Would you join a Crusade/Jihad?

[AqD]

If you live in medieval era, would you join it? It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong, or you believe in god or alah or none of them.

I'd certainly go because it'd be much better than farming or living in the dark and smelly castles - you get a chance to travel far from home, and kill evil infidels (they must be evil because everyone tells that! ) and become a famous man with vast lands!

Is it not very exciting?
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ShyLorelai

[Heinz Guderian]

If you live in medieval era, would you join it? It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong, or you believe in god or alah or none of them.

I'd certainly go because it'd be much better than farming or living in the dark and smelly castles - you get a chance to travel far from home, and kill evil infidels (even if they may not be evil ) and become a famous man with vast lands!

Is it not very exciting?

yeah, as much fun as killing, raping, burning and raping some more sounds, i'm gonna go ahead and say no.

[Yorkshireman]

I'd have to see the salary and employee benefits package before I committed.

[Adhamh Ashashi]

I'd have to see the salary and employee benefits package before I committed.

Salary= As much as you can pillage.

Benefits= You get a horsie!

Seriously yes. I would have joind a Jihad! ALLAH AKBUR

[AqD]

yeah, as much fun as killing, raping, burning and raping some more sounds, i'm gonna go ahead and say no.

But you don't know that. All you know is that it's a holy war against evil infidels!
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GLASS WEED PIPE

[Heinz Guderian]

But you don't know that. All you know is that it's a holy war against evil infidels!

oh ok then!.

[Yaga Shu Ra]

You all go ahead and play holy war for a bit, i'll stay home and take good care (*wink wink*) of your women.

[Heinz Guderian]

You all go ahead and play holy war for a bit, i'll stay home and take good care (*wink wink*) of your women.

What? Have you got something wrong with your eyes man?

[Scar Face]

You all go ahead and play holy war for a bit, i'll stay home and take good care (*wink wink*) of your women.

It isn't a good and proper holy war if it doesn't include at least a little raping and pillaging, so I'm good.

[C-Rob]

yeah, as much fun as killing, raping, burning and raping some more sounds, i'm gonna go ahead and say no.

You mean killing, raping, burning... isn't fun?! You're quite weird.

I woudl go just for the smell of blood on my sword- oh, and a place in heaven of course.

[AngryTitusPullo]

yeah, as much fun as killing, raping, burning and raping some more sounds, i'm gonna go ahead and say no.

Jihad does not include burning and raping though.. Killing yes..

[persianfan247]

I voted no, but Im not really sure.

On the bright side you get loot, women and adventure a change from boring usual life.
On the bad side of things though you could get killed, starve, die from disease(could happen at home but I think there is a higher chance in the army), never see your homeland again and be stuck in a strange and hostile land.

[Serious Spamurai]

Hayyal al-Jihad! Hayyal al-Istishhad!

[ReBeLLioN]

If you live in medieval era, would you join it? It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong, or you believe in god or alah or none of them.

Wait, isn't the belief that it is the "right" thing to do the only reason for going on such a holy mission? lol

I would like to say no, but then again I am a modern Californian. 62% of Californians say they are "absolutely certain" of the belief in God. I believe back then it would have been something closer to 90-something percent. So I would probably be a damn fool and not only go on a crusade, but also purchase overly priced holy water from the local bishop.

[Poach]

Wait, isn't the belief that it is the "right" thing to do the only reason for going on such a holy mission? lol

I would like to say no, but then again I am a modern Californian. 62% of Californians say they are "absolutely certain" of the belief in God. I believe back then it would have been something closer to 90-something percent. So I would probably be a damn fool and not only go on a crusade, but also purchase overly priced holy water from the local bishop.

Well, to be annoyingly technical, I think the figure of Californians believing in God in those days would be somwhere close to 0.

To answer the question, I would certainly join the Crusades! I'm an Atheist, but I would never pass up the chance to be in some of the most interesting conflicts in history!

[The Good]

Well, to be annoyingly technical, I think the figure of Californians believing in God in those days would be somwhere close to 0.

To answer the question, I would certainly join the Crusades! I'm an Atheist, but I would never pass up the chance to be in some of the most interesting conflicts in history!

I doubt that many people held atheistic views at that time, particularily the Middle Ages. If some people did, they mostly kept that to themselves, I assume. There's roughly a 97% chance that if you were born in the Middle Ages, you would be religious, of some sort, probably even a higher percent chance than that. So I assume most of you, if you did live at the time, would fight against the enemies with a religious passion.

If I were born at those times, given my ethnic background, I'd probably be a Roman Catholic (it was pretty much the only Christian church at the time, beside the Greek Orthodox Church of the Eastern Roman Empire). That aside, I would probably be ignorant of the fact that killing, no matter how it is put (with personal self defense being the exception, I'm guessing), is wrong.

[Sascha]

That aside, I would probably be ignorant of the fact that killing, no matter how it is put (with personal self defense being the exception, I'm guessing), is wrong.

Highlighted by me: This is your personal view, it's not a "fact". Personal judgements can per definition not be "facts".

As for the OP, the question does not make much sense to me: There would be no person such as me in the middle ages. If a person genetically identical to me had lived in the middle ages, it might or might not have gone on a crusade or jihad.

If I was magically transported in the middle ages, it might actually be a good idea, since individuals in the medieval society were far more dependent on personal relationships (to their overlord, their family, their guild, etc.) than today. Without those relationships, I would probably not survive or could only do so a peon. On a crusade, I would at least not be at a disadvantage, because all other participants would also have left their network behind.

[nce_wht_guy]

Sure. why not?

[Shadow8]

if there is a god, he deffinately does not advocate me killing people for a freakin rock.

[HannibalExMachina]

ethics were quite a different thing in the MA than today.
"sins" were more part of a bargain: you could get away (to heaven) for eg killing someone if you did properly repent, eg by going on pilgrimage. crusades were a pilgrimage, so you would be forgiven, no matter what sins you have commited. so it would be a fair share for people, though its diffcult to understand that from a modern point of view.