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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 403661" data-attributes="member: 3146">Whatever else the crusades may be, they are not "the slightest touch of a real-world example." They're more like a sledgehammer regularly used to bludgeon whoever people don't agree with.The characterization of both sides as having paladins is certainly open to debate as well. The Knights Templar might be considered paladins by some but I'm not aware of any similar semi-monastic tradition among muslim countries. The closest thing I can think of is the Assassins and they certainly aren't obvious examples of paladins.The characterization of the religious differences between Christianity and Islam as minor is something that only someone who believes in neither could say. Despite the obvious similarities between the belief systems, the differences go to the core of both religions--the nature of God, the content of scripture, the role and nature of Jesus, and the means of salvation. To categorize such things as minor is like saying that the difference between geocentric and Copernican astronomy is minor. (Only if astronomy is irrelevant to you).Cultural differences, of course also played a significant part in the crusades--as did national defense. In no way, however, would that prove your thesis: that the nature of good and evil are relative. Your example is ultimately circular: it only supports your case if you assume the truth of your case to begin with. After all, someone who does not accept your thesis that good and evil exist only relative to culture could very well say that there was clearly evil on both sides of the wars--whether or not they saw it as good. Believing yourself to be good doesn't make you good. Otherwise, we'd probably have to canonize some National Socialists and Stalinists.This is probably a fair criticism of a simple-minded reading of the PH's alignment descriptions. That this could classify whole societies and cultures as evil in a game world is not a problem. (Most fantasy worlds do include evil societies). Like many others, I don't really have a problem with applying good and evil to real life either--which is the reason for the previous discussion. If that means that some cultures and societies are largely shaped by evil then they're largely shaped by evil.</blockquote>

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