Let's do the math here. The marriage of civil and ecclesiastical power is without dispute the singular cause of the horrors of the dark ages. When the authority of the state and the church are wed, people suffer. The equation goes like this. If I am a Muslim, Christian, Catholic or Jew I may practice my religion without fear of persecution, reprisal or rejection. I still must obey civil law but the judicial body won't besiege me with charges for the beliefs I hold about God and faith.
When any particular religion becomes the state sanctioned religion then I can be prosecuted for my lack of compliance. Once Catholicism was the state sanctioned religion and for one thousand years the Pope ruled across the globe, with an iron hand. Some say the reformation ended that and some like to call it the recovery, that is, the recovering of the simple gospel message and the abandoning of the burgeoning religious rules and mandates of the church. Is Islam bringing this kind of terror into civilization again?
In America the idea of the separation of church and state is all that stands between us and that kind of tyranny. Of course the separation of church and state is mostly a perception and not actually a law. The law in America simply states that the congress will not make any laws governing religion. This is a law we can live with in the most literal sense of the word. In Islamically ruled nations not believing in the state sponsored religion can and does cost lives.
News agencies have reported that an Iranian man, Mr. Issa Motamdi has been arrested and charged with apostasy. His crime was giving his son a Christian name. Even before his trial which is not likely to be any more than a travesty there is talk of execution.
In the Central Sulawesi area of Indonesia it is reported by the BBC News that three girls were attacked on their way to school. The three who traversed through a cocoa plantation on their way to a Christian school were beheaded. Dozens of Christians have been brutally murdered in this region since 2001 as militant Muslims seek to set up another Islamic state there.
Most people in what still might be referred to as a civilized world take exception to this kind of brutality in the name of any religion. With all her faults, excesses and problems America could be counted upon to deal seriously with this kind of brutality especially toward children. No religious preference would keep the perpetrators of such crimes from being prosecuted and most likely jailed for life or executed.
To the Christian it is sad thing when someone turns to another religion or another God and misses the salvation that comes only from the Saviour of the world. Yet, no where in scripture are they called upon to execute any form of summary judgment against those who choose not to believe. Jesus Christ may have been many things but he is never any less than civilized, perhaps we could say he is a gentleman.
The constitution of the United States could also be said to be a gentleman if it had human attributes. It provides the security to believe the dictates of our conscience without fear of tyranny.
Most of the presidents in our history have been protestant and in the last twenty five years Protestants have met and surpassed the number of practicing Catholics in America. It would be hard to imagine the absurdity of making Protestantism America's state religion. We would then be very busy prosecuting Catholics and those in other religions. We can only thank God that something this absurd has never been found appealing to even the most confused factions of our body politic.
Rev Bresciani is the author of two Christian books and columnist for several political news sites online. Visit http://www.americanprophet.org
The Dark Ages is a period that is generally accepted as having begun in the year 410 with the fall of Rome and ending in 1095 with the launch of the first Crusades. The fall of Rome sets a good understanding for what the Dark Ages were all about because for centuries the Roman Empire was a unified force that brought stabilization to most of Europe. It had a vibrant trade and commerce industry that supported a reasonably secure lifestyle for millions of people. When Rome fell, this network of trade and commerce collapsed and the European World was set into chaos. It took seven hundred years of wars, plague, and poverty before the continent came out of it and was moved into the Renaissance.
Medieval Warlords and the struggle to be emperor
Before it fell, Rome had been the center of the European world for seven hundred years. The emperor ruled over everything and when this all fell the concept of one man ruling the world still remained. It was this aspiration to rule over everything that perpetuated the darkness of the times. Lords from all over Europe were engaged with each other in battles for land and power. This battling lasted literally centuries and it meant a constant drain of resources and a standstill in cultural growth.
Outside Forces make it worse
This constant struggling for power within the continent of Europe made it very easy for outside forces to penetrate into the continent and further wreak destruction and drain wealth and resources. From the north Vikings constantly invaded and plundered and from the south Moorish invaders brought war and the word of their prophet. The whole continent was under the constant pressure of three points of attack –from within and from both the north and south.
The Plague negates all progress
Throughout the first century of the Dark Ages Europe made slow but tangible progress and Emperor Justinian was on the verge of reuniting the continent when the bubonic plague hit and killed tens of millions of people. This destroyed all hope of reunification and kept the continent in chaos for several more centuries.
The Force that brought us out of the darkness
Christianity was an ideal that rose to power during the dark ages and many warlords of the time embraced it. This had a unifying force on the entire European continent and even though there were many kingdoms they all swore allegiance under the pope. This brought an end to the internal fighting that had been going on for centuries and this unification was solidified with the launching of the Crusades beginning in 1095. This gave all the various warlords and kings a common religious goal and a foe they could join together and focus on.
The Crusades, while being for the most part a failure in that they held very little of the land they attempted to conquer, were a significant factor in the rebirth of Europe in that Europe was reunited under a common religion and returning crusaders brought back with them to Europe a wealth of new information in architecture, medicine, philosophy, mathematics and many other areas. This infusion of ideas, paired with the end of constant war within Europe set the stage for the Renaissance.
The Dark Ages were an extraordinarily difficult period in the story of humanity. It is estimated that 100 million people died at the hands of war, poverty, and plague. But during this time new ideas and ideals were born and much of the groundwork was laid for the world we know today.
Both Rev Michael Bresciani & Will Kalif are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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