Book Club Questions for The Lost Seigneur

1.  It might surprise you to know that in the early days of Christianity, there were many competing groups who had some surprising theological differences.  What do we know about the Cathars?

2.  The Cathars were gnostics who believed in a dualistic world.  As gnostics, they believed in personal, esoteric spiritual knowledge over traditional dogma; and as dualists, they believed in a world of opposites.  Given how different these beliefs were from Christianity today, how could Cathars call themselves Christians?

3.  The Inquisition was a tribunal organization formed by the Catholic Church to combat heresy.  Why did the Church consider the Cathars to be heretics and what justified using the Inquisition against them?

4.  How were Cathars and Protestants similar in the eyes of the Catholic Church?

5.  How was the Church's treatment of Protestants similar to that of the Cathars before them?

6.  What did it mean that the New World was a land of opportunity?

7.  As a child, Magdalena was a sensitive soul in search of answers to some very serious questions.  What questions did she have and what made her want to become a Cathar?

8.  Why did Magdalena's identification as a Cathar ultimately prove unfulfilling?

9.  In the context of the book, how was hasard different from random chance?

10.  How would you describe Gotzone?

11.  What did Gotzone do for the Laux family?

12.  Would you like to have known Gotzone?