[Buckeye McFrog]

The next Inquisition needs to be internal.

[98ZJ USMC]

The next Inquisition needs to be internal.

Seriously. Like a ton of bricks. When God asks why I haven't been to church in awhile, I'll just mention this kind of thing. Fix this and I might think about it.

[livius]

Actually, the first Inquisition was initially internal, affecting only baptized Catholics and aimed at investigating immorality and unorthodox teaching primarily among the clergy, although it spread rapidly outside of its original scope once political forces and powerful individuals discovered how useful it was in attacking their “enemies” and successfully coopted it, particularly in Spain.

The Inquisition was also active in the New World, with headquarters in Mexico City and Lima, Peru, and the main focus was the clergy. A number of them were put to death for immorality (either homosexuality or sexually abusing the native peoples), enslaving the natives, or syncretism (dabbling in Indian witchcraft customs). Now that’s an Inquisition we could all get behind...

[ArrogantBustard]

The next Inquisition needs to be internal.

The inquisition, by its nature, is internal (whoever told you otherwise misled you) ...

And seriously, we could use a good, solid inquisition right here in the USA. More than 10 years ago, members of this forum were strongly suggesting the necessity of an American Inquisition.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Every Church Inquisition (the word means "investigation," "judicial inquest") IS internal. There are also State Inquisitions (e.g. Spain) which are answerable to the monarchs --- but that's a whole 'nother thing.

And yes, I have a favorite Inquisitor: St. Turibius of Mongrovejo (also known as "Toribio"). A lawyer for the Inquisition, he traveled South America --- the vast Diocese of Lima ---convening hearings on corrupt clergy, many of them guilty of oppressing native people via theft of their land, slavery, and concubinage.

He was not looking to punish them (via imprisonments or execution or anything of the sort.) His aim was to expose their deeds, compensate their victims, and order them to repent, and if they did not repent, depose them.

What a man. Wish we had more of his sort today.

[Cronos]

well, the first inquisition WAS internal -- it only had jurisdiction against those who were baptised Catholics. It had no jurisdictions against Jews or others. Also the Spanish Inquisition in particular had no Protestants because there weren't any Protestants in Spain (the Calvinist version had no favor among Spaniards or Italians etc) -- the primary ones this was targetted against were Moriscos and Marranos -- this is in context of the Reconquista when Spain won freedom from the Moslem Moors.

Some converted (Marranos) and there were doubts if they were really Christian or retained Moslem sympathies

I think the entire thing was wrong, but it was a product of its time.

The modern sweeping out needs to be again done, yes, but this time with excommunication