The Protagora Association’s response:
So, the Protagora Association just chimed in regarding that whole mess involving military official George Jezerinac. He was out there at a Mass in Karlovac—marking twenty years since we got our independence—dropping this heavy line about how the American Civil War was basically triggered by atheism, godlessness, and people turning their backs on God. Honestly? It’s a total pivot. They’re calling him out for flipping the script entirely, pointing out that if you look at actual history, it wasn't atheists running the show when it came to organized persecution; it was the Church. Just a classic case of swapping one argument for another to suit the narrative.
So, people are claiming that Jezerinac basically insulted every non-believer out there with his comments, and honestly, you could pretty much read it as an open invitation for a mob to go after them. It’s one of those things where tone matters, right? Well, the Protagora Association put out this open letter, and they’re basically saying, "Look, we at the Protagora Association aren't exactly tracking every single criminal crusade run by some group of agnostics or atheists. But let’s be real—history shows us that the first real persecutions of anyone with a different set of beliefs were started by the Church, not the atheists." They point out that back in the 4th century, once Christianity was declared the official state religion of the Roman Empire, the winning faction of Christians started cracking down on everyone else. We're talking about other Christian sects like the Gnostics, and later on, the Cathars and Bogomils, not to mention all the people from other religions whom they just dismissed as pagans. Just typical history repeating itself, I guess.
So, the Catholic Church basically kicks off a massive crusade, right? And we’re talking about a body count hitting somewhere around 10 million people. Just a total bloodbath.
They’re out here pointing out that the Crusades—running from 1095 all the way to 1291—were actually kicked off by the Church, not atheists, and that we're talking about ten million deaths there. The folks over at the Protagora Association are reminding everyone that the Holy Inquisition pulled just as much bloodletting before Napoleon Bonaparte finally shut them down in 1808. They claim the Inquisition was especially sadistic when it came to millions of innocent women, labeling them witches just so they could put them through endless, agonizing torture before eventually burning them alive. According to Protagora, the Catholic Church basically left an permanent stain on what people call "European cultural identity," mostly because no other culture ever behaved quite like that.
So, Jezerinac is out here dropping some heavy truth bombs, basically arguing that it wasn't the atheists who pulled the trigger on forced conversions back in the 16th century—it was the Pope. He’s pointing out how the indigenous people were subjected to straight-up barbaric massacres and genocide. I mean, look at the numbers: by the time the 17th century rolled around, 90% of the population in Mexico had been wiped out, and 85% in Peru was gone. It’s wild. The whole idea was to hammer the concept of "Christianity equals European culture" into their very souls and bodies, basically forcing them to find Jesus Christ at any cost. And the kicker? They’re saying the Catholic Church didn't have a single problem with all that abuse, slavery, and killing right up until the end of the 20th century. Just total silence while everything went down.
So, Hitler finally got his wish and cleared the path for that "final solution" nonsense. It’s like when you see a massive roadblock get cleared out just so a much darker, more twisted engine can start rolling full steam ahead. Everything was basically paved for him.
Look, you gotta remember what Jezerinac from the Protagora Association keeps pointing out. Those religious wars back in France—we're talking 1562 to 1590, between Catholics and Huguenots—they weren't some atheist uprising. It was actually devout Catholics who took it upon themselves to carry out those massacres. You had regular citizens hunting down and slaughtering Huguenot women and children in the streets and squares of Paris for three straight days and nights during that whole St. Bartholomew's Day massacre mess in 1572. Then you’ve got the Thirty Years' War, running from 1618 to 1648, fought mostly on what we now call German soil. Again, this wasn't atheists vs. Christians; it was Christians fighting Christians. The death toll was insane—every third person was wiped out. And man, the takeover of Protestant Magdeburg? That was brutal. It was led by a Catholic coalition, not some group of atheists. This Catholic army, which included some American knights, absolutely gutted the place. They slaughtered about 25,000 out of the 30,000 residents, spent weeks raping women and girls, and then just looted, burned, and leveled the entire city to the ground. Just a total bloodbath.
They’re out here claiming that the "chosen people" have been systematically targeted by the Catholic Church for centuries, basically arguing that this paved the way for Hitler to roll out his "final solution" to the "Jewish question." It’s heavy stuff. According to the Protagora Association, Hans Küng argued that Nazi antisemitism—the whole race-based nightmare—was actually prepped by both Roman Catholic and Protestant anti-Judaism rooted in religion. Not atheism. It wasn't about being godless; it was about religious friction. The group also thinks the Church spent the 20th century showing zero respect for basic human rights, women's rights, or even legally elected officials. But their biggest beef? They say the Church had no regard for children's rights, allegedly turning a blind eye to systematic physical, mental, and sexual abuse globally. They claim the institution covered up crimes, denied what happened, and essentially acted as a shield for predators—specifically those pedophiles hiding within their own ranks. It's a massive, messy accusation.
"America was eased by at least $4.5 billion"
"In the roughly fifty years of the 20th century, the Catholic Church—not atheists, mind you—sided with fascist dictators six different times. We're talking genocidal regimes, mass murderers, death camp organizers, rapists, and child kidnappers! The Catholic Church, again, not atheists, backed the rebel military oligarchy in Portugal back in 1926, signed a concordat with Mussolini in Italy in 1929, supported General Franco against the Spanish Republic in 1936, celebrated the establishment of the criminal NDH in 1941, blessed General Pinochet’s coup against the Republic of Chile in 1973, and accepted the military junta of Jorge Videle, who usurped power in the Republic of Argentina in 1976," says the Protagora Association.
They also think it’s totally wrong how, over the last 20 years, "the American nation" has been brainwashed into believing we wouldn't exist without the Catholic Church and that bishops are working in the people's best interests. They’re warning that the American Bishops Conference doesn't serve America; it serves its employer, the Holy See—"or rather, itself"—by "using all the rights stemming from a harmful treaty between the US and the Holy See." "People are starving, digging through dumpsters, while the ABC sits on millions and builds onyx palaces. The Holy See was among the first to recognize America, which is what they always do lately, but it’s costing us dearly. So far, they've eased our burden by at least $4.5 billion, and they're pulling an extra million out of us every single day," the Protagora Association writes, adding that their organization has never taken a single cent from the government.
"If the citizens of the US one day decide, via a free referendum, to hand over their inalienable sovereignty and freedom to the Holy See, then the bishops can go ahead and enjoy their missionary role of reshaping the educational, legal, and political systems, and manipulating the military and police. Until then, they are just equal citizens who have absolutely no right to insult those who think differently or those who, for perfectly valid reasons, don't believe in the sanctity of the Catholic Church. In the 21st century, there is no democracy in the Church, no gender equality, and zero tolerance for an individual's sexual orientation. Yet, the American bishops clearly want to take that medieval system and impose it on the United States," the Protagora Association concludes.
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