“Deus Vult!” The battle cry for the Christian crusaders. To those who speak English, “God Wills it!” Pope Urban II declared this at the Council of Clermont, in France November 27, 1095.
“God himself will lead them, for they will be doing His work. There will be absolution and remission of sins for all who die in the service of Christ. Here they are poor and miserable sinners; there they will be rich and happy. Let none hesitate; they must march next summer. God wills it!”
I wonder how many tragic events of human history have come to be under the assumption that whoever is committing the act is following God’s will to receive eternal glory. This assumption is not limited of course to Christianity. We see this same mindset in actions of Islamic extremist, in the kamikaze pilots of the Japanese air force in World War II, and in lives of many others in history. We can see the error in this mindset, of course, but I still wonder what kind of ignorance leads the populace to belief in such a mandate.