by Steve Weidenkopf
Nobody talks about the Inquisition—unless the Catholic Church is being bashed. After all, images of religious oppression, gruesome torture, and burning heretics fit so perfectly with the modern world’s preconceived idea (unwittingly swallowed by many Catholics, too) that Church history is one long trail of violence, intolerance, and ignorance.
Those images are all wrong, says historian Steve Weidenkopf. And not only wrong—they’re dangerous lies that perpetuate anti-Catholic historical errors.
In The Real Story of the Inquisition, Weidenkopf digs into the wealth of historical data to show that, far from being a cruel reign of terror, the Inquisition was actually a noble institution that:
- Aimed principally at the repentance and reconciliation of wayward Catholics
- Used well-regulated procedures and temperate punishments
- Protected the accused from harsher treatment by the state
- Fostered both religious and national unity
Along the way he debunks common Inquisition myths invented during the Reformation and stoked to this day by any group with a grievance against the Church. Don’t let these lies pass without an answer: Listen to The Real Story of the Inquisition today and learn to set the record straight.