The Cathar beliefs.
The Cathar faith became very popular during the 12th century in some parts of Europe. Unfortunately not a great lot of documentation has survived regarding the Cathars and what documents have survived are records kept by the inquisition who persecuted, condemned and executed those who followed the faith of the Cathars. The Cathar faith rose in popularity so much so that the Christian church viewed it as a threat to their own practices, condemned the Cathars as heretics and sent in the inquisition to deal with the growing problem.
Although we only begin to hear of the Cathars from around the 12th century onwards, the Cathars must have been around for many hundreds of years before this time. Evidence of this can be seen in the Cathars beliefs and in what the perfecti preached. The perfecti or good men (although both men and women could become perfecti) where the ordained Cathars the believers, priests if you like of the Cathar faith.
The Cathars followed the true teachings of Jesus who was taught by John the Baptists and who went on to teach John the Divine who in turn wrote the Gospel of Love which was the only scripture the Cathars gave credence to. They taught that Jesus came to reveal not to redeem. To the Cathars Jesus came to teach the true path to salvation and not to die for our sins.
The Cathars believed there where two gods the Demi urge, an evil god, and the good god who was pure spirit. It was the Demi urge that created the Earth and everything within it including our bodies. The Cathars denied the existence of hell and only by living a good and pure life would the soul be reunited with the good god after death.
The Cathars did not believe that the god of the old testament was the good and righteous god. After all the god of the old testament had caused the flood drowning many people, destroyed the people of Sodom and even approved of murder by ordering the Israelites to massacre the people of Cannon to name but a few deaths in the name of the god of the old testament.
To remain pure the perfecti refrained from any form of sexual activity. They ate no meat or any by product from animals such as eggs, milk and cheese. The abstention from eating meat stemmed from their belief of an impure soul being reincarnated into animals and by eating meat they may be consuming an impure human soul awaiting revelation. They could however eat fish which was believed to be the product of spontaneous conception in the water and thus pure. Those who simply followed the Cathar faith had no such dietary or sexual restrictions placed upon them.
The perfecti were a hands on people they lived and toiled amongst their communities, they where also great healers and herbalists. Jesus had taught by following the true path all would be able to accomplish what he had. The perfecti believed this sacred knowledge had come from the good god and by remaining on the path of the true teachings of Jesus the perfecti would reunite with the true, good ,god that was pure spirit.
