http://christianleadershipcenter.org/me4.htm
To me religion just looks like an excuse to kill..
"The crusades were a bad idea, but in the times understandable, and probably unavoidable. But the errors of those days do not mean devout Christians were not involved, or that they were only interested in land and power. The Christians learned a lot about crusading from jihad--the promise of forgiveness of sins for crusaders, guarantee of heaven if they died, and making the wars “religious” or “holy” when they were often merely conquests. The crusades did stop the spread of Islam into Europe, and gave western Europe a new identity. After all, they started as a response to jihad.
The preaching and the music that came from the period remain a wonderful window on devotion and piety. Country churches (for the friars) sprang up everywhere. Art, manuscripts, and architecture spread throughout the world. But the problem never went away, and the people of Islam have a long memory."