Replies

It’s a Catch 22 because they ask for a well known, well respected theologian, but the fact that they left Catholicism for Jesus, automatically disqualifies them because of course no Catholic theologian worth his salt would ever leave the Catholic church.

Therefore the ones that did leave were not *real* Catholics, poorly catechized, were CINO’s or whatever.

So Catholic set up a standard that they make impossible for ANYONE to meet. Ever.

And when you bring up someone like Luther, they find reasons by the score why he doesn’t count.

Luther was a theologian in his own mind. A degree in Theology does not make one a theologian, but that degree, and years of studying in the faith. Luther was barely a wet-behind-the ear college professor, barely out of the seminary when he started blabbing away about what was he thought was wrong with the Catholic Church. Sounds like your typical liberal college professor that thinks he knows more than anyone else. As a Catholic priest, Luther did not have the authority to open his mouth about what he considered wrong with the faith. Who in the hell did he did think he was? It is a miracle he didn’t lose his head and that is exactly happened to a lot of heretics in his time.

Martin Luther also wanted to rip out the books of James (which he called an epistle of straw), Hebrews, 2 Peter, and Revelations. He was convinced by his colleagues to not do that. But, he added words to scripture to manipulate the bible to meet his pre-conceived notions.

Of course Luther really did not like St. James since James refuted Martin Luther’s claim of justification by “faith alone”. The only place in the Bible where those words come together in in the book of James where St. James says that “justification is not by faith alone” (James 2:24).

Martin Luther, in his abject arrogance, added the word “alone” to the passage in Romans 3:28 in his German translation.

Luther, in fact, was confronted at the time on why he had added the word “alone” to Romans 3:28. His response is VERY revealing. To the criticism of adding the word “alone” to Romans 3:28 Martin Luther replied:

“You tell me what a great fuss the Papists are making because the word ‘alone’ is not in the text of Paul. If your Papist makes such an unnecessary row about the word ‘alone,’ say right out to him: ‘Dr. Martin Luther will have it so,’ and say: ‘Papist and asses are one and the same thing.’ I will have it so, and I order it to be so, and my will is reason enough. I know very well that the word ‘alone’ is not in the Latin or the Greek text, and it was not necessary for the Papists to teach me that. It is true those letters are not in it, which letters the jackasses look at, as a cow stares at a new gate...It shall remain in my New Testament, and if all the Popish donkeys were to get mad and beside themselves, they will not get it out.”
(quoted in John Stoddard, “Rebuilding a Lost Faith”, (Rockford, IL: Tan Books), 136-137)