The Spanish Inquisition

Watching this fascinating History Channel production about the Inquisition, I couldn't help but be glad I was living in the modern era where we are well beyond everything depicted here. I mean, in today's world, we would never do anything like Pope Innocent III's Grand Jury Investigations of public officials and private citizens, which were based on the sexual obsessions and perversions of many of the inquisitors themselves. And what about those huge ad hoc public trials-by-tribunal, where the House Un-Catholic Activities Committee forced the accused to turn in others in order to establish their own innocence? Wouldn't ever happen here! It was so arcane to see Pope Gregory VIII (who had a real hankering for the smell of barbecued heretic) keeping secret lists of enemies of the church and state. Who could imagine Jews, witches, spiritualists and most other fun folk labeled as "countercultural" and forced to wear special clothing identifying them as such? Now that the world has been made free of torture, bigotry, repressive Orthodoxy, fanaticism, misogyny, and hatred, and leaders of both church and state are never moved to repress human expression as a reaction to doctrinal threat, this video can be safely added to library shelves. And--sarcasm aside--it's a powerful reminder of the many unsavory ways that history can repeat itself. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Ray)