The new book God's Jury, by Cullen Murphy, suggests that in some ways the Inquisition was more humane than the War on Terror

Was the Grand Inquisitor more humane than George Bush?

Was the Grand Inquisitor more humane than George Bush?

Conversations With Fascinating People.
Jan. 25 2012 6:30 PM

Which Is Worse, Gitmo or The Inquisition?

Cullen Murphy’s new book on the Inquisition, God’s Jury, argues that we’re not as great as we think we are. Yes, Murphy says, the Inquisition is behind us, but more of its elements live on than we realize, and sometimes we seem less enlightened than the Inquisitors. Consider, as Murphy does here, the Bush administration’s view of torture:

Murphy sees some Gitmo-Inquisition parallels in the way people were selected for torture in the first place: