Wicca

[Volos]

HI 9



Long time no see





Stop lurking…we miss you.

 

[Plan 9]

HI 9



Long time no see





Stop lurking…we miss you.

Heya, Big Guy! I was sick for awhile, and then I cleverly deleted every PM in my inbox.
I think I'll be around more now, though.

 

[Plan 9]

It's possible to somehow override our natural sense of right and wrong, though it is never completely lost.
Generally, though, the people doing evil know it is evil, and relativism only comes in as a cheap attempt to justify their actions.

C'mon now. don't kid a kidder. Absolutely everyone has to make difficult ethical decisions, including Christians, and it's not an easy job. The Bible doesn't answer questions like, "Do I choose to jaywalk or be late for work?", when both are ethically wrong
If it's never completely lost, then it's never completely lost. Otherwise that's a relativistic position, too.

The Bible.

Wowser! I'll read the account again and see if I get that from it this time, and get back to you.

It was cool that you replied. thank you!

Look, Volos! I wasn't ignored this time!

 

[Lifesaver]

C'mon now. don't kid a kidder. Absolutely everyone has to make difficult ethical decisions, including Christians, and it's not an easy job. The Bible doesn't answer questions like, "Do I choose to jaywalk or be late for work?", when both are ethically wrong
If it's never completely lost, then it's never completely lost. Otherwise that's a relativistic position, too.

Of course there are ethical dilemmas, though most have really to do with some lack of information on our part.
Still, in most cases we are confronted with, I'm sure you will agree, the good choice is clear to us.

 

[Cerridwen]

Hey~

Volos, thanks for the welcome, & I'll keep your advice in mind.

Oh, welcome to CF, by the way (I hadn't noticed you were a new member). Don't leave because of the constant arguing.

Thanks...leave because of arguing? Are you kidding? Why do you think I joined CF?

Are you against forgiveness when the wrongdoer has honestly repented?

Not under those circumstances, no. I think if someone has been a horrible person their entire life that to beg for forgiveness right before death is a convenient & undeserved way out. It's different, of course, if it's a few mistakes....forgiving someone for that when they are honestly sorry is fine, but when someone takes advantage of it & leads a life of cruelty & hatred then decides that since they believe in God & Jesus that it's okay...that's just sickening.

It's possible to somehow override our natural sense of right and wrong, though it is never completely lost.
Generally, though, the people doing evil know it is evil, and relativism only comes in as a cheap attempt to justify their actions....

Exactly. and forgiveness, or "salvation" as it were, comes in as a cheap excuse to get away with murder, both literally & figuratively.

.....The Bible.

The Bible is a work of fiction. It contains some good ideas, lots of "borrowed" mythological stories, & tons of political propaganda. I realize & respect the faith that you & those like you put into that book, but using it as proof isn't going to amount to a whole lot with me & those like me. The Bible is so full of contradicitons & inaccuracies...how do you pick & choose what's real & relevant & what's not?

A father and a son have sex with each other. Both like it and have no regrets. Was that good?

This, according to psychology, is an innacurate statement. By constraints & known developments of human emotional interaction, a child(depending on his age) can't understand whether the act is bad or good. Also, there is no possible way in the realm of scientific reasoning that the son, and likely the father as well can go throughout life with no regrets for doing something that is psychologically harmful to the child.

A husband cheats his wife once. He and his lover enjoy it and have absolutely no regrets. They decide not to do it again, though.
The wife never even suspected about it, and was happy as always.
Was that good?

Firstly, I would say that if said husband loved his wife, he wouldn't have cheated on her. Secondly, Had there been no regrets, as you said, then they wouldn't have decided to only do it once. Regardless of the wife's non-suspicion, her husband commited harm to her through betrayal. We are evolved as humankind to have an emotional consciousness. Our brains are simply wired for it. We, as I stated before, instinctively know what is painful or "wrong", as it were. We learn from birth through interaction with one another, body language, facial expressions....we learn to love, & we learn compassion. As humans, & throughour environments we know what is inherently wrong & right. Thus "natural morality", if you will. Notice this has absolutely nothing to do with religion.

A common mistake.
He grants us freedom, and taking that freedom away would be evil.

No. Making us what we are & then punishing us for it-that's evil.

No, Adam and Eve desired to be gods themselves, and to know evil (to do it).They were greedy.

know \"no\ vb knew \"nu, "nyu\; known \"non\; know•ing 1 : to perceive directly : have understanding or direct cognition of; also : to recognize the nature of 2 : to be acquainted or familiar with 3 : to be aware of the truth of 4 : to have a practical understanding of — know•able adj — know•er n — in the know : possessing confidential information
(c)2000 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Nowhere does that equate the word "know' with the word "do". They were told they would be AS Gods, meaning, KNOWING THE SAME THINGS GOD DID. The things that God wanted to keep secret & hidden from them. Again, the "blissful ignorance" sentiment fits here. God labled knowledge as evil, because he didn't want them to have it. He said himself, he's jealous. He didin't want to give up the whole "I am weak but He is strong" thing. They were greedy? Greedy because they wanted to be more than deaf, dumb, & blind to the world around them? Well if that's so, then it's still God's fault, because he's the one who made them that way.

You can't be into God and then be into Witchcraft. They don't go together. You can't believe and follow both.

Well Dear, that depends on precisely which God(s) & what kind of witchcraft you're referring to. If it our Gods, they are cool with witchcraft. If it's the Judeo-Christian version, I'm sure there are quite a few Christo-pagans & Christian witches who would disagree. While I think being a Christian Witch is an oxymoron, it apparently works for a lot of folks.

Love & Blessings, Cerridwen*

 

[Lifesaver]

Not under those circumstances, no. I think if someone has been a horrible person their entire life that to beg for forgiveness right before death is a convenient & undeserved way out. It's different, of course, if it's a few mistakes....forgiving someone for that when they are honestly sorry is fine, but when someone takes advantage of it & leads a life of cruelty & hatred then decides that since they believe in God & Jesus that it's okay...that's just sickening.

I agree, and so does God. Hipocritical repenting does not work.

Exactly. and forgiveness, or "salvation" as it were, comes in as a cheap excuse to get away with murder, both literally & figuratively.

You need only to look at history to realize how wrong your interpretation of Christianity is. Have people in Christian cultures gotten away with these things?
What you are thinking of, probably, is the "faith alone" "once saved, always saved" beliefs of some protestants. The Church has never taught anything like it.

The Bible is a work of fiction. It contains some good ideas, lots of "borrowed" mythological stories, & tons of political propaganda. I realize & respect the faith that you & those like you put into that book, but using it as proof isn't going to amount to a whole lot with me & those like me. The Bible is so full of contradicitons & inaccuracies...how do you pick & choose what's real & relevant & what's not?

Good question. I don't do it.
I do read the Bible, but I'm aware I'm no authority on it. The Church is the only one capable of givng a 100% correct interpretation.

This, according to psychology, is an innacurate statement. By constraints & known developments of human emotional interaction, a child(depending on his age) can't understand whether the act is bad or good. Also, there is no possible way in the realm of scientific reasoning that the son, and likely the father as well can go throughout life with no regrets for doing something that is psychologically harmful to the child.

You wouldn't believe the kind of perversion that exists out there...

Firstly, I would say that if said husband loved his wife, he wouldn't have cheated on her. Secondly, Had there been no regrets, as you said, then they wouldn't have decided to only do it once. Regardless of the wife's non-suspicion, her husband commited harm to her through betrayal.

They decided not to do it again so as to not arise suspicion, for they didn't want to get caught. They had no qualms at all with their action.
How was the wife harmed?

We are evolved as humankind to have an emotional consciousness. Our brains are simply wired for it. We, as I stated before, instinctively know what is painful or "wrong", as it were. We learn from birth through interaction with one another, body language, facial expressions....we learn to love, & we learn compassion. As humans, & throughour environments we know what is inherently wrong & right. Thus "natural morality", if you will. Notice this has absolutely nothing to do with religion.

Good, you acknowledge natural morality. Killing is wrong no matter how anyone "feels" about it; so is lying; and so on.

No. Making us what we are & then punishing us for it-that's evil.

God made man perfect. He gave man the freedom to sin, to revolt and to hate. For how can love be complete if there is no possibility of betrayal? It can't.

know \"no\ vb knew \"nu, "nyu\; known \"non\; know•ing 1 : to perceive directly : have understanding or direct cognition of; also : to recognize the nature of 2 : to be acquainted or familiar with 3 : to be aware of the truth of 4 : to have a practical understanding of — know•able adj — know•er n — in the know : possessing confidential information
(c)2000 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Nowhere does that equate the word "know' with the word "do". They were told they would be AS Gods, meaning, KNOWING THE SAME THINGS GOD DID.

So, the citizens of Sodom only wanted to "understand" Lot's visitors, is that it?
You are personally interpreting Scriptures, and on top of that, you think a dictionary will give you authoritative knowledge on how to read the Bible.

The things that God wanted to keep secret & hidden from them. Again, the "blissful ignorance" sentiment fits here. God labled knowledge as evil, because he didn't want them to have it. He said himself, he's jealous. He didin't want to give up the whole "I am weak but He is strong" thing. They were greedy? Greedy because they wanted to be more than deaf, dumb, & blind to the world around them? Well if that's so, then it's still God's fault, because he's the one who made them that way.

They were not deaf, nor dumb, nor blind to the world around them...
Desiring to be like gods, Adam and Eve sinned, and so were cast away from His presence.

Well Dear, that depends on precisely which God(s) & what kind of witchcraft you're referring to. If it our Gods, they are cool with witchcraft. If it's the Judeo-Christian version, I'm sure there are quite a few Christo-pagans & Christian witches who would disagree. While I think being a Christian Witch is an oxymoron, it apparently works for a lot of folks.

It doesn't work for anyone. There are no Christian witches, nor can there be.

No, wait, there CAN be Christian witches. Just as there are Christian murderers, Christian liers, etc. The sin of witchcraft is not exclusive to non-Christians.

The same God exists for both of us. You say "your" gods are cool with witchcraft.
One out of two: your gods don't exist at all; or they are demons, pretending to be gods.

Really, Cerridwen: witchcraft DOESN'T WORK! Give up. None of your spells will ever have any effect.

Neo-Paganism is just a way modern men discovered to ground their gnostic beliefs on ancient cultures and their practices; and now, to make it even more appealing, thrown in some environmentalism to the soup.

You say the Bible is a work of fiction. But I'm not the one believing in fairy tales.

 

[Cerridwen]

You need only to look at history to realize how wrong your interpretation of Christianity is. Have people in Christian cultures gotten away with these things?

YES! The Crusades. The Inquisition. The Trail of Tears. The Salem Witch Trials. The KKK. ALL of the things carried out by these people & these "soul-winning" expeditions were done in the name of GOD. They got away with it all, simply because they claimed to be Christian.

I do read the Bible, but I'm aware I'm no authority on it. The Church is the only one capable of givng a 100% correct interpretation.

Such a 100% correct interperetation that about half of it was thrown out, & a bunch of other stuff added, eh?

You wouldn't believe the kind of perversion that exists out there...

You'd be surprised. That still doesn't change the psychological implications, however.

They decided not to do it again so as to not arise suspicion, for they didn't want to get caught. They had no qualms at all with their action. How was the wife harmed?

They obviously had many qualms about their actions, or they wouldn't have been concerned about raising suspicion. They knew what they did was wrong, which is why they didn't want to get caught. The wife was harmed indirectly, through betrayal, or any amount of other extenuating circumstances.

God made man perfect. He gave man the freedom to sin, to revolt and to hate. For how can love be complete if there is no possibility of betrayal? It can't.

If Man can do those things, then Man is not perfect. Love is complete because it is love. Unconditional. Not, "obey me or go to hell".

So, the citizens of Sodom only wanted to "understand" Lot's visitors, is that it? You are personally interpreting Scriptures, and on top of that, you think a dictionary will give you authoritative knowledge on how to read the Bible.

So, by this definition, are you saying that Adam & Eve wanted to have sex with the Tree of Knowledge? Well alrighty then.....

No, actually, all the "authoritative knowledge on how to read the Bible" I need is thus:

1. Put on glasses (to see better)...
2. Begin on the left top of the page at Chapter one...
3. Using phoenetics & techniques learned at age four...
Systematically form coherent & cohesive words, sentences & paragraphs...
4. TaDa!!!! I'm READING, ladies & gentlemen!

They were not deaf, nor dumb, nor blind to the world around them...Desiring to be like gods, Adam and Eve sinned, and so were cast away from His presence.

K, this is redundant, but yes, they were. They only knew what he allowed them to know.

It doesn't work for anyone. There are no Christian witches, nor can there be.

Ask them.

One out of two: your gods don't exist at all; or they are demons, pretending to be gods.

Right back atcha, Baby!

Really, Cerridwen: witchcraft DOESN'T WORK! Give up. None of your spells will ever have any effect.

And you know this how? For your information dear, I've yet to cast a spell that didn't "work", & my "spellcasting" is no less effective than your prayers.

You say the Bible is a work of fiction. But I'm not the one believing in fairy tales.

Now that was just not very nice. I came to my religion after believing in Christianity lost all sense of logic. It is very serious & very real to me, & it isn't very polite for you to be so disrespectful. I can bite back.
And by the way, the Fey don't like it when you mispell their name.

Love & Blessings, Cerridwen*

 

[Heathen Dawn]

One out of two: your gods don't exist at all; or they are demons, pretending to be gods.

Ah, just like the old “Lord, Liar, Lunatic” trilemma. The Christian sews a straightjacket, and expects the non-Christian to wear it willingly. But hell no, we won’t go. Option three: the Gods exist, and They’re holy and perfect and moral and good and worthy of worship.

Really, Cerridwen: witchcraft DOESN'T WORK! Give up. None of your spells will ever have any effect.

Infidel. You’re saying the same thing that the atheists say about your prayers.

Neo-Paganism is just a way modern men discovered to ground their gnostic beliefs on ancient cultures and their practices; and now, to make it even more appealing, thrown in some environmentalism to the soup.

Neopaganism is what Christianity would like to be but couldn’t. It’s Christianity corrected and updated. Pure theism, not sullied with various scholasticisms that philosophise the Gods out of existence. Yahweh too was once a pagan deity, complete with a body and body parts, until He was abstracted into an amorphous Non-Being.

 

[Cerridwen]

Hey~

Neopaganism is what Christianity would like to be but couldn’t. It’s Christianity corrected and updated. Pure theism, not sullied with various scholasticisms that philosophise the Gods out of existence. Yahweh too was once a pagan deity, complete with a body and body parts, until He was abstracted into an amorphous Non-Being.

I love it! That's certainly one description that'll make you think.

Love & Blessings, Cerridwen*

 

[Nathan David]

You need only to look at history to realize how wrong your interpretation of Christianity is. Have people in Christian cultures gotten away with these things?

Yes. Repeatedly. Ask the Inquisition, or the slaveowners, or the aristocracy who made their wealth off the backs of impoverished peasants, with the church's blessing.

God made man perfect. He gave man the freedom to sin, to revolt and to hate. For how can love be complete if there is no possibility of betrayal? It can't.

If man was perfect, why did he choose to sin, revolt, and hate?

The same God exists for both of us. You say "your" gods are cool with witchcraft. One out of two: your gods don't exist at all; or they are demons, pretending to be gods.

Or 3: your God doesn't exist and hers do.
4: neither your God nor hers exist.

Really, Cerridwen: witchcraft DOESN'T WORK! Give up. None of your spells will ever have any effect.

True. And neither will your prayers.

You say the Bible is a work of fiction. But I'm not the one believing in fairy tales.

You are both believing in fairy tales.

 

[Lifesaver]

The Crusades.

The defensive wars of the Crusades, to take back lands taken over by Muslims? Is it so evil to fight for what is yours?
Of course, there were pillaging, looting and raping, all wrong, which the Church condemned and still does to this very day.

The Inquisition.

Heretics and their false doctrines can have a very negative effect on society, especially in medieval and early modern times.

The Salem Witch Trials. The KKK.

Indeed, very wrong things. But not Christian at all, I'm affraid.

ALL of the things carried out by these people & these "soul-winning" expeditions were done in the name of GOD. They got away with it all, simply because they claimed to be Christian.

So, when Christian do wrong things, you assume that Christianity is in accord with them.

Such a 100% correct interperetation that about half of it was thrown out, & a bunch of other stuff added, eh?

What...?

They obviously had many qualms about their actions, or they wouldn't have been concerned about raising suspicion. They knew what they did was wrong, which is why they didn't want to get caught.

Not at all. Have you never seen examples of people doing things they think are right in secrecy?
Are you incapable of imagining a husband who does not feel any regret on cheating his wife?

The wife was harmed indirectly, through betrayal, or any amount of other extenuating circumstances.

What part of her was harmed? The soul? The mind? The body?

If Man can do those things, then Man is not perfect. Love is complete because it is love. Unconditional. Not, "obey me or go to hell".

Love can only be unconditional when the option of betrayal is present. If men choose to rebel, that's their choice, and accordingly, they won't spend eternity in God's presence.

So, by this definition, are you saying that Adam & Eve wanted to have sex with the Tree of Knowledge? Well alrighty then.....

Not at all. It only shows that your dictionary isn't a very precise authority in interpreting the Bible.

1. Put on glasses (to see better)...
2. Begin on the left top of the page at Chapter one...
3. Using phoenetics & techniques learned at age four...
Systematically form coherent & cohesive words, sentences & paragraphs...
4. TaDa!!!! I'm READING, ladies & gentlemen!

[noflame]
You are interpreting it to fit with the common Neo-Pagan picture of God: a patriarchal opressor who blackmails people and is bad to animals.
If I took one book you hold to be sacred (supposing you have one) and applied my personal interpretation to it, would it make my interpretation true?

And you know this how? For your information dear, I've yet to cast a spell that didn't "work", & my "spellcasting" is no less effective than your prayers.

Do you know what a prayer is? It seems you hold the Neo-Pagan notion that a prayer is just like a spell.
As for they having been effective, I'll pray for it not to be true, for your own sake.

Now that was just not very nice. I came to my religion after believing in Christianity lost all sense of logic. It is very serious & very real to me, & it isn't very polite for you to be so disrespectful. I can bite back.
And by the way, the Fey don't like it when you mispell their name.

Now, Now, Cerridwen; you were the first to bite. "The Bible is a work of fiction" remember?
Let's not pretend moral outrage or hurt feelings for hearing things we have just said. It is not my intention to hurt you or any other person who shares your beliefs, but I won't keep you from anything I hold to be true.

 

[Lifesaver]

or the slaveowners

Another dark moment of our history. The Church, rightly so, always condemned and still condemns this practice.

or the aristocracy who made their wealth off the backs of impoverished peasants, with the church's blessing.

Peasants had their little shares of land, where they produced for their own susbsistence. They paid taxes to the feudal lords, who were the masters of the land.
Surely, the life of the peasant was hard, but also stable and tranquil.

If man was perfect, why did he choose to sin, revolt, and hate?

He wanted power; he fell for the temptation of the devil.

True. And neither will your prayers.

Do you know what prayers are, Nathan?

 

[Nathan David]

Heretics and their false doctrines can have a very negative effect on society, especially in medieval and early modern times.

Translation: people who have different beliefs than the church hierarchy can interfere with our revenue stream. Therefore, they deserve to be tortured and executed.

 

[Nathan David]

Another dark moment of our history. The Church, rightly so, always condemned and still condemns this practice.

?!?! You are very ignorant of history. The Catholic church had no problem with slavery for centuries. Some protestant churches in the US endorsed it as God's well up until 1865.

Peasants had their little shares of land, where they produced for their own susbsistence. They paid taxes to the feudal lords, who were the masters of the land.
Surely, the life of the peasant was hard, but also stable and tranquil.

The feudal lords were masters of the land because their ancestors had stolen it from the peasants through force of arms. The aristocracy lived a life of idleness, paid for by peasant labor.

He wanted power; he fell for the temptation of the devil.

So, I guess he wasn't created perfect then, was he? If God had created him to be perfect, he wouldn't have wanted power, and would have used his free will to freely reject the devil's offer.

Do you know what prayers are, Nathan?

Yes I do. I know they are different from spells, but equally uneffective.

 

[Lifesaver]

Translation: people who have different beliefs than the church hierarchy can interfere with our revenue stream. Therefore, they deserve to be tortured and executed.

People who pretended to be Christians, and yet spread around un-Christian doctrines, which caused great social upheaving and distress were questioned by ecclesiastical authorities in lighter ways than the usual procedures in secular courts.
The ecclesiastical court decided whether or not the person was guilty, and handed them to the secular authorities, which decided what penalty should be given to the heretic.

 

[Nathan David]

People who pretended to be Christians, and yet spread around un-Christian doctrines, which caused great social upheaving and distress were questioned by ecclesiastical authorities in lighter ways than the usual procedures in secular courts.
The ecclesiastical court decided whether or not the person was guilty, and handed them to the secular authorities, which decided what penalty should be given to the heretic.

You have been lied to by someone trying to cover up how evil the Inquisition was. First of all, no one person should have the authority to decide whether someone else is a real Christian or not. People were punished for the "crime" of disagreeing with official church teachings. If you think that's OK, I suggest you move to Iran or Saudi Arabia. You would probably be very happy there.

 

[SquareC]

The defensive wars of the Crusades, to take back lands taken over by Muslims? Is it so evil to fight for what is yours?
Of course, there were pillaging, looting and raping, all wrong, which the Church condemned and still does to this very day.

The defensive wars of the Crusades? You really need some history lessons. If it was so defensive, why did the majority of it take place on land that was historically Muslim property for centuries? The main defense was from the Muslims against the Christian knights who were enforcing a 'convert or die' philosophy endorsed by the Church. The Church did not condemn any of it. The Crusaders got blanket forgiveness in advance for any sin they may 'have to' commit during the war. This included the aforementioned raping and pillaging.

Heretics and their false doctrines can have a very negative effect on society, especially in medieval and early modern times.

Already addressed, so I'm just seconding Nathan David's statements. And it wasn't just heretics, although they were the main targets. Witches were burned by the thousands and the majority were simple herbalists or had nothing to do with witchcraft at all, but the Church got to keep the property and goods of anyone condemned under the Inquisition. They made lots of money on that one.

 

[Lifesaver]

?!?! You are very ignorant of history. The Catholic church had no problem with slavery for centuries. Some protestant churches in the US endorsed it as God's well up until 1865.

I'm not even competent enough to speak for the Catholic Church, what to say of protestant groups.
Anyway, this link might clear some doubts you have.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14036a.htm

The feudal lords were masters of the land because their ancestors had stolen it from the peasants through force of arms. The aristocracy lived a life of idleness, paid for by peasant labor.

The nobility was responsible for defending the land, including the peasants. They were in charge of the army and responsible for all military strategies and did much of actual fighting as well.
It hadn't stolen anyone's land, but won it after the conquest of the Roman empire. The kings of these barbarian nations gave parts of their land to trusted allies, and these gave parts of their lands to their trusted allies, and so on.

So, I guess he wasn't created perfect then, was he? If God had created him to be perfect, he wouldn't have wanted power, and would have used his free will to freely reject the devil's offer.

He had the possibility to freely reject the devil's offer, but he didn't choose it.
Do you believe in the existence of free will?

 

[Lifesaver]

The defensive wars of the Crusades? You really need some history lessons. If it was so defensive, why did the majority of it take place on land that was historically Muslim property for centuries? The main defense was from the Muslims against the Christian knights who were enforcing a 'convert or die' philosophy endorsed by the Church. The Church did not condemn any of it. The Crusaders got blanket forgiveness in advance for any sin they may 'have to' commit during the war. This included the aforementioned raping and pillaging.

North of Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Spain and Portugal were Christian lands conquered by Islam.

Portugal and Spain were rightfully Muslim, isn't it? How wrong it was to take them away from the moors... Please!

Already addressed, so I'm just seconding Nathan David's statements. And it wasn't just heretics, although they were the main targets. Witches were burned by the thousands and the majority were simple herbalists or had nothing to do with witchcraft at all, but the Church got to keep the property and goods of anyone condemned under the Inquisition. They made lots of money on that one.

The Inquisition was mainly concerned with investigating priests. Only Catholics were submitted to it. Pagans were not prosecuted by it.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08026a.htm
There you go.

 

[Lifesaver]

You have been lied to by someone trying to cover up how evil the Inquisition was. First of all, no one person should have the authority to decide whether someone else is a real Christian or not. People were punished for the "crime" of disagreeing with official church teachings. If you think that's OK, I suggest you move to Iran or Saudi Arabia. You would probably be very happy there.

Not at all. I would never accept some of the anti-Christian doctrines of Islam (though it also has true doctrines). The post above links to a good and comprehensive description of the Inquisition.