License to whatever

I continue to work through reference 2, last noticed at reference 1.

This morning, I started to read about the collective delusion which fired up the first crusade, from west to east, in the eleventh century.

Mackay reports that one feature of this delusion was the belief that one would be absolved from all manner of sins by appearing in arms before Jerusalem - which meant that one could commit all manner of sins on the way there. So the armies of Christ, as they worked their way east, were accompanied by even larger retinues of loose women, publicans, bookmakers and other entertainers than was usually the case.

Rather in the way that native Americans were allowed much license between taking their battle vows & dying in battle and Kamikaze pilots were allowed much license between signing up & taking their final dives. Or even ordinary soldiers due to go over the top in the first world war.

Reference 1: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/10/associations.html.

Reference 2: Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds – Charles Mackay – 1841.