Cayetano Ripoll - Martyr for Deism and reason
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On this date, July 26th, in 1826 the active Deist and freethinker Cayetano Ripoll paid the ultimate price for Deism and freethought - his life.
Our fellow Deist and freethinker Cayetano Ripoll is believed to have been born in Solsona, Spain, in 1778. He was in the Spanish army during Spain's war against France in the Peninsular War (1807-1814). He was captured by the French and while their prisoner of war he learned about Deism and soon became a Deist.
After the war he returned to Spain. He secured a job in Valencia as a school teacher. As many Deists do, he spoke openly to people about Deism. He even taught his students about Deism. This angered the Roman Catholic Church. In Spain at this time the Deistic principles of freedom of and from religion and separation of religion from government fought for and won in the American Revolution, had not made their way into any other countries. The Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish government were in bed together. The Catholic clergy had the government officials arrest Cayetano Ripoll for heresy. He was imprisoned and interrogated for almost two years. On Wednesday, July 26, 1826, the Roman Catholic Spanish Inquisition had the government officials hang the active Deist Cayetano Ripoll. Cayetano's last words were, "I die reconciled to God and to man." The murder of Cayetano Ripoll is very historically significant because he was the last person executed by the Spanish Inquisition, which started in 1478 and ended in 1834.
The Christians of the Catholic Church wanted the government officials to burn him alive, as they did to so many other people who valued their God-given innate reason over man-made "revealed" religion and its ungodly/irrational fear-based nonsense. The government officials obviously refused. However, after the Christians had the government officials murder Cayetano, the Christians put his dead body in a barrel with flames painted onto it and buried him in unconsecrated ground. The painted flames were as close to burning him alive as the mentally deranged ungodly Christians could get in Cayetano's case.
Cayetano Ripoll has set a shining example for all Deists and freethinkers. He let us know there is a cost to making progress through reason and Deism. Thankfully today, in non-Islamic countries and in most other nations, we are free to openly promote and spread Deism. Deists need to take full advantage of this important opportunity to the very best of our ability. This opportunity was bought and paid for with the blood and life of Cayetano Ripoll, Giordano Bruno, many other heretics and the rebels of the American Revolution. (It's interesting to note that Cayetano Ripoll was born two years into the American Revolution and he was murdered by the Christians 22 days after Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826.) By doing our very best to promote reason and Deism, we are showing our true appreciation for the ultimate sacrifice of our Deist brother Cayetano Ripoll.