Posted on 11/06/2008 7:23:27 AM PST by WesternCulture
It's a shame that in the largest Protestant country on Earth, as well as in many other Protestant corners of the world, people who call themselves Protestants usually know very little about the history of our faith.
On the 6th of November 376 years ago, military genius and sole defender of the Lutheran faith, Gustavus Adolphus or Gustavus The Great, died at the battle of Lützen fighting the military forces of Catholicism and the Holy Roman Emperor under the command of Wallenstein. Gustavus died but Wallenstein was utterly defeated. However, the Thirty Year's war went on for decades.
Thanks to Gustavus brilliant leadership, Protestanism and especially Lutheranism was secured on Northern European soil. In the prolongation, this meant two important things:
- That true freedom of religion could develop (even though this didn't become a reality in many Western countries until the 19th century)
- That especially the Spaniards, Austrians and their allies were hindered from using Catholicism as an excuse for subjugating France (France didn't participate in the warfare itself though) and various parts of Central and Northern Europe.
The Thirty Year's War was a major tragedy in the history of Western Civilization. Especially Germany was hit in a terrible way and torture, pillage, rape and starvation became a part of everyday life. While there is nothing glorious about Europeans killing Europeans and Christians killing Christians, I would say something positive evolved out of this conflict.
Religious tolerance.
Today Europeans like I are growing more and more INtolerant towards a certain faith for apparent reasons. What we ethnic Europeans find disturbing about (fundamental) Islamists is not primarily that they veil their women and refuse to sit down and have a beer and a pork pie.
Fundamentalist Islam is in many ways a POLITICAL movement which is founded on the idea of the holy Jihad war.
While many Muslims denounce Fundamentalist interpretations, a large part of the World's Muslims believe in using religion as an excuse for subjugating other cultures. Like the Vatican, Spain and Austria once did.
This is something evil we Westerners and other freedom lovers much resist, wether we are Swedes (like I and Gustavus the Great), Germans, Spaniards, Japanese, Americans, Latin Americans, Jews or Hindus.
In my city, Gothenburg - home of "Liberal" Volvo - we celebrate Gustavus Adolphus every 6th of November by flying our flag and eating a certain Gustavus Adolphus cake/pastry made with (pieces) of sponge cake, butter cream, chocolate and marzipan originally created by the legendary café of Braütigam's, a Gothenburg establishment founded in 1870 but sadly enough turned into an Irish Pub in 1993 (but okay, "Guiness is good for you!").
Personally, I love cooking, but seldom make cakes and such things. However, I actually made some Gustavus Adolphus cakes myself before writing this post which I'll bring to a dinner party a friend of mine is throwing this evening. Three topics that I am convinced we will be discussing on this little get together are Nationalism, History and belief in true individual liberty.
Western history is a long, troublesome journey from ignorance, suffering and oppression to enlightenment, prosperity and freedom.
One of the men that stand out in this historical struggle is by all means Gustavus the Great. Few others have meant so much to Protestantism and freedom of religion as him. Furthermore, freedom of religion in many ways paved way for ideas like the modern republic, universal suffrage and the notion that education is a human right (because without education, a citizen is unable of understanding what is going on in political life and what his or her rights actually are in this societal context).
Greetings to Protestants, Catholics, Jews and everyone else who believe in true civilization from Volvoland,
WesterCulture
I’d be willing to bet that for every Roman Catholic persecuted, abused, or killed in Protestant countries in Gusavus Adolphis’ day, at least 10 Protestants were persecuted, abused, or killed in Roman Catholic dominated countries. The movement toward religious toleration started in Protestant lands—and only later caught on in Roman Catholic dominated places.
To this day, it is far easier to be a Roman Catholic in Sweden, or Saxony(Germany), or England than it is to be a Protestant in much of the Roman Catholic world.
It's a bet you would lose.
The movement toward religious toleration started in Protestant lands—and only later caught on in Roman Catholic dominated places.
No, the movement toward toleration began in border areas, where Catholics and Protestants alike realized that neither was assured of the numbers or resources needed to keep the other in subjection.
To this day, it is far easier to be a Roman Catholic in Sweden, or Saxony(Germany), or England than it is to be a Protestant in much of the Roman Catholic world.
That's a laugh.
Not only is it easier to be a Protestant in the Roman Catholic world than it is to be an observant Roman Catholic in the Protestant world, it is easier to be a Protestant in the Roman Catholic world than it is to be a Protestant in the Protestant world.
In historically Protestant Sweden and in historically Protestant Canada a Roman Catholic priest and a Reformed pastor can both find themselves in legal hot water for denouncing sodomy from the pulpit.
In historically Roman Catholic France or historically Roman Catholic Brazil, a Reformed pastor can speak his opinion in this matter freely, without fear of being brought up on charges.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.