audiobook Church and State in Russia: The Last Years of the Empire; 1900-1917 by John Shelton Curtiss in History

Description

As we all know and as many of our well established textbooks have argued for decades; the Inquisition was one of the most frightening and bloody chapters in Western history; Pope Pius XII was anti-Semitic and rightfully called “Hitler’s Pope;” the Dark Ages were a stunting of the progress of knowledge to be redeemed only by the secular spirit of the Enlightenment; and the religious Crusades were an early example of the rapacious Western thirst for riches and power. But what if these long held beliefs were all wrong? In this stunning; powerful; and ultimately persuasive book; Rodney Stark; one of the most highly regarded sociologists of religion and bestselling author of The Rise of Christianity (HarperSanFrancisco 1997) argues that some of our most firmly held ideas about history; ideas that paint the Catholic Church in the least positive light are; in fact; fiction. Why have we held these wrongheaded ideas so strongly and for so long? And if our beliefs are wrong; what; in fact; is the truth? In each chapter; Stark takes on a well-established anti-Catholic myth; gives a fascinating history of how each myth became the conventional wisdom; and presents a startling picture of the real truth. For example;Instead of the Spanish Inquisition being an anomaly of torture and murder of innocent people persecuted for “imaginary” crimes such as witchcraft and blasphemy; Stark argues that not only did the Spanish Inquisition spill very little blood; but it was a major force in support of moderation and justice.Instead of Pope Pius XII being apathetic or even helpful to the Nazi movement; such as to merit the title; “Hitler’s Pope;” Stark shows that the campaign to link Pope Pius XII to Hitler was initiated by the Soviet Union; presumably in hopes of neutralizing the Vatican in post-World War II affairs. Pope Pius XII was widely praised for his vigorous and devoted efforts to saving Jewish lives during the war.Instead of the Dark Ages being understood as a millennium of ignorance and backwardness inspired by the Catholic Church’s power; Stark argues that the whole notion of the “Dark Ages” was an act of pride perpetuated by anti-religious intellectuals who were determined to claim that theirs was the era of “Enlightenment.”In the end; readers will not only have a more accurate history of the Catholic Church; they will come to understand why it became unfairly maligned for so long. Bearing False Witness is a compelling and sobering account of how egotism and ideology often work together to give us a false truth.