Topic: Mystery Babylon

A reading from Mystery Babylon Religion explores the history of the Roman Catholic Church and the persecution of those deemed heretics during the Middle Ages. The text details the Ad Extirpanda issued by Pope Innocent IV in 1252, which authorized the torture and execution of religious dissenters. The discussion frames organized religion as a man-made tool for state control and compares historical inquisitions to modern media portrayals of "cults."