Topic: Cathar Crusade

The historical slaughter of the Cathars by the Catholic Church is examined as a primary example of state and religious propaganda. Estimates suggest between 200,000 and one million people were killed during the Inquisition, which began as a tool to seize land and control the population in Southern France. The phrase "kill them all and let God sort them out" is attributed to the Bishop of Toulouse during this period of centralized church expansion.

Jim Marrs describes how the Roman Church served as the central power of the Middle Ages by controlling the finances of European monarchs. He discusses the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars and the ongoing religious conflicts between Christians and Muslims. Marrs concludes that while religion was once the primary control mechanism, it has been superseded by the "Golden Rule" of finance, where those with the gold make the rules.