Postreformational Inquisition

[Caid Ivik]

Yesterday I had a very good conversation with one person about Middle Age, of course we hit also that cause of inquisition, ideological fight of roman Church and other philosophies. Political powers seen in inquisition a good tool of eliminating their opponents, reconquistadors a best way to psychologically defeat Maurs. Inquisition (word derived from latin "asking") of this time looks like Berija's NKVD, but its more peaceful forms were, led by i.e.Aquinus or Morus, very beneficial for christian philosophy.

But with the late period, Church fell to second, far worse schizma, era of counterpopes, when Church was slightly losing its moral authority. This chaos led to reformation: there were enough forces against Hus, but 100 years later were Luther and Calvin unstoppable. New puristical views weren't discussed in Church's universal councils, so we can see many points to dualistic or predestinal theories.

Inquisition itself lost some real leaders. Philosophical fight against heresy, which was very creative in bringing better description of religious problems, very like islamic theory of pure djihad, was perverted by uneducated people to new, much more bloody form. People seen only simple polarized world of earthly evil things, countering those heavenly good. So people took the words to their hands. Run for witches came in 16th century as a result.

This is an usual description of the problem. But in that conversation we get to possible point, that those "witches", native healers using natural extracts as medicine, could made an error as well. They were experts on flora, also its gifts and some chemical components. They knew what is poisonious and what healthy. Also what is full of nutritions and what is full of...hallucinogens!

Maybe these "witches" were not only healing body, but also soul, by their magic mushrooms. They spreaded euphoric drugs, aphrodiziacs, energy boosters and other such stuff, which was considered to have "magical" effect. As people could become addicted, they were thought to be "possessed by demon", or better "cursed" by the witch.

[Egeides]

What we lurned in our history classes is that witches and the ideas that were surrounding them were considered paganism by the Church. The people were in some kind of middle between the the intellectual elite's doctrine (christianism) and local culture (witches, superstitions...). So to get people on the Catholicism's side and on the Church's side, the Church sent some guys which goal was to show everyone that the witches were evil and source of their problems and say "don't worry, we know what to do with them and we're gonna help you from now on". From there, they found "devil's symptoms" on the poor witches, tortured them:

- some got bored and said "ok, I'm the devil" so they would stop torture

- some didn't pass the tests of "if you burn, God's not on your side"-type

After this, a clergy was instaured more efficiently in the local place and tried to educate people about religion and bring them closer and closer to Catholicism from their superstitions. By puting the clergy people in front of the superstitions' processions for exemple, and, with time, bringing them closer and closer to Catholicism.

[Caid Ivik]

On the beginning of middle ages, whole Europe on north of Alps was pagan. Early Church started sending bishops to new nations, slowly forming new empires. Franconia, Great Moravia, Novgorod and many more accepted. Some were later consumed by other nations, i.e.Moravia by Hungary, but also these new nations replaced paganism by christianity. Process was usually peaceful, many eastern pagan tribes remained (Bulgarians, Kumans), giving merciless mercenaries to christian countries. Just they were slowly assimilated, christian countries were demographically faster.

But that doesn't mean that paganism was fully erradicated. Many pagan rituals were put into christian tradition, others remained as "fun". Most superstitions have the core also in paganism. In slovak villages is even today usual to burn doll of death goddess Morena on beginning of spring. People haven't replaced old thoughts, only added some others to them.

[Hawat]

Concerning "witches": All the tales and rumours about witches contained -as usually- a core of truth. In the centuries of the middle age devil worshipping cults (play Darklands or read a serious book about witchcraft for more info ;)) were spread all over europe (im not sure, but i would claim most of them were in germany) and their practises were commonly known but never talked about (fear of curses and punishment). So in their hunt for these cults the church was not really making direct hits. To their shame they hunted every woman who had experience with herbs, healing etc. or was "just" accused of being a witch