Definition of catharism Catharism

Cath•a•rism

We found 2 definitions of catharism from 2 different sources.

What does catharism mean?

WordNet

Noun
catharism - a Christian movement considered to be a medieval descendant of Manichaeism in southern France in the 12th and 13th centuries; characterized by dualism (asserted the coexistence of two mutually opposed principles, one good and one evil); was exterminated for heresy during the Inquisition
		Albigensianism, Catharism
		christian religion, christianity a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior

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Wikipedia

The Cathar faith was a version of Christianity. It was wiped out by the Roman Catholic Church in the 13th century by a Crusade. They were usually considered Gnostics. The word 'Cathar' comes the Greek word "katharos" meaning 'unpolluted' (from Tobias Churton, "The Gnostics") or "the pure ones".

Principles.

The Cathars believed that the world had been made by a bad god. The believed that this bad god had taken them from the good god put them the world but inside their bodies there was a spirit and that spirit needed to return to the good god. They were famous for a belief in a form of reincarnation and believed that when someone died the bad god would put that persons spirit in a new body. They believed this cycle of coming back to life could be escaped by a ritual cleansing. They were opposed to the doctrine of sin.

Women were prominent in the faith. They were pacifists. They were vegetarians.

They preached tolerance of other faiths. They rejected the usual Christian doctrine of marriage. An earlier 10th century Bulgarian heresy, Bogomilism, started some of these trends.

Language.

They used a bible in the language people spoke. Many other Christians used a Bible in Latin. Latin was spoken only by the priests.

Problems.

In 1145 open challenge to Catholic dominance began. In about 1165 the first Cathars said that the Church was "full of ravening wolves and hypocrites" and "worshipping the wrong God", right in front of the most powerful Catholics. In 1166 the Council of Oxford i