Fact. Monks and nuns were able to both read and write. Fact. Most of the colleges that are founded in the period have churchmen and/or churchwomen as teachers. Regardless of whether or not they expanded upon what was already present, when the minds of the masses were again ready to read and study the information, it was there to be found. I guess the Schoolmen (the philosophic group) and the Doctors of the church didn't exist. I said 'preserve' as in 'prevent from being lost'. I didn't say 'preserve' in whatever sense you believe it to mean erroneously. Fact, The almodivars massacred whole cities of people at a time for being non-islamic. Fact, when the invaders were stopped at Tours, france, they had already massacred huge numbers of people and in general terrorized the place. In regards to the works of the ancients, the church did maintain them. They were used to train translators of documents. Just because they were a rare commodity doesn't mean they didn't EXIST in europe.
What of my other points, Joachim? People often trash the church for being intolerant and for spreading rumors. Well, in any rumor, there is some truth. For every 100 people who -don't- do what the 'ugly' rumor says, there will be 1 or 2 that actually DO what their accused of. Trials of well-poisoners, counterfeiting alchemists, infanticides, and others who are generally lumped into the word 'heretic', do exist in the historical record. They exist in to great a number for -every single one- of them to be false. I'd rather say my prayers at night, even if I don't believe them at all, than drink from the well and die an agonizing death, or find out a maniac has kidnapped my child for indescribable reasons, or that every cent I have is completely fake and worthless. If anything, the church and states justices of the time were to LENIENT. To be a true justice system it must punish those of high or low station, no matter what.
X, if we let things 'just slide', our western non-islamic culture wouldn't exist. On the contrary, every culture that is living and vibrant needs people like me, who are staunch defenders of the section of the culture they adhere to.