Why are us Christians not labelled terrorist?

Modern historians have long known that the popular view of the Inquisition is a myth. The Inquisition was actually an attempt by the Catholic Church to stop unjust executions.

Heresy was a capital offense against the state. It was considered a type of treason. Rulers of the state, whose authority was believed to come from God, had no patience for heretics. Neither did common people, who saw heretics as dangerous outsiders who would bring down divine wrath.

When someone was accused of heresy in the early Middle Ages, they were brought to the local lord for judgment, just as if they had stolen a pig. It was not easy to discern whether the accused was really a heretic. The lord needed some basic theological training, very few did. The sad result is that uncounted thousands across Europe were executed by secular authorities without fair trials or a competent judge of the crime.

The Catholic Church's response to this problem was the Inquisition, an attempt to provide fair trials for accused heretics using laws of evidence and presided over by knowledgeable judges.

From the perspective of secular authorities, heretics were traitors to God and the king and therefore deserved death. From the perspective of the Church, however, heretics were lost sheep who had strayed from the flock. As shepherds, the pope and bishops had a duty to bring them back into the fold, just as the Good Shepherd had commanded them. So, while medieval secular leaders were trying to safeguard their kingdoms, the Church was trying to save souls. The Inquisition provided a means for heretics to escape death and return to the community.

Most people tried for heresy by the Inquisition were either acquitted or had their sentences suspended. Those found guilty of grave error were allowed to confess their sin, do penance, and be restored to the Body of Christ. The underlying assumption of the Inquisition was that, like lost sheep, heretics had simply strayed.

If, however, an inquisitor determined that a particular sheep had purposely left the flock, there was nothing more that could be done. Unrepentant or obstinate heretics were excommunicated and given over to secular authorities with pleas for mercy that were frequently ignored. Despite popular myth, the Inquisition did not burn heretics. It was the secular authorities that held heresy to be a capital offense, not the Church. The simple fact is that the medieval Inquisition saved uncounted thousands of innocent (and even not-so-innocent) people who would otherwise have been roasted by secular lords or mob rule.

The Spanish Inquisition was a civil (not religious) tribunal established in 1480 by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile to replace the kinder and gentler Inquisition which was under the control of the Catholic Church.

For more information, see:

+ The Real Inquisition, By Thomas F. Madden, National Review (2004) http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/madden200406...

+ Inquisition by Edward Peters (1988)

+ Religious Dissent in the Middle Ages (1971) edited by Jeffrey B. Russell

+ The Inquisition: A Political and Military Study of Its Establishment (1932) by Hoffman Nickerson

+ Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error (1978) by LeRoy Ladurie

+ Seven Lies About Catholic History (2010) by Diane Moczar

With love in Christ.

they are worse than terrorists they are devils! but yeah of course what you are saying is right but what white person, american, or Christian will EVER accept your claim? No body, even though they know it's the truth. And if you read history further you will always found nobility in the Muslims even during jihad, such as keeping true to their pacts, agreements, sparing women and children, old men and priests, and stop fighting/attacking when it's no longer necisary to fight

Because most of your rant is from the "past", name some Christian terrorist issues today!

We buy oil from muslim countries, we don't take it.

Sure George II invaded a country for their oil, but the excuse was to remove Saddam Hussein! and WMD's. One accomplished!

Besides that!

Uh-huh. Riiiiiight.

spend some time outside of your mom's basement out in the real world. Study a little history, then come back and re-address the question.

The Christians write and in some cases rewrite the books .

Unlike the Muzzie scum we grew out of it and do NOT do it today......or are you unable to comprehend that with your limited intellect...next question....are you really this IGNORANT of are you taking extra strength MORON pills today?

because christians are not OWS

You are. You are.

lol