1.28.2005
A Nice, Little Film
I watched Luther on DVD last night, and it really did my soul good. Anyone who walks around ranting about the imminent Bush theocracy and how the 'Christian Right' is threatening to impose their will on our country should be required to watch this. Reflect on the tyranny that the Roman Catholic Church imposed on medievel society for a while, and maybe you'll get a sense of the enormous contribution Martin Luther made to the freedoms we now enjoy.
Here are some interesting tidbits:
-Martin Luther was a full fledged priest in the Catholic Church before he ever read the New Testament.
-One of the biggest affronts to the Church by Luther was his translation of said New Testament into his native German. The Church was heavily invested in keeping the masses from knowing what the Bible actually said. That way, they could 'sell' salvation and keep Rome in opulent splendor.
Martin Luther was a really cool guy. He even married a former nun.
Every seeking soul should know the story of this great champion of the faith.
Oh, and for those who can laugh at the 'Christian-sanity' going on in this country, rent Saved today!
- posted by The Drake @ 3:12 PM
Comments:
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I think a lot of times, the left uses "imposing their religion on us" as a way of diminishing the opinions of the opposition. Asside from a ban on homosexual marraige, I can't think of anything that the Republicans stand for that can't be completely explained logically in secular terms... especially abortion.
tell me about some of Luther's "enormous contributions."
also tell me about "Saved"
also tell me about "Saved"
# posted by 
: 2/01/2005 10:36:00 AM
: 2/01/2005 10:36:00 AM
Anonymous:
He translated the bible into German, something that was forbidden by the Catholic Church at the time, as they wanted the people to rely on them for all religious knowledge. In doing so, he put the Word of God into the hands of the people. He stood up against the selling of indugenses, which was one of the most unbiblical things the church was doing at the time. He brought a large group of believers back to the scriptural faith as much of Catholocism wasn't (and still isn't) biblical. He helped the Christian Church go through an enlightenment, which enabled it to survive, in my opinion. In a time period where corruption in the church was rampant, and people were willing to kill to protect their power, what he did (then to die in his bed of natural causes) was quite an accomplishment.
Back in those days, nobility gained power and wealth in one of three ways. 1) They were the first born, so all lands, money, and title were passed to them. 2) They married into wealth. 3) They joined the church. The church was filled with spoiled nobility, and had turned its direction away from God and Christ and into its own form of nobility.
One of the Cardinals said something interesting in the movie over the body of the pope. If the church was to reform, they didn't need a pope like him (I forget which one it was), but rather they should have made Luther the pope. I wonder how history would have been changed had Martin Luther become pope.
He translated the bible into German, something that was forbidden by the Catholic Church at the time, as they wanted the people to rely on them for all religious knowledge. In doing so, he put the Word of God into the hands of the people. He stood up against the selling of indugenses, which was one of the most unbiblical things the church was doing at the time. He brought a large group of believers back to the scriptural faith as much of Catholocism wasn't (and still isn't) biblical. He helped the Christian Church go through an enlightenment, which enabled it to survive, in my opinion. In a time period where corruption in the church was rampant, and people were willing to kill to protect their power, what he did (then to die in his bed of natural causes) was quite an accomplishment.
Back in those days, nobility gained power and wealth in one of three ways. 1) They were the first born, so all lands, money, and title were passed to them. 2) They married into wealth. 3) They joined the church. The church was filled with spoiled nobility, and had turned its direction away from God and Christ and into its own form of nobility.
One of the Cardinals said something interesting in the movie over the body of the pope. If the church was to reform, they didn't need a pope like him (I forget which one it was), but rather they should have made Luther the pope. I wonder how history would have been changed had Martin Luther become pope.
To add to NH's very clear and correct rendering of Luther's contribution to history, let me add this: the work of Luther was the spark that kindled the wildfire known as the Protestant Reformation. The Reformers work primarily reacted against the perversions and distortions of the Christian faith by leveraging the growing literacy among the European populace and the recent advances in mass publication (i.e. -- the printing press) to advance five fundamentals of a Biblically-based practice of Christianity, aka the five Solas.
They are:
Sola Scriptura - Scripture was to be the ONLY and FINAL authority in the development of doctrine and spiritual teaching.
Solus Christus - Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to salvation. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Sola Gratia - Grace is the ONLY way to obtain saving faith. Grace is God's unmerited favor in the life of man. Humans can do nothing in their own natural capacities to earn this grace.
Sola Fide - Salvation comes ONLY by faith in Jesus' sacrificial atonement for our sins on the Cross. Faith is the result of God's grace bestowed. It is a gift, and cannot be developed or earned. Good works are a result of faith, not the other way 'round.
Soli Deo Gloria - Glory belongs ONLY to God. The Reformers were disgusted with the splendor, opulence and regality associated with the Papal hierarchy in Rome.
Speaking of which, NH, the Pope who died during the time of Luther's activism was Leo X, aka Giovanni de Medici, a hedonistic scion of a powerful and wealthy family at the head of the Florentine Republic in Italy. His extravagences led to a financial shortfall which he decided to fix by conspiring with a German Archbishop to sell Indulgences (papal grants of liberation from Purgatory into Paradise for self or family members) to the masses.
This was the outrage which prompted Luther to write his famed 95 Theses and nail them to the door of the Wittenburg Cathedral.
Pope Leo is claimed to have said, "It has served us well, this myth of Christ."
I think not.
Anon,
Saved is a funny, satirical and thought-provoking commentary on the impact of the evangelical "Christian school" movement of the last 25 or so years. A little extreme in some of its criticisms, but not without a point. It points out that even well-meaning Christian parents need to pay attention to what's going on in their children's lives and education, and that dumping them off in a "Christian" school in the blind belief that they will be 'protected' from the evils of this world is no more responsible than the average citizen's faith in the public school system.
It also sheds some light on the ridiculousness of some of the 'alternatives' a lot of Christians choose to avoid 'worldly contamination'. Mary Louise Parker's performance is a total hoot!
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They are:
Sola Scriptura - Scripture was to be the ONLY and FINAL authority in the development of doctrine and spiritual teaching.
Solus Christus - Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to salvation. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Sola Gratia - Grace is the ONLY way to obtain saving faith. Grace is God's unmerited favor in the life of man. Humans can do nothing in their own natural capacities to earn this grace.
Sola Fide - Salvation comes ONLY by faith in Jesus' sacrificial atonement for our sins on the Cross. Faith is the result of God's grace bestowed. It is a gift, and cannot be developed or earned. Good works are a result of faith, not the other way 'round.
Soli Deo Gloria - Glory belongs ONLY to God. The Reformers were disgusted with the splendor, opulence and regality associated with the Papal hierarchy in Rome.
Speaking of which, NH, the Pope who died during the time of Luther's activism was Leo X, aka Giovanni de Medici, a hedonistic scion of a powerful and wealthy family at the head of the Florentine Republic in Italy. His extravagences led to a financial shortfall which he decided to fix by conspiring with a German Archbishop to sell Indulgences (papal grants of liberation from Purgatory into Paradise for self or family members) to the masses.
This was the outrage which prompted Luther to write his famed 95 Theses and nail them to the door of the Wittenburg Cathedral.
Pope Leo is claimed to have said, "It has served us well, this myth of Christ."
I think not.
Anon,
Saved is a funny, satirical and thought-provoking commentary on the impact of the evangelical "Christian school" movement of the last 25 or so years. A little extreme in some of its criticisms, but not without a point. It points out that even well-meaning Christian parents need to pay attention to what's going on in their children's lives and education, and that dumping them off in a "Christian" school in the blind belief that they will be 'protected' from the evils of this world is no more responsible than the average citizen's faith in the public school system.
It also sheds some light on the ridiculousness of some of the 'alternatives' a lot of Christians choose to avoid 'worldly contamination'. Mary Louise Parker's performance is a total hoot!
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