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That quote, "God will know His own" was said at the height of the Albigensian crusades, which was carried out IIRC approximately 100 years later against the Cat

That quote, "God will know His own" was said at the height of the Albigensian crusades, which was carried out IIRC approximately 100 years later against the Cathars. Because the Catholic Church played such a major part in civil life, competing claims to authentic Christianity in Western Europe distinct from their church was considered an existential threat. I am in no way condoning what they did, but a good way to relate to the context in which they made this decision would be to consider how Sovereign Citizens are looked at by authorities in our contemporary times.

yywwbbn 5y ago
The Cathars were mostly tolerated by the local authorities and nobility in the south of France though. The Albigensian were basically a land grab by the nobles in northern France in expense of their souther brethren and nothing more (why would the catholic king of Aragon and the count of Toulouse fight on the side of the Cathars otherwise?)
- hef19898 5y ago
  Those religious lines, especially during "wars of religion" start to get blurry pretty quick. In the 30 years war France, Catholic, fought with the Swedes, Protestant, against the Habsburgers, Cathloic. Why? Because France didn't like the idea of having a Habsburg empire to its south, Spain, and west, Germany.
- JetAlone 5y ago
  You raise a point worth discussing. In our contemporary times there are more traditional political factions and local authorities in the USA who believe in the legitimacy of the United States political process or at least the constitution (many sovereign citizens don't, preferring the articles of confederatin) yet are also more sympathetic to sovereign citizens than their counterparts, and could be interested in temporary alliances with them if trouble broke out. At the end of the day, Aragon remained under Catholic authority either way, but wanted to use tolerance of the Cathars as a wedge to keep hold of territory. Similarly, I could imagine a rural law-abiding United States bloc preferring that, for economic or political reasons, there be a nearby commune of Sovereign Citizens who are strange, under-documented, and sometimes live in potentially hazardous conditions, but are friendly and willing to pitch in to help the broader community out of a shared sense of common "American freedomism" so long as law enforcement and other day-to-day restrictions aren't carried out in ways they consider illogical or intrusive.

yywwbbn 5y ago

The Cathars were mostly tolerated by the local authorities and nobility in the south of France though. The Albigensian were basically a land grab by the nobles in northern France in expense of their souther brethren and nothing more (why would the catholic king of Aragon and the count of Toulouse fight on the side of the Cathars otherwise?)

hef19898 5y ago
Those religious lines, especially during "wars of religion" start to get blurry pretty quick. In the 30 years war France, Catholic, fought with the Swedes, Protestant, against the Habsburgers, Cathloic. Why? Because France didn't like the idea of having a Habsburg empire to its south, Spain, and west, Germany.
JetAlone 5y ago
You raise a point worth discussing. In our contemporary times there are more traditional political factions and local authorities in the USA who believe in the legitimacy of the United States political process or at least the constitution (many sovereign citizens don't, preferring the articles of confederatin) yet are also more sympathetic to sovereign citizens than their counterparts, and could be interested in temporary alliances with them if trouble broke out. At the end of the day, Aragon remained under Catholic authority either way, but wanted to use tolerance of the Cathars as a wedge to keep hold of territory. Similarly, I could imagine a rural law-abiding United States bloc preferring that, for economic or political reasons, there be a nearby commune of Sovereign Citizens who are strange, under-documented, and sometimes live in potentially hazardous conditions, but are friendly and willing to pitch in to help the broader community out of a shared sense of common "American freedomism" so long as law enforcement and other day-to-day restrictions aren't carried out in ways they consider illogical or intrusive.