Quote for the day

The Inquisition in practice was never as benign as it advertised itself to be. Confession was required before the sin of heresy could be forgiven, for example, and yet confession alone was never enough. The confession had to be abject, earnest, and complete, which meant that it had to include the betrayal of others, including spouses and children, friends and neighbors. That’s why the naming of names was rooted in both the theology and the psychology of the Inquisition — the will of the victim to resist had to be utterly crushed, his or her sense of self eradicated, and the authority of the interrogator acknowledged as absolute. The best evidence that an accused man or woman has been utterly defeated, then as now, is the willingness to betray a loved one or a trusting friend.

Jonathan Kirsch, The Grand Inquisitor’s Manual, p. 19

Successfully breaking ordinary, wholesome loyalties is proof of total ownership — and exactly what Albert Mohler demands of believers. I don’t care if he is the Very Mightiest Theologian Of Them All, he preaches the cult — and it ought to put him outside decent, educated society.

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