Islam Responsible for the growth of Christianity and Europe

[Tobie]

In what way, other than ecclesiatic bragging rights, did the great schism weaken christianity?

Well it actually managed to divide Christians and the Crusades were at times as much a conflict between the two Christian sides than it was between the Western Christians and the Moslems.

Now it is not nearly as destructive a break as the later Protestant movement would be though, mainly because the Protestant movement started within the confines of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was in its own separate domain.

Oh, I mustn't have heard of the wholesale slaughter of Orthodox christians in the crusades.

The only real time that the catholic crusaders hit out at the Byzantine Empire was in the 4th crusade.

[Minimalist]

the Crusades were at times as much a conflict between the two Christian sides than it was between the Western Christians and the Moslems.

And don't forget the Jews.... they always seem to be on somebody's spear point.

[Polaris]

the Crusades were at times as much a conflict between the two Christian sides than it was between the Western Christians and the Moslems.

And don't forget the Jews.... they always seem to be on somebody's spear point.

I thought they were relatively well treated by the Moslems and then the Christian convicts came in search of loot and well the rest is history.

[Minimalist]

Precisely.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution...st_Crusade

The preaching of the First Crusade inspired an outbreak of anti-Jewish violence. In parts of France and Germany, Jews were perceived as just as much an enemy as Muslims: they were held responsible for the crucifixion, and they were more immediately visible than the distant Muslims. Many people wondered why they should travel thousands of miles to fight non-believers when there were already non-believers closer to home

[Anomalocaris]

the Crusades were at times as much a conflict between the two Christian sides than it was between the Western Christians and the Moslems.

And don't forget the Jews.... they always seem to be on somebody's spear point.

I think much of the conflict between the greeks and the franks were an unavoidable clash resulting from differing levels of sophistication and culture, and not from the schism.

As to the jews, it's not like the Frankish barbarians would have spared them if the roman church didn't separate from the greek church. The pograms were an artifact of the crusades, not of the schism.

[kılıç_mehmet]

I wouldn't say that Islam is "responsible" for that. I'd say the people of that religion are.
This doesn't directly make the religion responsible for anything.