After some time on the SDMB, I have discovered that this place is teaming with atheists. It’s nice to know that I am not the only one who has shed religion. I can remember a few incidents in High School and College where I was often the only one debating the atheist side when such subjects were discussed. There were even times when, people became cold and outright hostile when they found out I was an atheist. I had a college roommate (a southern baptist) who used to leave little Jesus booklets around in hopes I would see the light. We did not last a semester together. The dorm split us up half way through the semester. Interestingly, it was my roommate who requested the move and got it for “spiritual” reasons. I tried avoiding religious discussions with him, but he constantly brought it up. I often told him, “I respect your belief, please respect mine”. I guess it was not good enough. He was on a mission to save my soul. Towards the end he must have felt he was sharing the room with the spawn of Satan. (When he did bring up the “evil” one, I told him I didn’t believe in Him either. This was apparently a concept he could never grasp, because he always dismissed it and kept assuming that atheism = satanism).
Anyway, to get to the point. During one of these “beating a dead horse” sessions, I suddenly realized, if this was 500 years ago in Spain, this guy would have had me on a rack by now. The thought just hit me like a ton of bricks, and I started thinking of all the religious people I know and what they would do to me if this was 500 years ago and they had the power of the inquisitor. Well obviously, I could only assume, but I could imagine at least three people who would have used the torture chamber. Another four people would have put me in prison and perhaps ten people would have had me exiled. Let’s just say I was somewhat disturbed.
So here is my question. If you as a christian had the power of an inquisitor, how far would you go to convert me and all other atheists on the SDMB? BE HONEST!
After reading through my own OP I realized it was a stupid question to ask. I don’t think anyone would admit “Yeah Jack, you would be roasting on a bonfire, if I’d had it my way”. So, let me change the topic slightly and open it up for everyone. What would you do if as an atheist (or whatever religion deemed unacceptable by Christians) you found yourselves in medieval times and you were caught by the inquisition?
Would you convert?
Alternative A: I claim to embrace the faith, leave the dungeon and continue my merry dark age life. (Let’s assume the inquisitor can’t really tell that I’m just going through the motions).
Alternative B: I cling to my belief system and die a fiery death for my (lack of) beliefs.
Not that hard to choose, is it ? Especially, since I’m an atheist, I’m holding a hole card: I don’t believe that I’ll be punished by some other deity if I go through the motions of converting to catholicism. Pass those knee pads, padre!
Of course, if I were to hold another faith, the question gets tougher. Even so, I don’t think any deity would want me on his conscience in these circumstances.
As was pointed out on the “Spanish Inquistion” thread (on which I made some particularly trenchent points. That no one responded to. Not that I’m bitter about it.)the Inquistions didn’t go after anyone who was not under their jurusdiction. That is, members of the Church. They were interested in the purity of the flock, not conversion. But of course, then, true atheism didn’t exist, for all intents and purposes.
I suppose it depends on whether or not I was allowed to wear the big hood and the long robes. I like to think that if I had those, I could just walk around looking menacing and not actually harm anyone. After all, it’s all about the garb.
Not that my opinion really matters, since I don’t believe. If, however, I were an Inquisitee, then I would do whatever they wanted me to do. After all, torture gives me gas.
I guess these “What If?” questions don’t make good debate topics. So let me turn to betenoir’s post regarding the inquisition;
Initially it was meant as an inquisition on the purity of the flock. That is true. However, it became more sinister as time went on. The methods to extract “confessions” and “repentance” by the inquisitors were extremely cruel. The cruelty was not only against the Jews in Spain, but also against the natives of the New World.
I have shared your frustration. It’s difficult to get people to debate the exact issues that you want.
betenoir is correct. The inquisition used sinister methods, but only to Christians. However, at around the same time, all Jews were banished from Spain, unless they converted to Christianity. This resulted in a huge number of insincere conversions, which brought many people under the thumb of the inquisition.
The OP is so rambling and vague each person is answering a different question. I think the concrete question was:
This is a difficult, if not impossible, question to answer because is you lived at that time you would have a mentality of that time, not the one you have now.
I would point out that today people in China and other places are persecuted for their religious beliefs. And also for their political beliefs (which have much in common with religion).
Maybe the question would be “What would you do if you were persecuted for your beliefs? Would you shut up and go along? Or would you fight for your beliefs?”
And the answer is always “It depends”. For me, if what I say or do can make a difference, even if small, I would try to stand up for what I believe in. But if it makes almost no difference and the price to pay is huge, then I would probably shut up and say “Whatever!”.
I would quite like to be an inquisitor. My specialty would be wayword attractive females. I would have quite some fun in the dungeon, and make the ladies like it. They would leave maybe not more religious, but ready for jobs as dominatrics.
OK I am going into a pure, erotic fantasy zone, but YOU started talking religious stuff and torture.
This thread has found me with that Monty Python skit running through my head…
“No one expects… The Spanish Inquisition!”
Actually, in with the OP, and with the little knowledge I have about the Inquisition, I’d convert. Yeah, so I’m a wimp and not fond of that kind of torture. Seriously, the mindset of the people of that time, there was just no way around “reason”–and conversion was the only way to get out alive. Maybe it’s because I’ve just never had much of a martyr complex.
Actually, cooldude, while your warped fanatasies are more than a mite frightening, they’re not too far off the mark. A disproportionate number of the victims of the Inquisition were virgin nubiles, and, at least as far as I know, all the Inquisiters were men. One of the basic tenents of witchhunting was that the suspect would have to be stripped naked and examined for the Mark of the Beast. This could be anything from a scar to a birthmark to a freckle, so naturally the examiners had to search every millimeter of her body very carefully, especially the more intimate places. Once the so called Mark was found, the accused was forced to confess to having had sex with Satan and every salacious detail of each alleged encounter was tortured out of her. In those days of brutally oppressed sexuality, it was the closest a mere Inquisitor could get to Penthouse or Hustler. It also explains why it wasn’t hard to recruit Inquisitors.
For a truly nightmarish mental exercise, imagine how many rapes - even gang rapes - occurred during those interrogations. After all, who was going to tell? Even if, through some miracle, the victim wasn’t put to death as soon as humanly feasible, who would believe a woman who had confessed to witchcraft and boinking El Diablo if she claimed to have been raped by the devout, God fearing men of the Inquisition who were there to protect the citizens from the evils of the witch?
Very good point. And I am convinced that it happened.
However, it was not only women. 20,000 men got burned for being werewolves. If it ain’t one, it’s the other.
