Before Donald Trump, the sad history of when Christians anointed another political bully

Washington Post ^ | 2-22-2016 | Joseph Loconte

[Citizen Zed]

Wow the parallels are striking, NOT.

[stocksthatgoup]

And the Hits Keep Coming!

[r_barton]

[Biggirl]

Well did he keep the Muslims away?

[reagandemocrat]

Desperation.

[Lurker]

When Trump is inaugurated I fully expect 2/3 of the American media to burst into flames.

I’m stocking up on marshmallows.

Then I say we go after the remaining third.

L

[KC_Lion]

I have heard of Godwin's Law, but comparing Trump to Charlemagne?

Umm.... Hate to break this to you WaPo, but there has been quite a lot that has happened in the 1,200 years since. To say "When Christians anointed another political bully"

[20yearsofinternet]

Let’s see. We have Hitler, Mussolini, and now Charlemagne.

I’m sure I left a few out. It gets hard to keep up with. LOL

[To Hell With Poverty]

Charlemagne? You mean the guy who united Europe and made possible the development of the culture we arose from? Oh who would want that?! /s

[grania]

The Saxons were really vicious marauders, were they not? Were they an invasion force? We're they the scourge of Europe after Rome fell?

Just sayin'....

[Dr. Sivana]

In 782, in the Massacre of Verden, Charles ordered the execution of 4,500 prisoners, apparently for their refusal to convert to Christianity.

It's a little more complicated than that. Look up "Massacre of Verden" on Wikipedia. It looks like this was a retaliation for breaking a truce and killing nobles and counts, not mere religious culling.

An entry for the year 782 in the Royal Frankish Annals records that, after Charlemagne lost two envoys, four counts, and around 20 nobles in battle with the Saxons, Charlemagne responded by massacring 4,500 rebelling Saxons near what is now Verden.

We still remember Charlemagne 1200 years later, his time was a net plus. I believe that Trump would like to be remembered in the same way.

[Fai Mao]

“Charlemagne? You mean the guy who united Europe and made possible the development of the culture we arose from? Oh who would want that?! /s”

Or the guy that (I Think) they tried to arrange a marriage to the Empress of Byzantium and re-united Eastern and Western political systems and Christianity; who’d want that? /S

[JPJones]

TrumpMagne...

...I kinda like it, actually.

[KC Burke]

This is funny on so many levels.

That the WP should publish such tripe in a literary sense is one thing. Add to that the actual legacy of the historical, supposed, bad guy and you have a chuckle fest.

Yes, the new epoch is what we want.

[lacrew]

Good grief,

[MarMema]

It is completely enjoyable to see them squirming and frightened.

[Lorianne]

The Muslims weren’t really a problem yet ... in 782.

[tired&retired]

Several years ago I was visiting a family in Northern Germany whose entire family gathered to celebrate that their daughter returned from the USA to visit after being away for over a decade. I was traveling with her.

Her aunts were in their 90’s and began singing beautiful Christian hymns in German. Her father, who was sitting across the table from me began crying and stated “That was the hymn we sang during my induction ceremony into Hitler’s army.” (He was on a Panzer tank crew.)

I never knew that Hitler sold the war to the German people as a Christian war and the persecution of Jews was justified by what they did to Jesus until that moment. I was among beautiful caring people who followed their country as it was led astray by Hitler manipulating their religion.

[Trumpinator]

This is stupid. King David was an adulterer and murderer and God placed him on the throne of Israel.

[Salvavida]

CharleTrump. I like it. Let’s run with those bumperstickers the with Crusader cross......