Differences In Life Of Saint Sergius And Letters Of The Crusaders

Differences among people of the Christian and Islam faiths have led to conflict rising between the two ideologies. The hostility that grows between the religions causes the followers of each to resort to means of physical and spiritual protection, even when that includes their conducts to be called into question. Using The Life of Saint Sergius and Letters of the Crusaders Written from the Holy Land, this essay will argue that religion is a foundational aspect in people’s lives which enables them to pick out the parts of religion that benefit them the most in certain situations, giving them validation, regardless if their actions are inconsistent with the religion’s ideals.
A lack of faith allows people to easily recourse to godless measures
In The Life of Saint Sergius the monastery went through a period of famine. One of the brothers, tired of eating sparse amounts of moldy bread, made a mockery of the saint, questioning his authority by saying, “if we obey you we shall perish of hunger. . .we cannot any longer endure such want and scarcity.” In this instance, the one brother who let go of his patience and self-control was led to an impious and disrespectful attitude towards both Saint Sergius and the values of Christianity. He was made an example of to show that being a follower of God takes work; it is not easy and the only way to prosper is by being strong and steadfast in one’s faith, even when faced with daunting circumstances. Saint Sergius made this message clear to his followers by saying the only way to achieve God’s Grace is by going through stressful situations, “after tribulations comes joy.” Instead of humbly sticking to his decision of residing in the monastery nonetheless of the hardships, as soon as it became unbearable, he felt as though he had the right to challenge his mentor’s substandard teachings. This
Religion is focused on refraining from worldly vices because infinite life is important, not what is present and temporary. Therefore, the mission of the two conflicting religions, Christianity and Islam, is to live the godliest life possible here on Earth in order to achieve eternal salvation. However, when these two religions are forced to confront one another, instead of peaceably acknowledging each other’s differences, both resort to the art of destruction in order to gain superiority. In The Life of Saint Sergius, after getting word that the Muslims were coming to invade Russia, Saint Sergius strengthened the Christian army by saying “go forth against the heathen. . .conquer; return. . .and glorify God with loud praise.” In this one instance, the usually peaceful saint advocates for the slaughter of thousands of men. Saint Sergius dedicated his life to the abstinence of indulgences, including fits of hatred and pugnaciousness, yet he willingly and eagerly desired and prayed for the enemy, or people who do not agree with his beliefs, to be murdered. In the text, it is stated that “very great fear prevailed amongst the people.” Although the saint and his fellow brothers argue that they fight for the Lord, internally their true intentions lie on their fear of being overcome by the enemy. In the Letters of the Crusaders, the Christian King of France sent a letter to the Muslim Sultan, mocking