Michael Servetus

Michael Servetus: To Kill a Man Does Not Defend an Idea

Servetus
At a time when there is increasing sectarian violence in Iraq, when the Baha'i are banned in Iran, when questions of belief are increasingly part of political debate, it is useful to mark the milestones on the long road to freedom of conscience. October 27, 1553 was such a milestone, for October 27th was the day Michael Servetus was burned at the stake on a hill outside the walls of the Republic of Geneva. His crimes were heresy and blasphemy.