How many of you have read the Malleus Maleficarum? If you haven't, you definately should. It is the book that was used by the Inquisition to oppress and subjugate your long ago predecessors. It is (no joke) one of the most disturbing books I have ever read, and I read alot.
If you have read it, what did you find most disturbing about it?
2006-10-05 12:05:40 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I don't think any of you have actually read it since it's not about torturing people.
Much of it is about the idea of witches, that is people who conjure devils and the potential power of the conjuring. The church's take on fallen angels.
It also deals in how to reverse spells and gives a number of "cases" as example.
It deals with exorcism based on the idea that people who are conjuring do so because they are possessed. And some are possessed because they were cursed by conjurers.
Now. Let's also get very real here. There were no pagans back then as we have today. The modern "pagan" and "wiccan" movements were invented by a couple of Englishmen who liked to run round naked. Gardener and Alexander by surname.
Those who were oppressed were all Christians. The burning times were all about Catholic VS Protestant. And the ones being killed were largely Catholic. If you compare a map of Reformation to a map of Burning Times, you'll see the most burnings and hangings happened in areas taken over by the Reformation. Germany, England. Places were Martin Luther, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I lost their minds.
Back then, Catholic priests were hunted and killed for their "conjuring" of the body of Christ.
Look up the life of Edmund Campion.
See the link below for the Tyburn Tree - where many Catholics died.
Since nuns didn't perform mass, they didn't conjure. But they were still burned as witches.
2006-10-05 12:33:32 · answer #1 · answered by Max Marie, OFS 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I have read it twice and am in the process of reading it again.
The most disturbing thing, (there are so many) I guess is the way they set up the handbook so that there really wasn't a way for the accused to be found innocent. Any thing that may indicate innocence was a trick of the Witch.
Scary to say the least.
Blessings )O(
For those not familiar with the Malleus Maleficarum...
It served as a guidebook for Inquisitors during the Inquisition, and was designed to aid them in the identification, prosecution, and dispatching of Witches.
http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/mmtoc.html
2006-10-05 12:09:31 · answer #2 · answered by Epona Willow 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
I have not read it nor do I intend to do so any time soon. It is a piece of ancient propaganda used to convert people to Christianity. I used to be Christian and know full well what the book is about, but I fail to see its relevance in today's society. I may change my mind about reading it however once I get through with college, right now that is the most important thing on my mind.
24 y.o. Pagan College Student
2006-10-05 15:53:30 · answer #3 · answered by Phoenix Summersun 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I found the entire thing to be disgusting. It doesn't surprise me that it caused such a stir in the Church and was used regularly by Church officials. To think that such beliefs about Pagans and Witches still linger today in our "educated" society. I think that is what I find most disturbing... that people today actually believe that sort of thing without realizing it was used in order to gain lands and money by a group of people who used hysteria. It's hard to believe that people today still believe that stuff... and some would actually re-instate the horrible tortures they used to do. Burning alive would be horrible, but to be tortured for a year or more (as some documents show) in prison, forced to confess to things they made up to begin with and then burned alive.... *shiver*
2006-10-05 12:16:45 · answer #4 · answered by Kithy 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Christians as well as Muslims and other religions have a history of torture and manipulation of humans to try and force people to believe they way they wanted them to.
That was one of the reasons for wanting freedom of religion.
Most countries never made any advancement. All inventions were made in the USA plains, trains and automobiles.
Because all there time, energy and resources was used to force their beliefs on other people. If anyone had a creative or original thought he was either killed or tortured to death.
2006-10-05 12:10:26 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I've read some excerpts. Not particularly what I'd consider good reading, unless you're looking at it from a psychology angle; there's a lot of transferrance that went on in what I saw.
2006-10-06 06:11:58 · answer #6 · answered by ArcadianStormcrow 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a copy of it in my local bookshop, and I have been tempted to buy it for history purposes. As of yet, I haven't parted with my money for it. I might in the future.
BB
)0(
2006-10-06 23:39:57 · answer #7 · answered by Seph7 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I have read it. The most disturbing were the various forms of torture. And "how to tell if a person" was a witch.
2006-10-05 12:07:41 · answer #8 · answered by Delphyne 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
The excerpts I have read reveal it to be a foul, heinous book.
2006-10-05 12:53:10 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've not gotten around to reading it yet, but trust me, I will be reading it in the very near future. Thanks for reminding me of the name, I couldn't remember the latter part. I was like, "Malleus male...uh...something."
2006-10-05 12:08:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋