Displaying all 5 Forum Posts for the Thread:

Spanish Inquisition

2010-05-21 03:20 PM

ChristyR
Denton, TX
Posts: 197

Wanted to start a forum to discuss the Spanish Inquisition.... Why did it start? Where did it encounter success/ failure?... etc.

2010-05-21 04:51 PM

MrWonder
Medium City, TX
Posts: 226

Hi Christy,

Without getting out my history books, as I recall it the Catholic church, headed by the pope, wanted all power over religion. There were many Bible-believing Christians who would not give allegiance to the pope and the Spanish Inquisition was for the purpose of ferreting out Christians and making them recant their faith in Christ or else they would be tortured and killed at the hands of the inquisitors.

Much harm has been done in the name of religion, especially by Islam and Catholicism. Today, much harm is being done by idiotic TV preachers, although it is not physical harm like as was done back then.

MrWonder

2010-05-21 05:21 PM

ChristyR
Denton, TX
Posts: 197

I thought it was headed up by the Monarch... since the authority had formerly been left to the pope...

not sure on that though...

2010-10-20 11:26 PM

Dancerman
Glendale, CA
Posts: 10

Hey Christy,

Don't let Mr. Wonder steer you astray.

After the "Reconquista" when the muslim empire was driven out of Spain, the government wanted to assure that there were going to be no subversives in the country which would work to bring back muslim rule. They declared Spain to be a Catholic country and that all Spanish citizens had to be Catholic. Jews and mulims who refused were exiled from the country. (The Ladino Jews are descended from these exiles.)

However, not all left. Some professed to be Catholic yet kept their own faiths. These were considered to threats to the government and the people of Spain. The Inquisition in Spain was started to ferret out these "subversives."
The Spanish Inquisition did get excessive in their zeal (and greed) but in the three hundred plus years of the Spanish Inquisition, fewer people were put to death than the number of Catholics who were killed in England during Queen Elizabeth's reign.

2010-11-28 07:29 AM

Zach F
Denton, TX
Posts: 119

Couldn't have said it better myself. Well put.