vetenskapochupplysning

The Spanish Inquisition was one out of many Inquisitions which existed to root out and punish heretics. Since the Inquisitions were a part of the Catholic Church, heretics were simply baptized people who had ideas that didn’t go well with the Catholic Church.
This seems like an effective way to control people to think like you, or in this case the Catholic Church. The simple existence of an Inquisition probably scared many people so that they didn’t dare speak against the church. Because, sure, only 0,1%) or so who were prosecuted by the Spanish Inquisition were actually executed, but maybe you would be amongst the 0,1% if you would dare say something? Even if you weren’t amongst one of the “lucky” few, circa 440 if the numbers are correct, torture was much more common than executions. I don’t know about the rest of you, but if keeping my mouth shut would save me from torture and possible execution, I would definitely keep my mouth shut!
The Spanish Inquisition seems like the predecessor of Gestapo to me, especially since it was first Jews who had converted to Catholicism who were the main targets of the Spanish Inquisition. Later, however, they moved on to prosecuting Muslims who had converted, and later their main focus became converted Protestants. Jews were recently quite feared in the world, at least if you ask Hitler, and today mankind is generally scared of Muslims. Maybe Protestants are our next fear, if this pattern is to continue?
You may have noticed that the Spanish Inquisition started during the Middle Ages, and that it was terminated during the Enlightenment. Maybe, during the Enlightenment, they realised how stupid it was to prosecute heretics simply because they held beliefs contrary to the Catholic Church. Perhaps during the Enlightenment knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge was more important than religious beliefs, and therefore they didn’t see the need of the Spanish Inquisition during the Enlightenment? I believe so, and this seems to be the popular belief.
During the Enlightenment, people generally started to search for scientific answers instead of religious ones. It seems to me like the Spanish Inquisition was abolished due to the fact that people wanted to be able to express their views and thoughts without fearing torture or execution as a result. This was a result of the fact that people during the Enlightenment were broadening their minds more than before, searching for answers and sometimes alternative answers for some questions that, e.g., the church already had answered in one way, much like people are still doing today.
Would you speak your mind even if it might get you tortured and possibly executed? Or would you prefer to stay quiet and live a quiet, fearful life?

Here is a link to a Monty Python sketch, which I think illustrates how feared the Spanish Inquisition was even though it wasn’t really as bad as we usually imagine it, since only 440 people were executed when people usually exaggerate it to tens of thousands who were executed. It also illustrates how the aim of the Inquisitors was to gain a confession, sometimes with the use of torture (although the torture was of course more painful than in this video).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSe38dzJYkY


For more info on the Spanish Inquisition, please go to:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/spanish-inquisition.htm


By: Lia