Leap of Faith

[Note to patient readers - lately I have been using a computer that only lets me input straight html for this blog, which results in paragraph divisions being wiped out. I apologize for the difficult read, and promise that, as soon as I get to a more civilized machine, I will reformat any offending posts.]

I just came back from a trip to the south of France. The Languedoc, where I stayed, is a historically rich area. In particular, it was a seat of power of the Cathars, a heretical sect of Christianity that became so powerful, the region was subject to the first (only?) crusade ever launched against a heretical sect in Europe. Outside of simply hearing that they existed, I had little idea of the Cathars, but during the course of the week, I bought four (count'em) books about in order to ease my ignorance. I often do this after the fact: I seem never to have much time to research a place before I visit it, but when I am visiting, I actually have time to browse books and bring some home. Afterwards, I read them on my overcrowded train ride to work. It gives me a chance to relive my experience and add to it at the same time.

So, having read only one book, my observations here are a little sketchy (please don't flame me, historical experts, but feel free to help out).

The Cathars were an interesting lot. Among other things:

1. They considered themselves Christians, but disliked the use of the crucifixion as a symbol. Cathar crosses depict a man with his arms outstretched (sans nails and agony) instead.

2. They believed in a form of reincarnation; i.e., that souls not worthy to ascend to god would have to go 'round again.

3. They held women in a higher social position than the Catholic Church did. A number of educated noblewomen were Cathar leaders.

Anyway, from the 12th-13th centuries, the Cathar heresy grew, was persecuted, moved around, and eventually was brutally wiped out by the beginning of the 14th century (approximately). The one book I read was trying rather hard I thought to not be too hard on the Catholic Church hierarchy, while at the same time trying to tell the story straight - a not-easy task in a book from France, where the largest building in the smallest town is the church.

In the wake of the crusader armies (which were led by men who, not coincidentally, were as much or more into the idea of conquering the heretics for their lands and titles as for the good of their souls) came inquisitors. After an area was conquered, the residents were given about two weeks to turn in their Cathar neighbors. Cathars who turned themselves in or were turned over to the inquisitors had an opportunity to recant. The book does not say, but I expect that those who recanted were probably imprisoned for life (or perhaps offered a merciful death). One could not have a bunch of remorseful heretics running around town, after all. They might, after being freed, shout "Just kidding!" and go back to being heretics again. It looks, without being all that clear, that the Cathars decided death by fire was preferable (after all, union with the divine or being reborn were the two choices, so what's to lose?). In one instance, thousands of Cathars threw themselves onto a pyre in a town square as an alternative to recanting. No one even needed to tie them up.

We always hear about Christians being martyred for their faith, but it is rare for me at least to read that there were others who were equally convinced of their righteousness that they would prefer death instead of renouncing their oppositional beliefs. Moreover, the regular townspeople hated the inquisitors so much, in some towns they complained to their local lords, asking for their expulsion (and in some cases at least, the local lords complied). At least one group of inquisitors was attacked and assassinated with axes! Others were simply killed here and there. Needless to say, the church took a really, really dim view of its investigators being hacked up, and appropriate punishments were meted out for townspeople, too. Again, we read about fear of the inquisition, but this is the first time I read about ordinary citizens who were so appalled at the oppression of the heretics that they took the law into their own hands a number of times.

Nevertheless, the church, between its spiritual power on earth and its ability to hand out lands and titles to the nobles on its side, eventually won the fight. The Cathars were wiped out, the indigenous Oc culture was wiped out at the same time, and the area became more "French."

Nowadays we would look at the Cathar heresy as being a diff'rent strokes situation. It's very hard, from our perspective, to believe that others could be killed en masse for not believing with the party in power. But there you are. And it is nice to know that some people stood up for their fellows. Unfortunately, in the end, they were not able to make that much of a difference.

And that's the really depressing part.