In that case, America would have been discovered not by Columbus but by Muslims, and the institution now known as Holy Cross would never have been founded. If not for the Crusaders’ resistance to Islamic expansion, Islamic forces might have done to Christianity in Europe what they did to Christianity in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Byzantine Empire. One thing is for sure: the Holy Cross administration wants to distance itself from the historical Crusades which, it says, “ were among the darkest periods in Church history.” There certainly was a dark side to the Crusades, but there was a bright side also. Once you step onto the let’s-not-offend-Muslims slope, you’re on slippery ground. So perhaps Holy Cross might have to consider a further name change. They deny that the “prophet” Jesus was ever crucified. For that matter, many Muslims find the cross itself offensive. Muslims, as a whole, are not in favor of the West’s experiments with gender identity. An image of a social justice warrior? Or, considering that crusaders have “respect for different … identities,” perhaps it will be a transgender social warrior.īut that also might be offensive to Muslims. What this means, of course, is that the Crusader knight on horseback will have to go. Not surprisingly, the board has asked the college administration to “assess how the visual representation of a Holy Cross Crusader can best align with this definition.” In other words, Holy Cross has decided to replace armor plate with politically correct boilerplate. We engage in dialogue between faith and reason and uphold the importance of reflective learning, critical thinking, thoughtful analysis and holistic education that encompasses the health of body, mind and spirit. We are crusaders for human rights, social justice, and care for the environment for respect for different perspectives, cultures, traditions, and identities and for service in the world, especially to the underserved and vulnerable. In February, the President and Board of Trustees announced that “we at Holy Cross will continue to be known as Crusaders.” At the same time, they opted for “the modern definition of the word crusader.” Henceforward, a Holy Cross Crusader is defined as following: In response to “ growing anti-Muslim tensions” in the United States, Holy Cross initiated a yearlong discussion to decide whether the Crusader mascot and moniker was still an appropriate representation of the college’s mission. I’m grateful to Holy Cross for the education I received there years ago, but I can’t help but think that its current identity crisis will negatively affect the quality of the education and formation it now provides.
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