The Grand Inquisitor's Manual: A History of Terror in the Name of God

This book puts inquisition into a much broader, yet detailed, perspective. I have tended to think of “The Inquisition” as the abuses Ferdinand and Isabella inflicted on non-Christian believers in 15th-16th century Spain. Kirsch shows that its manifestations were much older and geographically diverse than I ever realized. It also raises its head in contemporary issues. In spite of the detailed revelations on this subject, Kirsch’s treatment of it makes the book very readable.

This is basically an interesting history lesson (it's not very sensationalistic if that's what you were looking for, though it does go into the torture methods to a certain degree) -- it follows the three main phases of Inquisitions (medieval, Roman, and Spanish) and also quickly delves into the modern scenarios where Inquisition-like tactics/methods were used (Hitler, Stalin, Bush, etc.).

I love this book. It is well written, with style, grace and passion. The author calls the Inquistion what it was - a reign of terror that is the model for those that followed - the Nazis, the Stalinists, the Pol Pots, and the McCarthy witchhunts. John Calvin was running his own mini-Inquisition in Geneva and competed with the Catholics to see who could catch and murder Miguel Servetus first. I would add to those the Islamic fanatics who control Iran, and Bin Laden and his minions who will kill anyone who doesn't share the "one true faith" completely. The book reads like a well crafted thriller or suspense novel, but sadly it is not fiction. The writing is vivid enough that I woke up one night thinking one of the Inquisitors was standing over my bed. Kirsch doesn't make excuses for the power mad clerics and their secular allies who ran an international police state. He doesn't brook apologists who would excuse these criminals on the grounds that torture was commonly used by secular authorities, and the victims had the "benefit" of a formal legal system. To me, as a lawyer, that makes what they did all the more sinister. He reminds us that the current pope, the former Cardinal Ratzinger (what a name!) was the head of the Inquistion in its current incarnation. If you enjoyed Hawkins' The God Delusion and his writing style, you'll love this one.

Great Book! Full of interesting information on the subject. "The meshing of religion and politics can always be detected in the working of the Inquisition and explains where and why it operated as it did." Pg 47 The only drawback for me was the end where it discussed current terrorism. That part could have been excluded, I felt like it didnt belong. Despite that, I'd still recommend this to anyone who likes this kind of stuff. Its better than other books I have read on the subject.

I have never read such a thorough indictment of the Inquisition and the Catholic Church, probably because Catholics were afraid to write or publish one. I admit I am prejudiced against the Church, especially for what it did in the Americas to help destroy magnificent civilizations, but I was primarily interested in how the author would handle this subject which is a bit far afield for him. Jonathan Kirsch couples a very readable writing style with extensive research on his subjects. Starting with the Old Testament, he has moved further into the Bible and his recent "History of the End of the World" should be required reading for anyone contemplating the meaning of Revelations, the end of days or 2012. I only gave this four stars because I think he has done a better job in earlier books. So, if you have not read Jonathan Kirsch, start with "Harlot by the Side of the Road," or "God Against the Gods," or "History of the End of the World." If you are not a dedicated fan after reading ANY of these, then he is obviously not an author for you.

In the 12th century, early Christian heretics, the Cathars, are exquisitely tortured, their broken bodies a deterrent to those who would question the dictates of the True Faith. In the 15th century, the great Inquisitors don the solemn robes of office, casting impassive eyes on those who would commit heresy against a just and loving God, the accoutrements of torture designed in infinite detail for maximum effect. In Salem, Massachusetts, acolytes of the devil are tested, given opportunity to denounce evil between bouts of excruciating pain, all in the name of God's righteousness. Men began their ingenious methods of torturing for truth from religion's beginnings, purging the unacceptable, the tainted, cleansing society of those who would infect it. Who would have imagined that Nazi Germany would dust off the pages of history, retrieve the arcane tools of torture and apply them even more broadly to an entire disposable people, the Jews? What the Inquisition wrought bloomed in the dark recesses of the human heart, bred in the devotion of fanatics, finding voice as each period of history offered opportunities. And even now, in an enlightened and educated world, such horrors have again emerged, this time focusing on Islamic fundamentalists. One of the fascinating threads in Kirsch's detailed accounting of torture in the name of God is the relentless pursuit of "others", particularly Jews, from the Spanish Inquisition, which pursued them from continent to continent, to Nazi extermination, in the name of an ideal, "purity of blood". The war on Jews is based on blood rather than belief, "the same visceral anti-Semitism that had blighted medieval Europe and prompted some of the worst excesses of the Spanish Inquisition". If the victim is demonized, the torturer is relieved of responsibility. More sophisticated societies embellished their excesses, implementing useful codes to avoid the plain truth of their atrocities, such as Moscow's Great Terror in the mid-20th century, the Soviet counterpart to the Spanish Inquisition. While a heretical Cathar was a "traitor to God", the subject of The Great Terror was "a traitor to the fatherland". Likewise, taking advantage of the fears of others, associates can be enlisted to inform authorities of suspect behavior or statements, a rich source of collaborative evidence. The accused becomes isolated because of the danger of association (the Salem witch trials; Nazi Germany; the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s). Drawing parallels between the past and the present (Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay), the author weaves atrocities "in the name of God" to more modern applications, a sleeping beast impossible to eradicate once released. The Grand Inquisitor's Manual transitions from the horrors of the past and the dark genius of the Inquisitors who wielded monstrous instruments designed by artisans to the more modern uses and rationalizations created to obfuscate the actions of religion and government in the name of oppressi