note Tanktalus <p>I would be honoured to be called "Grand Inquisitor". Truly honoured. They were beacons of civility and hope of their time. They created the underpinnings of modern judicial systems in that they were run by experts.</p> <p>Up to that point, the King's court was run by lawyers who had no understanding of the religious crimes they were persecuting. The inquistion changed that by bringing in religious scholars who knew what the Catholic faith was about, and what heresy really was. That fact alone dropped conviction rates tremendously as many accused were simply not being heretical. Combine this with the Church's mission to evangelise, and you get the ability to repent and thus receive no punishment for what was, in effect, a capital offense. (It was a capital offense because it was considered treasonous: speaking against Catholocism, from where the King supposedly received his power, was also speaking against the King.)</p> <p>See:<ul><li>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3809983.stm]</li> <li>[http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/madden200406181026.asp]</li> </ul> The latter one is much more informative.</p> <p>Now .. can we get back to the task at hand? <strike>XPWing</strike> Perl?</p> 504121 504494