Dear Rytwyng,
I would not burn you as a heretic. I once scalded myself incurring second degree burns and I would not wish this on anyone. ST. Joan of Arc was burned by rotten Catholic Churchmen but that does not mean that the Catholic religion is false. Heresy kills the soul and sends people to hell. Now I think if you really study history you will see that plenty of Catholics were burned and tortured by Protestants for heresy. It is not necessary to give you a long list. If we look at our lives they are very brief and eternity is forever.
Anyway here is Aquinas "Heretics deserve not only to be separated from the Church by excommunication, but also to be severed from the world by death. For it is a much more serious matter to corrupt the faith than to counterfeit that which supports temporal life. Wherefore, if counterfeiters and other evil-doers are immediately condemned to death by secular authorities, there is much more reason for heretics to be put to death. (St. Thomas Aquinas) see Thomas Aquinas: STL II-II, Q.11, art.3
Now we do not do this today- Protestants or Catholics- our civil society which is really not so civil renders this illegal so this idea of burning heretics is a mute point. But what does our so called "civil society" render legal today? It is anything but "civil" and what it allows kills both body and soul- look at abortion, contraception, homosexual acts, divorce, pornography, grotesque violent TV. and video games with no purpose but to reinforce violence for its own sake, child photography, the rampant break down of society and now the final straw homosexual marriage not to mention the weapons of mass destruction which if unleashed can kill millions. Many claim that because religion did such things as burned people at the stake we should just get rid of religion and make a one World religion based on a sycratistic mixing of all of the religions which will be the Satanism of the antichrist who will come into the World. Then we will we see a fire such as has never been known which St. Peter speaks.
2Pe 3:7 -But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men.
2Pe 3:12 -Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of the Lord, by which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with the burning heat?
Jude 1:7 -As Sodom and Gomorrha and the neighbouring cities, in like manner, having given themselves to fornication and going after other flesh, were made an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
So in our “civil society” of today when unborn babies are aborted to the false god Baal- the god of sex and convenience are we really better off now when there are no heretics being burned? God bless you and lead you into the One, Catholic and Apostolic Faith.
False choice: it's possible to have NEITHER: we can resist abortion, sodomites, euthanasia, divorce, "free" sex, violent video games, et al, and yet also not burn those we perceive as "heretics". America of several generations ago was this way.
Now I think if you really study history you will see that plenty of Catholics were burned and tortured by Protestants for heresy
Yes, I know this. I consider it just as wrong as the reverse. In fact I find it appalling that--
My Irish ancestors were persecuted by Protestants, for being Catholic....
My Huguenot ancestor was persecuted by Catholics, for being Protestant....
My Scottish ancestors were persecuted by Protestants for being Dissident Protestants....
Then in Ulster, my Irish and my Scoto-Huguenot ancestors horribly persecuted each other.
None of it seems very Christian to me. How about "do unto others as ye would have them do unto you?"