AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY. 97 



other creeds, all that the Jews have been guilty of 

 towards the heathen, the Eoman emperors towards the 

 Christians, the Mohammedans towards Christians and 

 Jews alike all this is outdone by the hecatombs of 

 human victims which Christianity has demanded for 

 the spread of her doctrines. And these were Christians 

 against Christians orthodox Christians against hetero- 

 dox Christians ! think only of the Inquisition in the 

 Middle Ages, of the inconceivable and inhuman bar- 

 barities committed by the "most Christian kings" of 

 Spain, by their worthy colleagues in Frankfort, in Italy, 

 and elsewhere. Hundreds of thousands then died 

 that most horrible death by fire, simply because they 

 would not bend their reason to pass under the yoke of 

 the grossest superstition, and because their loyalty to 

 their convictions forbade them to deny the natural 

 truth that they clearly discerned. There are no deeds 

 more hideous, base, and inhuman than those that at 

 that time were committed nay, are still committed 

 in the name and on account of " true Christianity." 



And finally, how do matters stand with regard to 

 the morality of the priests who announce themselves 

 as the ministers of God's Word, and whose duty is 

 therefore above all others to carry out the sa vino- 

 doctrines of Christianity in their own lives ? The long, 

 unbroken, and horrible series of crimes of every kind 

 which is offered by the history of the Eoman Popes is 



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