In the chivalry myth the sword is the symbol of honor, courage and spirituality of war. It is a bridge between the sky and the earth; it joins the divine spirit to that of the combatant up to the point that it becomes an instrument for glory or divine justice. Beyond metaphors, though, the sword is a brutal instrument for death. Either it is used for defense or to attack it is extremely contradictory in the Christian view to associate its use with principles like «love and forgive thy neighbor» and «don't kill».

Therefore it is quite difficult to rationally understand the point of contact between the soul of the mystic and the soul of the combatant. This essay originates from the search of the conviction that has led a religious man to brandish a sword and use it against another man.

It is an old habit for militant religions to “enrol” God in their armies. They've brought his dignity in dimensions, not very divine, whose principles are often dimmed by the reason of State. Therefore religions without spirituality represent only themselves and their power. When they face each other bellicosely they end up by becoming ideologies steeped in death.

«In order to restrain coarse people and to avert them from injustice and cruelty, truth is useless, because they are not able to understand it. There is the need for the mistake, the fairy tale, the parable. That is where the need for material religious doctrines arises from.» Arthur Schopenhauer

Athos A. Altomonte