The Cathars - Part 1

It is not widely known but there was a time when the Catholic Church was threatened with irrelevance and possible extinction. Today, this organization has over a billion "followers" and reigns as the number one religion on the planet, to the spiritual detriment of all of humanity. But there was a time early in its history when it trembled in fear of an upstart, a rival. These were a group of true , gnostic Christians who, by their unassailable example of living, were able to attract many believers and draw tens of thousands of Catholics away from the Roman Church.

This group was called The Cathars.

The name Cathar originates from the Greek word katharoi, meaning "pure". The Cathars were called "the Pure Ones", a reference not only to their way of life, but to their adherence to the original and true teachings of the Christ.

This group managed to convert the whole of the  Languedoc primarily by the soundness of their beliefs and the transparent honesty of their lives. The people responded to these "good men" who walked amongst them in poverty and humility. The Cathars stood in stark contrast to the ostentatious wealth and pretentiousness of the orthodox church.The Roman Church, at that time only 700 years old, recognized that the movement represented a clear and present danger to the comfortable racket they had enjoyed un-opposed for centuries.

It was this realization that inexorably led to a great confrontation that has been neatly expunged from the history books and left the Catholic Church drenched in blood up to its shoulders that can never be washed away.

The following is taken from "The Church's War on the Cathars"

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"During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the region known as the Languedoc, spreading approximately southward from the Loire to the Pyrenees down into Arragon and eastward to the Rhone, became the most highly civilized area of Western Europe. Its fertile soil and pleasant climate provided the means for a leisurely life. The Rhone and the Garonne were notable routes of communication and the passage of many Crusaders on their way to the East gave an immense stimulus to trade.

Above all the Moslem conquest of Spain had brought the influence of Arabic culture. The larger cities had schools of medicine, mathematics and astrology where Arabian scholarship was imparted. Jews were not debarred from public life and were highly respected as doctors and teachers. The Catholic Church no longer held the monopoly of knowledge; and were gradually losing their power hold in the Languedoc.

The wealth of the monastic orders and the intolerance of the bishops roused the contempt of the nobles who accused them of self-indulgence and lack of interest in the poor. The common priests, through the neglect of their superiors, had fallen into discredit on account of their poverty and illiteracy.

Very different was the behaviour of the Cathars. Their eloquence in presenting their beliefs and their untiring care for all in need of help won the devotion of both nobles and common people. They became known by the name of bons hommes ("good men"). When the leaders of the Catholic Church realized how widely the movement had spread, it was already too late to stem the tide.

It was inevitable that sooner or later the clash would come, for no expressions of faith could be more diametrically opposed between the Catholics and the Cathars.".

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This from "Cathar and Cathar Beliefs in the Languedoc"

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In the Languedoc, famous at the time for its high culture, tolerance and liberalism, the Cathar religion took root and gained more and more adherents during the twelfth century. By the early thirteenth century Catharism was probably the majority religion in the area, supported by the nobility as well as the common people. This was yet another annoyance to the Roman Church which considered the feudal system to be divinely ordained as the natural order (Cathars disliked the feudal system because it depended on oath-taking).

In open debates with leading Catholic theologians Cathars seem to have come out on top. This was embarrassing for the Roman Church, not least because they had fielded the best professional preachers in Europe against what they saw as a collection of uneducated weavers and other manual workers. Worse still, a number of Catholic priests had become Cathar adherents (Catharism was a religion that seems to have appealed especially to the theologically literate. Whole Cathedral chapters are known to have defected, as they did for example at Orleans). Worse, the Catholic Church was held up to public ridicule (some of the richest men in Christendom, bejewelled, dressed in finery, and preaching poverty, provided an irresistible target even to contemporary Catholics in the Languedoc). Worst yet, Cathars refused to pay tithes to the Catholic Church.

The Cathar view of the Catholic Church was as bleak as the Catholic Church's view of the Cathar Church. On the Cathar side it manifested itself in ridiculing Catholic doctrine and practices, and characterising the Catholic Church as the "Church of Wolves". The Catholics accused Cathars of heresy or apostasy and said they belonged to the "Synagogue of Satan". The Catholic side created some striking propaganda. When the propaganda proved only partly successful, there was only one option left - a crusade - the Albigensian Crusade.

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End of Part One

Then, as now, the Catholic Church was populated by hypocrites, egotists, sadists and opportunists. The Pope was considered the ruler of the entire civilized world. Kings and noblemen groveled and pleaded before his personage. Why? Because the Church then, as now, held the threat of eternal damnation in hell over the heads of the entire world. If you did not believe in the teachings of the Catholic church, you were certain to have a "hot" date with Satan when you passed from this world.

Only the Roman Church had the "power" to condemn men to hell or to absolve them of their sins, which they were happy to do...for a price. This was done via a money-making scheme called "indulgences", where anyone could buy absolution for the right price. The wealthier you were, the higher the price.

The common people, then, as now, may have been poor and illiterate, but they were not stupid. They could recognize a racket when they saw one. Animosity towards the Roman Church had already grown steadily over the centuries. The people were ready for a linking with a pure, true understanding of the relationship between God and men - gnosis. The Cathars presented this region of Southern France with an opportunity to obtain access to that understanding. They provided the people with a choice. When the Cathar doctrine was compared with Church dogma, the Church was exposed for the shell that it was. Former devout Catholics defected in droves. The stage was set for an epic battle of survival from which only one victor could emerge.

By the way, the word "heresy" has come to be known as "thoughts and doctrines opposed to the orthodox church". However, the true origin of the word indicates something much different:

heresy (noun)  from the Greek hairesis "a taking or choosing, a choice.

~ g
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