[Terriergal]

but for Luther's courage, there would have been no eventual United States of America.

Speaking as a Lutheran, isn't that statement giving just a little more credit to Luther than Luther himself would have wanted? ersh. I went to a Lutheran Bible school and the occasional laudings of Luther surely made me and others (who actually thought about it) shudder. We are all just channels through which God works. I hesitate to honor any man *too* much. He had his faults as well.

[homeschool_dad]

Exactly. I don't follow Luther. I guess that's the essence of the Reformation: having the courage to read and learn for yourself and not blindly follow the musings of some archane instiution.

[rwfromkansas]

The ideals of the Reformation paved the way for an America. Luther's and Calvin's work allowed such American concepts as freedom to be born.

George Bancroft, America's first historian, called Calvin the father of our country.