Through Force or Faith? — Page 98
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 98 the ‘sinners’, and thus Augustine became the paragon of religious intolerance. ( Logik des Schreckens, Kurt Flasch, 1990, p. 14) This teaching of Augustine should not be treated lightly. Both Catholic and Protestant church accorded great importance to these teachings and the writings of Augustine left indelible imprint on Christian thinking and Christian teachings. Thus writes Kurt Flasch: The Catholic as well as the Protestant adopted these doc- trines in their official pronouncements in principle even if not in its details. ( Logik des Schreckens, Kurt Flasch, 1990, p. 14) The foundation of religious persecution and terrorism that was laid in this treatise had its expression wherever Christians ruled. It was used to justify innumerable atrocities, for example, the burn- ing of women alive after being accused of sorcery, etc. Kurt Flasch writes: Augustine’s breakthrough text reflects the history of ter- ror in Europe. It casts light on the history of the Western Christianity that extends from the fanatic virtuousness of Robespierre to the genocides of the 20th century. ( Logik des Schreckens, Kurt Flasch, 1990, p. 16) Here it is not irrelevant to mention that Augustine, who is considered as one of the ‘Fathers of the Church,’ published