The word Cathar derives from Cat. They would kiss the ass of a black cat and practiced orgies.
As it turns out the reason for persecution, from the early Christians to the Inquisition, was because the Gnostics threatened the intense marriage monogamy culture of Rome. The Gnostics viewed marriage as being the same as prostitution, a binding contract for the purpose of gain, in the case of marriage, the gain being children and family structure.
Secret sex rituals were practiced. The original Eucharist involved the ritual ingesting of semen and menstrual blood, called menses, as the body and blood of Christ, after orgies took place. If someone did get pregnant, the fetus was extracted and chopped into little pieces and then eaten. Horrified and threatened, the Romans fought back. The church had councils to keep the practice of love feasts out of church up until the end of the first millenium, and at 353 at the council of Gangra pronounced Anathema anyone who spoke against the love feast Agape or would not participate in it when invited.
The secret mystery tradition of Dionysus was transmitted by the Essenes to the Gnostics to the Cathars, Waldenses, and finally the Knights Templars. All the witch hunts and Inquisitions were primarily to wipe out these sex cults. A lot of innocent people died over this, and anyone who wanted to have a free society outside of Rome was thought to do so for the purpose of having sex orgies.
[video=youtube]
As it turns out the reason for persecution, from the early Christians to the Inquisition, was because the Gnostics threatened the intense marriage monogamy culture of Rome. The Gnostics viewed marriage as being the same as prostitution, a binding contract for the purpose of gain, in the case of marriage, the gain being children and family structure.
Secret sex rituals were practiced. The original Eucharist involved the ritual ingesting of semen and menstrual blood, called menses, as the body and blood of Christ, after orgies took place. If someone did get pregnant, the fetus was extracted and chopped into little pieces and then eaten. Horrified and threatened, the Romans fought back. The church had councils to keep the practice of love feasts out of church up until the end of the first millenium, and at 353 at the council of Gangra pronounced Anathema anyone who spoke against the love feast Agape or would not participate in it when invited.
The secret mystery tradition of Dionysus was transmitted by the Essenes to the Gnostics to the Cathars, Waldenses, and finally the Knights Templars. All the witch hunts and Inquisitions were primarily to wipe out these sex cults. A lot of innocent people died over this, and anyone who wanted to have a free society outside of Rome was thought to do so for the purpose of having sex orgies.
[video=youtube]