had done in splitting from Rome - hence her nickname of 'Bloody Mary' (from which the cocktail is named). In modern times, in Northern Ireland the Catholic/Protestant conflict between the Catholic IRA and the Loyalist protestants escalated between the 1960s to the 1990s. Sad to say, and to their shame, the IRA was actually funded by many rich ex-pat Irish in the USA - many of whom hypocritically belonged to the so-called 'Bible belt' in the deep south.

Therefore, there have been many atrocities carried out in the name of 'religion' - although many not without justification. Despite this, the vast majority of Christians try to adhere to Christ's teaching of peace and love for all - unconditionally. Many countries use this rule of life to ensure a peaceful society. In the UK, which is still officially a Christian country, we are noted as being one of the most tolerant nations on earth - far less xenophobic than some major European nations and far less racist than many others - including the USA where race relations are still poor in some areas despite, thank God, there is now a mixed-race president.

It is important to remember, however, that Christianity is by nature and by Christ's teaching a peaceful religion, which shows love and respect for all. Contrast this with the teachings in many other religions, and you might see that, despite its failings, it still remains the most welcoming religion that there ever has been, and, probably, ever will be.

AnswerThe most infamous were the Crusades and Inquisition.