THE INQUISITION (Part 2)

 

In our last article, we dealt with a little history about the Inquisition and pointed out the inconsistencies, the cruelty and the corruption of the Catholic Church – who actually bred and established the environment that gave rise to the Inquisition.  And this is how they did it – the Catholic Church claims to be the “guardian of souls” and they also claim that they were commissioned by Jesus Christ to “root out heresy,” thus, leading up to one of history’s greatest tragedies. 

I left off addressing an article written by Catholic Answers, which can be found here:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-inquisition

The author of that article goes on to ask, “What’s the point?” That is, what is it that Fundamentalists [Protestants] think that the existence of the Inquisition proves?  Does it prove that “Catholics are sinners”?  That “people in positions of authority have used poor judgment”?  Does it prove “that otherwise good Catholics, afire with zeal, sometimes lose their balance”?  And the answer is that all these things could be true (for Catholics and Protestants) even without the Inquisition ever occurring.   

And that’s true, but the problem here is not just about the average Catholic in the pew.  It’s not simply about an authority occasionally using “poor judgment.”  It is about corrupt and power-hungry leaders in the Catholic hierarchy wanting control over the people and not letting the truths of Scripture dictate doctrine and behavior. 

It is possible that some who were punished in those days may have been actual heretics, but I believe the Inquisition was more about suppressing the voices of the faithful common people who questioned the authority of the Church or pointed to the Bible as the ultimate authority (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  This has always made the Catholic Church quite nervous.

Twisting the Scriptures

Toward the end of the article, the author points out that:

“… it is easy to see how those who led the Inquisitions could think their actions were justified.”  And he goes on to point to certain Old Testament passages that encourage the killing of certain offenders in order to purge the evil from their midst (Deuteronomy 17:2-5; 13:6-11; 13:12-18).  

All right then, if Catholic Answers wants to be consistent and continue with this line of thinking, they also need to push for the stoning to death of all gay Church members, gay priests, gay bishops, gay cardinals, etc. (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13).  After all, this is also part of the law in the Old Testament, right?

But of course they would never do that because they know it would be wrong to do today.  They know that we are living under a different and better covenant (Hebrews 8:6) than that of the Old Testament law because Jesus ushered in a system of grace. 

Although homosexuality is wrong, there is no reason today to put gay people to death (or sexually promiscuous straight people, for that matter) unless there are other crimes involved.

Furthermore, Catholic Answers knows very well that the Inquisition occurred under the New Testament period.  So, why would they try to apply a strictly Old Testament law in this case to support it?  I believe that they are just desperate to justify their involvement in the Inquisition.  But, remember, God does not sleep and justice will be done.

Furthermore, the author of this article tries to also use a New Testament verse as a reason to justify the Inquisition:

“But them that are without, God judgeth.  Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (1 Corinthians 5:13)

But this New Testament passage is obviously not about civilly punishing someone, or putting him to death using the law of the land, as was done in the Inquisition.  Note the context of this passage: “… not to company with fornicators” (v. 9); “… with such an one not to eat” (v. 11).  This context is about not fellowshipping with certain people.  It does not equate to Inquisition tactics.   So we can clearly see that this argument is another good example of Catholics twisting Scripture.    

The author also brings out the fact that some Protestant Reformers also made use of their own Inquisition-type justice.  And this is equally wrong, no matter who’s doing it.  I would certainly not defend Protestants if they did the same evils that the Catholic Church did.

In light of all this, a sensible person might say that this particular article by Catholic Answers is misguided.  But remember, this article is accepted by, and in line with, the teachings of the Church, because it contains the Catholic seals of approval (the Nihil Obstat and the Imprimatur).  So, if the article is wrong, so is the Church. 

Another Catholic’s Lack of Remorse

One other article by Catholic Answers, written by popular author and speaker Jimmy Akin, once again focused on the Old Testament principle that heresy is a serious sin.  Indeed it is.  But everybody already knows that.  This is not new information. 

Akin states that “Anti-Catholics regularly bash the Church with the Inquisition” to show “how evil the Church truly is.”  He states that Catholics should reply by pointing to the “Mosaic Inquisition.” 

He then refers to Deuteronomy 17:2-7 and Deuteronomy 13:1-11 which speak of the evils of idolatry and Israel’s obligation to investigate the accusations and to purge this evil from their midst.

But, like I said, we already know that idolatry and heresy are horrible sins.  But that’s not the point.  The point is that when we’re talking about heresy, how do we deal with that issue TODAY, in the Christian/New Testament era of grace?  Do we put offenders back on the medieval rack or burn them alive?  Or is there some other, more biblical, avenue that Christians should take?

But notice that in Jimmy Akin’s article, there is not one word about what we should do about heresy today, and absolutely no hint of remorse for what the Catholic Church has done in the past.  Instead of defending the Inquisition, he, like many other Catholics, is simply trying to justify those horrible things that were done to (supposed) heretics.  Notice that there is far more focus on trying to cover for Mother Church for the evils she has done, than on any concern for the multitude of innocent victims she destroyed.  Akin’s “Mosaic Inquisition” argument is just a disgusting diversion from the real topic and more twisting of Sacred Scripture.  It doesn’t relieve the Catholic Church’s guilt.  See Akin’s article here:

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/nobody-expects-the-mosaic-inquisition

The Pope Apologizes for the Church’s Sins

According to an article in The Guardian (March 13, 2000), Pope John Paul II, as leader of the Catholic Church, had apologized for “2,000 years of violence, persecution and blunders.”  He also sought forgiveness for “sins committed against Jews, heretics, women, Gypsies and Native peoples.”

But if the Inquisition was ever a good thing, then why apologize for “sins against heretics”?  Doesn’t this also prove that the Inquisition was wrong, after all?  Otherwise, there’d be no need for an apology.  But, practically speaking, Pope John Paul II’s “apology” amounts to “too little… too late.”  See his apology here:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/mar/13/catholicism.religion

“Physician, Heal Thyself”

It is interesting that the Catholic Church was so greatly focused on the sin of heresy.  And they were willing to kill those who committed such a sin.

But what about the multitude of wicked sins that existed WITHIN the hierarchy of the Church itself during this very same time?  The Inquisition lasted from roughly the early 1200’s up until about the middle of the 1500’s.  During that time there was much sin, corruption and heresy that was happening within the Catholic Church in very high places.  Just to name a few:

Pope Leo X made Johann Tetzel an inquisitor (an officer in the Inquisition) in 1509.  Tetzel then duped the poor by selling indulgences and tricking the people into believing they could get family members out of Purgatory earlier than “scheduled.”  By the way, the lavish St. Peter’s Basilica (Catholic Church) was mainly funded by the already-burdened poor, who felt obligated to pay for the indulgences because they anguished over the eternal fate of their beloved relatives.  Note that Pope Leo apparently agreed with Tetzel’s tactics and the doctrine of indulgences.

Simony in the Catholic Church was also a major problem for many, many years.  Simony is the buying and selling of a church office – yes, even the papacy (the “Vicar of Christ’s” office) was bought and sold a number of times like a piece of common merchandise!  This is a wonderful example of the Catholic Church’s version of “apostolic succession,” which still claims a “lawful and unbroken chain of successors.”  Indeed!

The papacy was also infested with fornication, adultery, corruption and extreme greed for material goods and power.

And all this was happening, not only during this same Inquisition period, but throughout much of the Catholic Church’s history.

Jesus gave us an example of this type of hypocrisy:

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

There was so much wickedness and corruption that was going on within the Catholic leadership (including the papacy) that it would be hard for most Catholics to believe.  So, Catholic Church, before you started burning people at the stake for “heresy,” why didn’t you get your act together first?

Conclusion

The first Catholic Answers article mentioned above claims that the Inquisition is “a handy stick for Catholic-bashing, simply because most Catholics seem at a loss for a sensible reply.”  But there is a reason for that.  And it is because there IS no sensible reply – the Inquisition’s method of dealing with heresy was absolutely unbiblical and demonically inspired.  There is no excuse for it.  The Catholic Church needs to quit whining and playing the martyr (no pun intended) when people complain about the Inquisition.  The blame directed at the Church is deserved, and you Catholic apologists need to stop defending it!

The Inquisition was an opportunistic power grab and a convenient way to rid the Church of her detractors which was disguised as an attempt to “cleanse” the Church.  In my opinion, the Inquisition was an exercise in absolute control, an example of man trying to take the place of God. 

Even if they would show genuine repentance for the past, the Catholic Church should still be concerned about the heresy that yet remains within her own borders today.  If any biblical church sees heresy in others, they should then reach out to those heretics by preaching the Word of God to them (like Jesus did – Matthew 4:23) and reasoning with them (like the apostles did – Acts 17:2).  If you preach the gospel to them and they are still unrepentant, apply Matthew 18:15-17 and let God deal with their hearts. 

There is, and was, no godly justification for the Inquisition, so Catholics need to stop pretending that it was a necessary event, and they need to stop pretending that the Catholic Church is the “guardian of souls.”  A closer look at Scripture will prove otherwise.

 

THE INQUISITION (Part 1)

Someone recently made a comment about wishing that the “Holy Inquisition” was still around.  I found that to be a very strange and twisted desire and I think it speaks volumes about that person’s mental state.  But what about the Inquisition?  When we think about it, we conjure up images of people being tortured, body parts being cut off, people being stretched on “the rack” until their joints were dislocated, people being fed to wild animals and all sorts of heinous treatment. 

And these things did indeed happen.  These unfortunate people were usually first tried in court, yet many times the victims were not even able to confront their accusers, since the state kept their identity a secret.  But who caused this and why were these people treated in such a horrible manner?  What did they do to deserve this? 

Well, the Inquisition happened because the Catholic Church considered these “offenders” heretics who went against the teachings of the Church.  The Catholic Church claims that they were simply trying to remove heresy, and if that involved threatening “heretics” with using such severe tactics, causing obedience to the Catholic Church, then so much the better.

According to the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia (online), there were actually three different periods of “Inquisition” in history. 

The first one, in southern France in the early 1200’s A.D., was known as the Medieval Inquisition.  A little later began the Spanish Inquisition (probably the most infamous one) at about 1478 A.D.  And finally came the Roman Inquisition at about 1542 A.D.  See here:

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08026a.htm

But was the Inquisition really that barbaric, that horrific?  Maybe so, maybe not.  Some tell of extreme horror stories, of atrocities done against Protestants (and other groups) by the Catholic Church.  Others downplay the stories, asserting that these punishments were “necessary” to keep heresy at bay.

I would not doubt that some of those claims are most likely exaggerated.  But on the other hand, I would think that many of them are indeed true.

Admissions

One article on the Catholic Straight Answers website concerning the purpose of the Inquisition claims:

“Not only was a heretic’s soul in jeopardy, but also his false teaching jeopardized the souls of others.  The [Catholic] Church, as the guardian of souls, had to ‘root out’ any such heresy.”

This is actually an admission of the Catholic Church’s involvement in the Inquisition(s).  We need to remember this admission when they tell us that the Church had nothing to do with it, and that they simply turned over the “violators” to the state authorities to be punished. 

This article also admits that the Church and the state often “worked together in this endeavor,” since “the Roman Catholic Church was the only Church in western Europe until Martin Luther started the Protestant movement in 1517.”

I make this point because Catholics often try to push off the blame onto the state for such cruel abuse.  But when the Catholic Church turned someone over to the authority of the state to be punished, they knew exactly what to expect, so they can’t plead ignorance or innocence in this matter.  In fact, the Catholic Church brags that her authority is higher than the state’s authority.  Pope Nicholas I (858 A.D. – 867 A.D.) was quoted as saying:

“Fear, then, our wrath and the thunders of our vengeance, for Jesus Christ has appointed us with his own mouth absolute judges of all men, and kings themselves are submitted to our authority..."

See here:

https://popenicholas.weebly.com/quotes.html?c=mkt_w_chnl:aff_geo:all_prtnr:sas_subprtnr:1538097_camp:brand_adtype:txtlnk_ag:weebly_lptype:hp_var:358504&sscid=31k8_u2hf&utm_source=ShareASale

Also, according to Catholic priest, theologian, and church historian Johann Joseph Ignaz von Dollinger:

“It is the office of the Papacy to tread under foot kings and emperors.” (The Pope and the Council, London 1869, p. 339)

It is a well-known fact that kings/emperors/monarchs feared the pope because they knew that he could excommunicate them.  This gave the pope great leverage, since they feared for their souls and they believed that the Catholic Church could actually keep them out of Heaven.  

Here is a list of examples of kings/emperors/monarchs who were excommunicated from the Catholic Church:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_excommunicated_by_the_Catholic_Church

And here are examples of kings who were deposed (removed from office) by popes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_deposing_power

So, there is certainly blood on the Church’s hands and they can’t blame the Inquisition on the state.

A Catholic Event

The article by Catholic Straight Answers also states that after the Inquisition climaxed, it began a decline, which continued throughout most of Europe and was finally suppressed in 1834.

Ok, interesting thought here.  If the Inquisition was the right thing to do, if it was rooting out heresy (like the beginning of this article said it was), then why did it fade out?  Why did the Catholic Church allow the Inquisition to decline and be suppressed?  Didn’t they consider it God’s will to extinguish heresy and wouldn’t they try to continue with a new Inquisition?  Was there no one left in all Christendom at this time who was involved in heresy?  I believe that it stopped because the Church was losing its grip on its reign of terror and the people were seeing the truth of what was happening.

At the end of the article, it claims that the Inquisition was not a “Catholic event.”  But that contradicts what they said earlier about the Church being the “guardian of souls” and their responsibility to “root out heresy.”  But it is interesting that now they want to distance themselves from it?  Why?  Again, because they know it was wrong.

Torture

The article also admits that the Inquisition sometimes used torture to gain a confession of heresy, but not everyone thought that this was a moral thing to do:

“Bernardo Gui, one of the most famous inquisitors, commented that torture was deceiving and inefficacious because it forced the confession.” (Emphasis added)

I absolutely agree.

Furthermore, there is much quibbling today about the accuracy of the actual numbers of those killed.  But even if there was only ONE person wrongly killed, tortured or punished by the Inquisition, it was still too many!  Instead of arguing about numbers, how about showing some legitimate regret for those poor souls who suffered under the boot of the Church?  Indeed, the Catholic Church will have to answer for that.

See the article by Catholic Straight Answers here:

https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-are-the-facts-about-the-inquisition/#:~:text=The%20Inquisition%20climaxed%20in%20the,being%20finally%20suppressed%20in%201834.

What Would Jesus Do?

The highly influential and very popular Catholic Answers website also weighed in on this topic of the Inquisition.  See their article here:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-inquisition

In their article, it states that the purpose of the Spanish Inquisition was:

“To identify conversos – Jews and Muslims who pretended to convert to Christianity for political or social advantage and secretly practiced their former religion.  More importantly, its job was also to clear the good names of many people who were falsely accused of being heretics.”

But what would Jesus Christ say about this?  How did He go about trying to “root out heresy” when He was here on earth?  Did He advocate the burning at the stake of those who didn’t obey what He taught?  No, He set no such example, nor did He encourage it.  But rather, He left that judgment for the afterlife.  He just preached the gospel.  Those who refused His message He neither chased nor punished.  They made their decision and they would have to live with it.

Also, 2 Peter 2:1-22 has some harsh things to say about the promoters of heresy, but suggests nothing about civil penalties or punishment in man’s court.  We could also mention 1 Corinthians 11:19, Galatians 5:20, and Titus 3:10, which all mention heresy, but say nothing about civil penalties for it.  I hope the reader can see a pattern here.  Heresy is wrong, but we don’t kill people for that today (in the New Testament).

Whitewashing the Inquisition

That Catholic Answers article goes on to mention two “Fundamentalist” authors who wrote about the Inquisition, claiming that they harbored fierce animosity toward the Catholic Church “that had little to do with the Inquisition itself.”  In other words, Inquisition or no Inquisition, they had an agenda against Holy Mother Church.  Well, maybe they had some hostility toward the Church, but remember again, this is the same Church who claims that her job was to “root out heresy,” thus, starting this whole reign of terror.  This doesn’t sound like a Church that had “little to do” with the Inquisition.  In my opinion the Catholic Church is indeed the cause of it all.

Right after that, the article states that some Catholics (knowing that something is amiss) have glossed over the admittedly incontrovertible facts and tried to whitewash the Inquisition, fearing that the facts about the Inquisition might prove the illegitimacy of the Catholic Church.  But the author goes on to assure Catholics that “no account of foolishness, misguided zeal, or cruelty by Catholics can undo the divine foundation of the Church.”

Well, I’m sorry, dear Catholics, but it is far too late for that.  The “divine foundation” of the Catholic Church is, and always was, a fallacy.  This whole blog (and many other sources) is a testament to that.  The events of the Inquisition are only one of the many things that points to the illegitimacy of the Catholic Church.  But more devastating than that, it is the God-breathed Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17) that clearly demonstrate the corruption, heresy and false teachings of this Church.  The Inquisition was only one symptom of the real problems.

Ok, I’ll stop for now and continue with Part 2 next time.  To be continued…