If we try to find a difference between the Americans and the Portuguese in the realm of public life, one that is really striking is the earnestness of the Americans as compared to the cynicism of the Portuguese. In other words, do not take the Portuguese too seriously when they speak in public.
This might have been the greatest of all damages that the Inquisition produced in Portugal and other countries subject to its influence. As Lord Acton has remarked, the purpose of the Inquisition was not to combat sin - for sin was not judged by it unless accompanied by error. Not even to put down error. The purpose of the Inquisition was to promote unity only. This became an outward, fictitious, hypocritical unity. The gravest sin was pardoned, but it was death to deny the Donation of Constantine. So men learnt that outward submission must be given. All this to promote authority more than faith. When ideas were punished more severely than actions (for all this time the Church was softening the criminal law, and saving men from the consequences of crime) and the Donation was put on a level with God's own law, men understood that authority went before sincerity.
This might well explain why science did not progress in Catholic countries as it did in Protestant countries like America, why the debate about ideas is extremely difficult in Catholic countries and why scientific or professional conferences in Portugal are usually boring to death. Conferencists go there to say what everybody expects them to say and they seldom venture to say what they really think - if indeed they think something different from the crowd. In political gatherings, the situation is even worse: don't trust the office candidate speaking in public because, if elected, most likely he will not do anything which he promised.
This might have been the greatest of all damages that the Inquisition produced in Portugal and other countries subject to its influence. As Lord Acton has remarked, the purpose of the Inquisition was not to combat sin - for sin was not judged by it unless accompanied by error. Not even to put down error. The purpose of the Inquisition was to promote unity only. This became an outward, fictitious, hypocritical unity. The gravest sin was pardoned, but it was death to deny the Donation of Constantine. So men learnt that outward submission must be given. All this to promote authority more than faith. When ideas were punished more severely than actions (for all this time the Church was softening the criminal law, and saving men from the consequences of crime) and the Donation was put on a level with God's own law, men understood that authority went before sincerity.
This might well explain why science did not progress in Catholic countries as it did in Protestant countries like America, why the debate about ideas is extremely difficult in Catholic countries and why scientific or professional conferences in Portugal are usually boring to death. Conferencists go there to say what everybody expects them to say and they seldom venture to say what they really think - if indeed they think something different from the crowd. In political gatherings, the situation is even worse: don't trust the office candidate speaking in public because, if elected, most likely he will not do anything which he promised.
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