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Originally Posted by yossarian  I have an interesting question.
If Christianity had not existed, would Europe still have suffered the wholesale torture of anyone in society who deviated even slightly from the social norms?
In my opinion it takes a thoroughly dogmatic monolithic institution to host the kind of demonism that the Catholic Church practiced for 1000 years.
Bloodshed is one thing. Organized, long-standing, widespread torture of innocents including children is another. At least tribal cultures kill their enemies. The Catholics let them be eaten alive by rats (literally) between applications of the wheel where every bone in their body was smashed. |
You seem to overestimate the bloodshed caused by the inquisition, which came not into being until the 13th century and was only in some parts a cruel, blood-drinking institution. It wrked out badly in Spain, but the inquisition in Italy was (for the time) amazingly fair and did only deal out very few death sentences in comparison with non-religious courts in that time.
Torture could only be applied with the consent and participation of the worldly government, so they were involved, too...
And it is strange that so many people are believed to have opposed the Catholic system when it was so oppressive in the first place... how did they manage?
Unfortunately, other denominations didn't do better after they had invented itself.
I do not regard christianity as an advantage for society, but I am a big fan of getting historical facts right and not creating a "monster" because it fits my own views.