Why Trial by Ordeal was like a medieval polygraph

[beschizza]

@some_guy

Sorry. Not that I want to argue with you, but “the trick” is that the accused have to also believe in God, or else it doesn’t work.

You specifically said “The trick is, of course, that the water was usually a safe temperature.”

I accept your apology, but the post literally says “so long as the subject is confident God will protect them if they are innocent" in the first paragraph, so I can’t help but feel you missed the trick.

[some_guy]

oooo. . . .tricky!

[Wanderfound]

@gracchus

I wish I could say that we’re completely done with this medieval garbage as a civilisation, but given the number of megachurches selling the prosperity gospel to desperate people I can’t.

It occurs to me that you could also say that a polygraph is like a trial by ordeal. The idea is to frighten the ignorant into confession.