Death Penalty for Apostasy from Catholic Faith

[BornInMarch]

Slavery and forced marriages were also served to build strong civil societies. We somehow pushed through

Slavery-based societies were actually very fragile and unwieldy.

A prime example is Colonial San Domonique, in which 95% of the population consisted of enslaved Africans being worked to death … not a recipe for permanent social stability.

 

[e_c]

This brings up a question for me, what does the Catholic Church consider worse then? Heresy or Apostasy? I mean the RCC as I understand it views Apostasy as a complete repudiation of the Christian faith while Heresy by comparison is only the denial of some truth which must be believed as part of the Catholic faith.

Here is the spectrum of sins against faith…

Suspicion, opinion, doubt, schism (in itself, without heresy), heresy, apostasy.

Does that help?

 

[dominikus28]

Perhaps the Church never taught that apostasy should be punished by death, but what you can’t deny is that no saints actually came out in protest, so there was implicit consent from the Church and the saints. Now my question would be, if today, a country introduced the death penalty for heresy or apostasy from the Catholic Faith, how many of you would defend it saying “morally, there’s nothing wrong with this”. Leave aside the question of whether such a law today would be prudent or not.

Or consider, if ISIS converted to Catholicism, but continued to execute those who were heretics, then would you suddenly jump to their defence?

 

[Peter_Plato]

Perhaps the Church never taught that apostasy should be punished by death, but what you can’t deny is that no saints actually came out in protest, so there was implicit consent from the Church and the saints.

Actually, I can deny that and I doubt that you have any evidence to show that “no saints” ever protested or spoke out against such an idea. I doubt you are sufficiently well-read on the writings of the saints to make or warrant such a claim.

Now my question would be, if today, a country introduced the death penalty for heresy or apostasy from the Catholic Faith, how many of you would defend it saying “morally, there’s nothing wrong with this”. Leave aside the question of whether such a law today would be prudent or not.

I doubt there would be anyone who would defend it. Care to produce any evidence – post or thread – where someone indicated they would support the death penalty for heresy or apostasy?

If you can produce none, then I suggest you ought to retract the insinuation if you want to retain any credibility you might have gained thus far.

Or consider, if ISIS converted to Catholicism, but continued to execute those who were heretics, then would you suddenly jump to their defence?

Again, this is patently ridiculous and insulting to EVERYONE who frequents these threads.

 

[Efraim]

Islams source texts mandates the death penalty for apostasy. The Bible doesn’t & neither does the catechism.

All religions aren’t the same. If an islamic government removes the laws that apostasy should be punished by death - it doesn’t remove the fact that the death penalty was instituted by Muhammad himself.
Similarly, if a catholic government legislates the death penalty for apostasy - it doesn’t mean the law is contained within the catholics religions source texts.

Most islamic governments don’t have the death penalty for apostasy in the official law of the land. But IF a muslim renounces his islamic faith & converts to another religion he’s risking his own life because the general public & the imams & muftis who know these texts will point out that the Law was established by Muhammad & therefore considered Divine & superseding any secular law & inevitably some believers will seek to act on it.

That’s why it’s so difficult to convert muslims to christianity, even if they personally believe they can die for it, just like in ancient Rome. The state & elite must first be converted so that the confession of the state changes from Islam to christianity.

In the end, religions must be judged on their own terms. Islam from the Quran & Sunnah & christianity from the Bible, Saints & various catechisms.

 

[dominikus28]

Actually, I can deny that and I doubt that you have any evidence to show that “no saints” ever protested or spoke out against such an idea. I doubt you are sufficiently well-read on the writings of the saints to make or warrant such a claim.

You’re right, I’m not sufficiently well read on the writings of the saints, which is why I’m on this forum asking others who may be.
Can you provide any examples of Saints protesting against death penalty for heresy or apostasy? Perhaps they exist, I just haven’t been able to find any. I know of Saints who have supported such measures, but haven’t come across any who have outright been opposed to them.

I doubt there would be anyone who would defend it. Care to produce any evidence – post or thread – where someone indicated they would support the death penalty for heresy or apostasy?

If you can produce none, then I suggest you ought to retract the insinuation if you want to retain any credibility you might have gained thus far.

I apologise Peter for offending, as it seems I have. I was simply asking a hypothetical question. I didn’t say any Catholics would support it, but asked whether any Catholics would.
Now, as there are Catholics who justify the Inquisition and the State punishing heretics with capital punishment, then I presume these same Catholics would have no moral objection to the same being done today, as morality does not change over time.
If not, then my question is, why not?

Again, this is patently ridiculous and insulting to EVERYONE who frequents these threads.

I would apologise, but I don’t think asking a question is insulting to anyone. I don’t see how imagining that members of ISIS converting to Catholicism is insulting.
My question is simply this: There is a State, which punishes heretics with death. How do Catholics respond?

If they respond with moral objection, then they’d have to also object to the same methods being used in the Inquisition.

I’m just trying to get a coherent answer here. I hope the answers I get can help me if an atheist ever compares ISIS putting opponents to death, and Inquisitions doing the same.

The Church may not mandate the death penalty for heretics, but my concern is with the apparent silence of the Church and Saints when the State uses the death penalty for heretics. If it is so opposed to Catholic teaching, then I’d expect there to be plenty of Saints and Popes objecting.