The Burning Times Revisited
In a Feature article at Inside Out Australia , deadcircus writes; We’re putting religion under the microscope this month on Same Same, in honour of the Pope’s visit to Australia. This week Jade Starr wades through the history books, only to discover that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Those who did not follow the Catholic ideals were deemed to be witches or heretics and were then persecuted from the late 1400s to early 1700s. The Catholic Church also has a long history of condemnation toward women; they were also a major target during the witch hunts, particularly independent and homeless women. During the many years of slavery, the Catholic Church also stood by doing nothing until the late 1800s, using the Bible to justify their late intervention. Sexuality and gender expression have been one of the biggest taboos throughout the history of the Catholic Church. Sex and the guilt surrounding it has been the largest and most successful fear campaign used against soc...