Dangond, 1

Juliana Dangond

Mr. Taylor Dopuch

Senior Project

December 15, 2021

The Church’s Violent yet Valuable History

Most people in Catholic, misogynistic societies have been taught to never question the

status quo, especially when it comes to gender roles. And, although we live in a world where

women are fighting for the rights, equality, and recognition they deserve, most people in these

societies don’t openly discuss why women are at a disadvantage. When they do ask questions

like “why sex is seen as shameful for women but triumphant for men?”, “why are gender

stereotypes are so sharply defined?”, or “​​how did men establish superiority over women?”, the

Church tends to dismiss these inquiries with an explanation along the lines of “because God

wanted it that way” or “because the Bible said so''. However, the Church knows that the real

answers to these questions mostly lie in its brutal and dark past, which is probably why most

schools (not necessarily just Catholic schools) that have Catholic religion classes only focus

lessons on the history of the bible and its teachings, the moral truths behind religion, and

memorization of Catholic rites and prayers. The Church’s deceitful and violent history is vaguely

mentioned or skipped entirely. However, the Church’s dark era is an essential part of history that

shouldn’t be overlooked and has major implications for the world today. So, should modern

schools that have Catholic curriculums include the Church’s deceitful and violent history in their

lessons? Would such an educational shift be constructive in today's society or would it create

confusion and chaos? To determine if this change is appropriate in current Catholic misogynistic
 Dangond, 2

societies, it is imperative to first go back in time and examine how the Catholic Church gained its

tremendous influence and created the Catholic misogynistic societal structure we know today.

Before the Church became the dominating religion known today, paganism was the

primary belief system in western Europe. Although its meaning has been changed throughout

centuries, as dictionary.com states, paganism in a historical context means “one of a people or

community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks”. In pagan

societies, women played an indispensable role in social and religious life. For instance, as

Stephen L. Dyson describes in Rome: A Living Portrait of an Ancient City, the cult of Isis and of

the Magna Mater offered women in early ancient Rome leadership roles, like the Magna Mater’s

title of “sacerdos maxima”, within religious life. Later on, came the formation of the Vestals

(priestesses of Vesta, Roman goddess of the sacred hearth and flame), an exclusive female

clerical group that “possessed unique religious distinction, public status and privileges, and could

exercise considerable political influence” (Staples). Additionally, ancient Rome’s highest divine

powers were composed of six, male-female pairs where goddesses would play essential roles in

religious life. Ancient Rome had this established religious structure for centuries, so when the

ascendancy of monotheistic Christianity threatened to dismantle this order in the 4th century AD,

pagan Rome took extreme measures to ensure the survival of their religious empire.

That’s when the persecutions began. Early on, these were sporadic, targeted towards

Christians, and mostly caused by “local conditions and dependent on the attitude of the

governor” according to britannica.com article Relations between Christianity and the Roman

government and the Hellenistic culture. This source also claims that a key cause of these

persecutions was “the Christians’ conscientious rejection of the gods whose favor was believed

to have brought success to the empire”. However, these persecutions became more organized and
 Dangond, 3

wide-ranging as the Roman Empire faced a time of crisis during the third century.

Britannica.com states it best: during this time, “economic collapse, political chaos, military

revolt, and barbarian invasion nearly destroyed the empire. Christians were blamed for the

desperate situation because they denied the gods who were thought to protect Rome, thereby

bringing down their wrath. To regain divine protection, the emperors introduced the systematic

persecution of Christians throughout the empire” (Relations between Christianity and the Roman

Government). The worst of these persecutions happened between 303 AD and 311 AD, when,

according to Greek church historian Eusebius, under the reign of co-emperors Diocletian and

Galerius “an imperial decree was published everywhere, ordering the churches to be razed to the

ground and the Scriptures destroyed by fire, and giving notice that those in places of honor

would lose their places, and domestic staff, if they continued to profess Christianity, would be

deprived of their liberty” (Eusebius, History of the Church (VIII.2)). Shortly after, everything

changed with Constantine’s rise to power. This man changed the fate of Christianity and the

future of humanity by stopping Christian persecutions during his reign, but he unknowingly

unleashed an array of other violent manifestations.

Flavius Valerius Constantinus, also known as Constantine the Great, was pronounced

emperor after his father’s death in 306 A.D. (Rattini, National Geographic). It’s safe to say that

although Constantine brought changes upon his empire to pacify divisions between pagans and

Christians, he was evidently biased towards Christianity, his personal chosen religion. In an

academic paper titled “Constantine’s Constantinople: A Christian Emperor, A Pagan City”, Mary

Balzer summarizes the social, civic, and religious changes Constantine brought upon his people

when unifying his empire. According to this paper, Constantine was Christian but extremely

mindful that he “could not suddenly change the religious foundation of the state at the same time
 Dangond, 4

that he was trying to recapture the traditional role of the emperor and revive the power of the

empire” (Balzer). As the academic paper points out, Constantine took it one step at a time as he

“could not afford to change the state religion of the empire to Christianity when the vast majority

of his citizens were pagans” (Balzer). So, according to the article, Constantine incorporated

pagan allusions in the restructure of his empire through different subtle methods, from displaying

pagan symbolism in Catholic churches to the re-appropriation of pagan statues for Christian

purposes. Constantine also used other unification and conversion tactics as mentioned by

agnostic History.com writer Bart D. Ehrman. For instance, Ehrman claims that in the time during

Constantine’s rule, the idea of an eternal Christian heaven/hell and tales of a single almighty God

were propagated to lower class families to create a steady and effective “grassroot movement”.

This all fed the Catholic Church's slow yet steady growth, and its popularity increased even more

with Constantine’s Edict of Milan.

In the year 313 A.D, seven years after Constantine’s rise to power and about one year

after he began the Roman Empire’s Christianization, Constantine and Galerius signed a letter

titled Edict of Milan that proclaimed “Religious Toleration” for all in the Roman Empire. The

Edict of Milan does not directly outlaw paganism. It permits other religions to exist so long as

their followers don’t interfere with the Catholic community. However, the edict’s harsh tone

when describing pagan beliefs implies Constantine’s disapproval of the pagan views he suggests

are false, outmoded illusions. This seemed apparent in a translated version of the edict by the

University of Pennsylvania Department of History, but there could be inconsistencies with the

original speech. Some elements of the letter may have been lost in translation, but various

translations and sources communicate the same message: Constantine, although he did not
 Dangond, 5

explicitly condemn pagans, communicated his disapproval of pagan beliefs to his followers who

were greatly subject to his influence.

Ever since Constantine made such insinuations in the Edict of Milan and unleashed a

mass cultural and religious shift in Europe where Christianity was growing, spreading, and

dominating rapidly, treatment towards pagans got progressively worse. According to several

historians, but more specifically Peter Brown, the Church would sporadically close down pagan

temples, prohibit pagan public sacrifices, and passive-aggressively encourage Christian followers

to persecute pagans just as the pagans had done to them a century before. Although there was

very little pressure on individual pagans, the pagan religious community certainly saw the effects

of the passive-aggressive treatment they were receiving. Through the Edict of Milan and the

unification of his empire, Constantine set the foundations, beliefs, and attitudes that eventually

led to these and other violent expressions towards pagans, and at this time, the effects of

Cosntantine’s abrasive rhetoric were starting to show.

After some time, during the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church successfully changed

people’s perceptions of what pagans were. As a World History Encyclopedia article illustrates,

‘Christians’ were then people of the “new religion” (Christianity) and those whose

“long-established pagan beliefs and practices entwined with those of the new religion”.

Basically, Christians were those who were originally Christian and pagans who merged into

Christianity with Constantine’s subtle conversion tactics. The term “pagans” then became, as the

article mentioned, “a Christian designation from the French meaning a 'rustic,' one who came

from the rural countryside”. These “pagans” were considered evil, non-progressing people from

the countryside who had not yet adopted Christianity. Since these people were part of a heresy,

the Church manipulated the true meaning of different pagan elements so that Christian followers
 Dangond, 6

would see these countrymen as evil devil worshipers. The wise pagan crones with their pointed

hats became ugly evil witches, characterized by their mystical connection to the natural world

(Inman, Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism). Because of these manipulations and

the Church’s vast influence, charms, spells, incantations, and other medieval countryside

traditions associated with country women (or witches) were considered sinful, immoral, and

wicked.

Manipulating remaining pagan symbols and associating them with the ungodly and

devilish was not the only tactic the Church employed to ensure their followers wouldn’t disobey

or return to ancient pagan ideals. An informative article by Joshua J. Mark describes the Church's

power and control in the Middle Ages. As stated in the article, from guilt tripping, exploiting,

and ripping off followers to executing pagan women, the Church employed several harsh control

methods to ensure its followers were in line. In particular, as stated in a World History

Encyclopedia article, the Church would use their teachings on the purgatory to sell “writs known

as indulgences, promising a shorter stay in purgatory for a price” (Mark). The article also

indicated that the Church sold “fake splinters of Christ's cross, a saint's finger or toe, a vial of

water from the Holy Land, or any number of objects, which would allegedly bring luck or ward

off misfortune” (Mark). Another example of these control methods was that when women were

accused of committing witchcraft, they were usually “tied in a sack with their cat… and thrown

into a body of water… [Even] if they managed to escape and come to the surface, they were

found guilty and then executed”. Lastly, the article mentioned that “archbishop[s] could, and

frequently did, threaten a noble, a town, or even a monastery with excommunication”, using this

as bait to manipulate and control whenever they pleased. This all gave the Church an extensive
 Dangond, 7

amount of economic resources and a firm grasp on their followers, which translated into the

immense power and influence they hold ‘till this day.

Now, it's understandable why the Church’s deceitful and violent history was vaguely

mentioned in Catholic religion classes and usually skipped: this information could possibly raise

doubts amongst devoted followers and disrupt the order and control the Church has held for

centuries. The Church surely doesn’t want their followers to know that Constantine and the

Church took inspiration from other religions to enhance, unify, and merge their religion with

others. It would certainly be an outrage if followers were to find out that the iconic picture of

Virgin Mary nursing baby Jesus in her arms was actually not an original, but a concept taken

from the portraits of Devaki nursing Crishna and Horus being nursed by Isis, who also became

miraculously impregnated with Horus. Just as wise crones became evil witches, Poseidon’s triton

transformed into the devil’s pitchfork, and Egyptian sun disks turned into Catholic saints’ halos.

What would followers think of the Church if they knew how the Church persecuted pagans,

charged followers for the absolution of sins, or sold fake Jesus merchandise? Some might argue

that the response mostly wouldn’t be positive, or at least it wouldn’t be in the Church’s favor.

However, the Church’s dark era is an essential part of history that, when analyzed and

understood in its current context, could bring many constructive changes that today’s Catholic

misogynistic societies need.

The Church has mostly been the same for centuries. However, it still has potential for

growth and development. If the Church were to embrace its dark past and teach it in a

constructive manner to young or beginner Catholic followers, it is possible that Catholic

misogynistic societies could see an increase in tolerance and decrease in stereotyping in future

generations. In the recent past, studies like Pew Research Center’s have shown that out of the
 Dangond, 8

people who have left Catholicism, 3% of these have left because they “stopped believing/lost

faith/became skeptical”. This significantly small percentage reflects that the main reason for

leaving Catholicism is not due to a decline of faith or lack thereof, but other reasons like the

“dissatisfaction with Catholic teachings about abortion and homosexuality (56%)” or

“(48%)...dissatisfaction with church teachings about birth control”. If the Church were to claim

that the release of information on their dark past would cause their followers to stop

believing/lose faith/become skeptical, there is little tangible evidence available to support that. In

fact, the release of the Church’s violent history could have rather positive effects on the Catholic

community.

The truth is that most of this information’s educational value does not lie in the literal

historical records on the Church’s dark past, but in the Church’s future transparency, openness,

and willingness to grow, not hide, from mistakes once they release and embrace their past. This

analysis could teach younger generations the importance of fully questioning and investigating

the cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds that surround them. This way, younger generations could

learn to not just accept what they’ve been told since birth was right or wrong, but to ask

questions, develop curiosity, and discover the truth around them. If people were to ask more

questions and seek out the answers themselves, they’d have a more comprehensive

understanding of the world around them. By asking questions like “why sex is seen as shameful

for women but triumphant for men?”, “why are gender stereotypes are so sharply defined?”, or

“​​how did men establish superiority over women?” (and not settling for answers like “because

God wanted it that way” or “because the Bible said so''), they’d understand that the answers

come from a long and complex history with power struggles and political agendas. If novice

Catholic followers were to see that women are at a disadvantage in their societies not because
 Dangond, 9

they are the inferior sex, but because as history unfolded, their image was damaged and the

perception of them altered, there would be more tolerance towards women. Maybe even more

equality, as this realization might spark the initiative in more people to advocate for women’s

equality. Most things around us aren’t the way they are “just because”. Women aren’t at a

disadvantage “just because”. We don’t see indigenous people who believe in various gods as

outdated or inferior “just because”. There is a history and a reason behind the structures and

stereotypes in place today. Hopefully, the Church can see the importance of recognizing the

truths behind who we are, as bright or dark as these may be. Because only then can we

understand and appreciate entirely who we are and the systems we are a part of, and strive to

better ourselves as individuals and as a collective.

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 Dangond, 13

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Pagan City,

https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/47945/3.6%20Constantine%27s.pdf

?sequence=3.

Brown, Peter (2013). The Rise of Western Christendom: Triumph and Diversity, A.D. 200-1000

(10th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1118301265.

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A&E Television Networks, 29 Mar. 2018,

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Eusebius. and Lake, Kirsopp. and Oulton, John Ernest Leonard. and Lawlor, Hugh Jackson. The

Ecclesiastical history, in two volumes / Eusebius / with an English translation by Kirsopp

Lake Heinemann London (England) 1926.

“Galerius and Constantine: Edicts of Toleration 311/313.” Internet History Sourcebooks Project,

https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/edict-milan.asp.

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