Whats up with the inquisition? 

Zach asked this question. Someone called it the “unanswerable” question…well… there is an answer J

 

First, a short thought. Have you ever heard people saying that they do not believe in Christianity because of the sins/crimes/hypocrisy of Christians?(wars, discrimination, KKK, persecution of other religious groups) It’s a very common objection. To that we know the answer: you cannot judge the truth of Christianity on the failure of some Christians.

 

Now, the Inquisition is always brought up when people talk about the Catholic Church. Why? Because some people think that the abuses that occurred prove that somehow catholics are not Christians or that Catholicism cannot be true. The sins of the members of the Catholic Church only prove two things: that catholics are sinners and that at times there have been people in authority who have been real bad sinners. Period.

 

Just as the crimes and sins of some Christians do not prove Christianity false, the sins and crimes of certain catholics do not prove Catholicism wrong. Some catholics sometimes whitwash what happened. There’s no need to do that. We acknowledge our collective sins, and cry and cry and beg for forgiveness. And then we go on trying our best to live according to Christ.

 

Just as witch burning does not prove Puritans wrong. Or the crimes of certain priest/catholic-hunters in Reformation England  do not prove Anglicans wrong.

 

Now lets get into the history lesson! There was not only one Inquisition. There were 3. As if one wasn’t enough!

 

1)      The Medieval Inquisition of 1184.  

2)      The Roman Inquisition of 1542.

3)      The Spanish Inquisition of 1478.

 

Back then the State had a great interest in keeping everyone the same religion because back then religion and politics were extremely intertwined. Being of certain religion opinion was equalized with being of certain political interest. (much like today, though not as radical as before thank God!) and for that some religious groups suffered persecution. So when kings found new religions coming up and then hear that they want to get rid of the King that doesn’t agree with their ideas, the King would freak out and put on an Inquisition…

 

Mind you, this was not a “Creepy Catholic King” thing only obviously. Most states in that time of history held the idea that if you are not part of the State Religion then you are probably an enemy of the state. England was pretty bad. After Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church persecution against catholics ensued. Priests were hanged, quartered and disemboweled for being “traitors”… not a pretty sight.

 

A “today” example of that (though not as violent thank God) is the profiling and discrimination that some Muslims suffer in the Western world because of the evil actions of some Muslims to destroy governments. There are people that because of the evil actions of some Muslims consider all Muslims “enemies” of the country.

 

Now, the fact that there was an actual threat to the states does not justify what happened obviously. Yet it is important to sign that some times in certain circles what happened is exaggerated. I’ve heard of a popular book that claims 95 million people died under the Inquisition… c’mon! there weren’t even that many people in Europe!

 

But you know, if only ONE person died unjustly it was ONE too many.

 

And for what happened and for the other many mistakes and sins that have been committed in the name of the Church the Pope John Paul II asked for forgiveness to the world on March 12, 2000 during a Sunday mass at Saint Peter's Basilica. He continued during all his pontificate asking for forgiveness and all the catholics of good faith unite in this same act.