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To: BGHater; All
The Order of the Teutonic Knights was founded in the late 12th century to aid German pilgrims in the Holy Land. It became a military order, wearing trademark white coats with black crosses, forcefully bringing Christianity to pagan Prussians

Anyone know of any other instances of Christianity being forced on anyone?

5 posted on 12/12/2008 1:10:17 PM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
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To: Pontiac

Iberia, for example.


6 posted on 12/12/2008 1:15:17 PM PST by BGHater (Obama is a Neocon.)
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To: Pontiac

Charlemagne and the Saxons?

Various Scandanavian and Anglo-Saxon kings?

Vladimir the Great of Russia?

The Spanish and Portugese in Latin America?

Spanish and Portugese persecution of Jews and Muslims?

Those are off the top of my head.


7 posted on 12/12/2008 1:15:44 PM PST by Sherman Logan (Everyone has a right to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.)
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To: Pontiac

I’ve read that the Teutonic Knights were yet another group of mass murdering Germans not people that spread their religion by whatever means. The article said that they engaged in ethnic cleansing in Poland and settled the land with Germans.

IMO forceful conversion would be a step up from that.


9 posted on 12/12/2008 1:19:53 PM PST by Varda
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To: Pontiac
Anyone know of any other instances of Christianity being forced on anyone?

I have heard of my grandma wearing out your behind with a corn stalk if you sneak out of church .

10 posted on 12/12/2008 1:20:11 PM PST by kbennkc (For those who have fought for it freedom has a flavor the protected will never know F/8 Cav)
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To: Pontiac

And, attempting to forcibly convert Holy Mother Russia to papism.

That didn’t come off very well thanks to St. Aleksandr Nevsky whose victory in the Battle on the Ice was to grand tactical scale combat what David’s victory over Goliath was to single combat—a very neat victory that could be seen as a sign of divine intervention (though in each case, if there was divine intervention, it was through the inspiration of superior tactical intuition rather than a miracle).

I think the answer to your question largely rests on whether the suppression of paganism by a Christianized royalty or nobility counts. If so, there are lots of examples, though I think the Teutonic Knights stand alone as an example of Christianization through invasion. (I don’t think Latin America counts: the invasion there was for plunder, pure and simple. The Latin missionaries followed in the wake of the plunderers, of if they came along as chaplains, just sensibly tried to redeem the bloody mess by taking the opportunity to spead the Gospel.)


28 posted on 12/12/2008 4:35:48 PM PST by The_Reader_David (And when they behead your own people in the wars which are to come, then you will know. . .)
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