Replies

“And it’s all irrelevant - as research has shown”

Of course it is, to you, Vlad-baby.

Actual students of history would ask the questions - after having sacked Rome and imprisoned the pope just a few years earlier, could this have influenced the pope in any way in treating Henry’s annulment to Charles’ aunt? Of course it would. the pope would have incurred the wrath of Charles V and that is the last thing he wanted to do. Historians clearly acknowledge all of this, had you bothered to read about it.

Irrelevant, indeed. Your gift of missing the obvious is strong here.

“Getting history right is my specialty” How can this be when you are so wrong? This is a laughable claim. When an engineer has to take you to school on history, you cannot claim to be “getting history right”.

“In 1968, for instance, only 338 marriages were annulled in the United States.”

Yes, and they were granted to the modern-day equivalents to Henry VIII, because that’s how Rome works and has always worked, despite claims to the contrary. Some of those annulments were to “Kennedys” no doubt.

“1) the Protestantization of marriage in U.S. culture”

Ah, the old “invent a pejorative”. Catholics don’t have to grant annulments, yet the do in great numbers. It’s to the point where no Catholic marriage is known to be “valid” unless it’s been through (and denied) the annulment process.

Catholics have done this to themselves - so don’t blame Protestants for your own religions behavior.

“because many American Catholics who divorce and want to remarry prefer to marry in the Church.”

....and so it becomes a revenue opportunity for Rome, which fleeces its semi-faithful. They do make quite a bit of money through this selling of sacraments to those willing and able to pay. Why leave cash “on the table” when there is demand for earthly dispensations masquerading as religion.

Catholics do themselves no favors by compromising their religion this way. At least call it what it is and try to save yourselves, and quit making excuses and playing semantic games while milking the Catholic Divorce cow in America.

“The last “central political state in Rome” was the Roman Empire” Nonsense. Rome curried favor with one king versus another well past Henry’s time. Kings sought approval from Rome. It was corrupt politics as this that saw Rome’s influence decline - both in empire and in religion.

“Yes, WWI and WWII were so innovative. Gee, were so fortunate to have had century after century of “innovation” “

You would again deny the obvious - that wars, threats of wars, and competition spur innovation. History has shown this time and again. How is it that this engineer has a much clearer view of this than you, the self-appointed czar of historical fact

“I think that showing that Protestantism is a product of bad people shows what Protestantism is. Christianity is from God. Protestantism was invented on the cloaca and its supporters often acted accordingly.”

Cloaca?

You are certainly a piece of work. The only egg laid was the failure of Rome to staunch it’s own political and religious corruption.

That is why we have Protestantism today. That is why we have the COE and derivatives. Rome was politically equivalent of the Obama administrative. Incompetent and unable to see the value of the religious seat of Christianity over the monetary value of it’s political influence. They blew it. You don’t have to like it, but the reason for the existence of Protestantism is the decide lack of focus on what is right by the Catholic church of the time of Henry and Luther.

Rome blew it. Your interpretation otherwise is something that you pull from your very own cloaca.