Why were religious fanatics very cruel to...

[dragon_fly_7]

those that didn't believe in their faith nor share their same ideas. Though this happened 500 years ago or so and it's over, it scares me knowing that I might have been killed and probably convicted as a witch and suffered a horrible death for not only being an atheist but along with that not fitting the role of the passive woman (since atheism would go against that role and it wasn't considered a feminine quality).

 

There has been many killings and sentences during the Spanish Inquisition period (during the Middle Ages or towards the ending of it). Among that it included being burned to death at the stake, being hanged, getting your head chopped off or if you were lucky not to get killed they would still tortured you until agreeing with them or you could also be imprisoned for life.

 

This really makes me think. If they were so called ''Examplary'' citizens leading a ''good'' catholic life and following their lord and how god forgives, then why were they committing those inhumane crimes when others either believe in something different or were atheists/agnostics, acting as if only their reasonings were correct?

 

Lastly, how were they able to live with that (killing a human being for no reason) and act as if nothing happened the following day??? Wouldn't killing a human being in a horrible way or applying torture even go against their religion and everything that has to do with being a good, Catholic citizen with values and morals??

Edited July 2, 2014 by dragon_fly_7

[Snakechammah]

Throughout evolution, religion has always been a sensitive topic.

 

People can kill for their beliefs - religion, politics or football clubs, lol.

 

But seriously, one's belief is between them and their creator (or whatever substitute there is). To me personally, I fully respect someone else's beliefs as long as they don't try to push it down my throat.

 

Be it my mom or the stranger in the streets.

 

Like a saying in my culture goes, you are responsbile for your own grave. Or something like that, lol.

[dragon_fly_7]

But seriously, one's belief is between them and their creator (or whatever substitute there is). To me personally, I fully respect someone else's beliefs as long as they don't try to push it down my throat.

True, it would be a beautiful world if everyone would just get along and respect each other.

 

I recalled a female co-worker at my former workplace brought up the religion topic suddenly (out of nowhere) and she kept saying how non-believers in god were anarchists trying to ruin the order of things and all this salvation thing. I changed the topic fast but honestly would be great if I had said ''Well I think judgmental believers want to also ruin the order of things by forcing others be a follower of some unseen being rather than a leader with his/her own ideas that doesn't need someone else's guidelines''.

 

I think next time I bump into someone like that, I'm going to dish it back to him/her. Let's see how long can they keep a pointless argument where neither him/her nor me would be winning.

Edited July 3, 2014 by dragon_fly_7

[Taramere]

those that didn't believe in their faith nor share their same ideas. Though this happened 500 years ago or so and it's over, it scares me knowing that I might have been killed and probably convicted as a witch and suffered a horrible death for not only being an atheist but along with that not fitting the role of the passive woman (since atheism would go against that role and it wasn't considered a feminine quality).

 

Life was harsh, and people were brutal. I don't all the blame should necessarily go to religion for that. That organised religion held such force was probably just part and parcel of a lot of people being poor and uneducated. And generally of course, people were so much less informed about the world than they are now thanks to scientific developments.

 

I read a review of a fairly interesting sounding book recently. Wish I could remember what it was called, as I was going to order it. The book was written following extensive case research by people who wanted to know what really happened during the witch trials. The conclusion was that the Church was more than happy to get involved in adjudicating on people's wickedness, dunking them, burning them at the stake and preaching the Malleus Maleficarum (anybody who doubts the overwhelming extent of misogyny in the Church back then should have a read of that).

 

However, the baseness and pettiness of human nature, with or without organised religion as a factor, played a huge role in these inhumane punishments. Something as minor as one neighbour giving another a gift of a cake, accompanied by a barbed comment about the recipient's own culinary abilities, could be enough to trigger a series of events culminating in the cake baker being burned at the stake. For, essentially, making a catty dig at another woman.

 

I think you'd have just had to keep quiet about your atheism back then. Otherwise, onto the dunking stool you would have gone. Other crimes I've read about in other books include dabbling with herbs and spices to create homeopathic remedies. When it came to elderly women who were spinsters or widows, there were no holds barred. Especially if they owned a cat. Their existence was blamed for everything from bad weather to younger women suffering miscarriages.

 

We've moved on as a society now, but you can still see plenty of remnants of that sort of thinking. The main difference is that the irrational, wicked nutters who are of that mindset aren't in charge any more....and I would agree that you can probably thank the greatly reduced power of organised religion in the West, in part, for that.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Taramere

[pureinheart]

Life was harsh, and people were brutal. I don't all the blame should necessarily go to religion for that. That organised religion held such force was probably just part and parcel of a lot of people being poor and uneducated. And generally of course, people were so much less informed about the world than they are now thanks to scientific developments.

 

I read a review of a fairly interesting sounding book recently. Wish I could remember what it was called, as I was going to order it. The book was written following extensive case research by people who wanted to know what really happened during the witch trials. The conclusion was that the Church was more than happy to get involved in adjudicating on people's wickedness, dunking them, burning them at the stake and preaching the Malleus Maleficarum (anybody who doubts the overwhelming extent of misogyny in the Church back then should have a read of that).

 

However, the baseness and pettiness of human nature, with or without organised religion as a factor, played a huge role in these inhumane punishments. Something as minor as one neighbour giving another a gift of a cake, accompanied by a barbed comment about the recipient's own culinary abilities, could be enough to trigger a series of events culminating in the cake baker being burned at the stake. For, essentially, making a catty dig at another woman.

 

I think you'd have just had to keep quiet about your atheism back then. Otherwise, onto the dunking stool you would have gone. Other crimes I've read about in other books include dabbling with herbs and spices to create homeopathic remedies. When it came to elderly women who were spinsters or widows, there were no holds barred. Especially if they owned a cat. Their existence was blamed for everything from bad weather to younger women suffering miscarriages.

 

We've moved on as a society now, but you can still see plenty of remnants of that sort of thinking. The main difference is that the irrational, wicked nutters who are of that mindset aren't in charge any more....and I would agree that you can probably thank the greatly reduced power of organised religion in the West, in part, for that.

 

Well said:) and about sums it up. Wouldn't you call it a severe form of paranoia, and a dash of severe superstition, coupled with large amounts of fear- that's what I see.

 

I experience this on various levels at times, minus the superstitions, although I've not thought of killing someone.