Seven Skulls a' Screaming: Sevilla, 1492 Hi Folks! Here is Number 7: The Inquisition actually started in Italy, when Pope Innocent IV issued a papal bull in 1252 authorizing the use of torture to expose and eliminate heretics. And in fairness, it should be noted that the Portuguese and the French were also fairly enthusiastic about doing so. But for most us, the Spanish usually come to mind. After their military victory over the Moors in Grenada, the monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile decided to unite the Spanish provinces under Catholicism and place authority for protection of religious purity completely under their secular but royal control. The Vatican happily permitted it, in exchange for facilitating the removal of Muslims and Jews from southwestern Europe. And so, by 1492, programs of religious enforcement were being implemented in eight Spanish cities, with Seville as the epicenter. They were also being prepared for exportation to India. But thanks to a fellow named Christopher Columbus, they were brought to the New World instead. While Protestants were also scrutinized, Jews and Muslims were the principal focus of the Grand Inquisitors. By 1500 over half a million Jews had been converted or deported, and expulsion of Muslims was proceeding with vigor. The religious purges of medieval and colonial Europe were very much on the minds of the Founders when, via the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, they insisted on the separation of church and state. But in today’s America, fringe fundamentalists enjoy growing support for removal of that separation, due to broad fears of terrorists who also happen to be Islamic radicals. Yes, fundamentalists are all for getting churches involved in the policy affairs of government—until the discussion begins about removing their tax-exempt status. Thanx to the digital artists at Renderosity.com, 3Dcommune, Daz 3D, or Archive3D.net, whose props were used in the composition of this image. Dr Zik