Reply #9: The 3rd Century had a "cure" for "liberal" Christians (aka Gnostics)

[NAO]

burn the heretics! burn their writings! destroy the evidence that they ever existed!

As soon as the Catholic Church had the power, they set out on a systematic program of persecution and destruction. They did not allow Christians who believed differently than them to survive. That's why it was called the "Catholic" (Universal) Church.

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As the great Robert Ingersoll wrote:

"Give any orthodox church the power, and to-day they would punish heresy with whip, and chain, and fire. As long as a church deems a certain belief essential to salvation, just so long it will kill and burn if it has the power. Why should the church pity a man whom her God hates? Why should she show mercy to a kind and noble heretic whom her God will burn in eternal fire? Why should a Christian be better than his God? It is impossible for the imagination to conceive of a greater atrocity than has been perpetrated by the church. Every nerve in the human body capable of pain has been sought out and touched."

"Let it be remembered that all churches have persecuted heretics to the fullest extent of their power. Toleration has increased only when and where the power of the church has diminished. From Augustine until now the spirit of the Christians has remained the same. There has been the same intolerance, the same undying hatred of all who think for themselves, and the same determination to crush out of the human brain all knowledge inconsistent with an ignorant creed."

from Heretics and Heresies
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/heretics_and_hericies.html