Muslim success did not prove divine approval because even godless Tartars triumphed

Evidence

The real interest of Christians was in their consciousness that the Providential dispensation accorded extremely ill with their own strong wish that worldly success should set a seal on religious truth. It was natural that they should bitterly resent that their failure should be attributed to their sins by anyone but the rightful occupant of a Christian pulpit. Ricoldo, usually so derivative, here thought originally; he spoke articulately for the unexpressed disappointment of many who were extremely reluctant to accept a situation in which Christians were powerless. Material success became too easily the criterion of divine justification, even for people whose religion is founded on the blood of martyrs. SEMEL LoguiTuR DEus. The difficulty was to remember and to accept that Christianity was revealed once and for ever, and not as a religion of power. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 747 (#contradicts, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Christians equated worldly success with divine truth despite a religion of martyrdom — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 747

Related

• Christians equated worldly success with divine truth despite a religion of martyrdom (similarity 0.92)
• Christian humiliation before Muslim power was attributed to sin, not to God’s will (similarity 0.84)
• Medieval theologians neutralized Muslim success by holding it a just chastisement of Christian sin (similarity 0.83)
• Medieval Christians doubted Islam’s truth yet marveled at its success (similarity 0.83)
• The obvious conclusion from Muslim success was that God preferred Islam. (similarity 0.80)
• Islam’s triumph made God appear to enforce the Quran against Christians (similarity 0.80)
• Medieval Christians read Muslim military success as divine judgment favoring Islam (similarity 0.80)
• Muslim military success suggested to Christians that Muhammad’s theology might be divinely favored (similarity 0.80)
• Early Islam saw worldly success as confirming prophecy rather than contradicting it (similarity 0.80)
• Muslim military success drove Christians to doubt their own theology (similarity 0.79)
• Christians interpreted Muslim conquests as punishment for sin, not divine approval of Islam (similarity 0.79)
• Divine-mission confidence and religious tolerance fueled conquest success (similarity 0.79)
• Islam’s worldly success made it uniquely impervious to church refutation (similarity 0.79)
• Medieval Christians under Muslim rule found apostasy tempting for worldly gain (similarity 0.79)
• Medieval Christians read Qur’anic praise of Christ as a self-condemning admission against Muhammad. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Christians equated worldly success with divine truth despite a religion of martyrdom #contradicts (0.90) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 747