[nathanbedford]

At a time when our country is facing a grave existential threat from Islam because moderate Islam is ancient Islam, we ought to consider that modern America is modern America because Martin Luther gave us the Reformation.

The idea advanced by Martin Luther that any man could communicate directly with his Creator on equal access basis with any other man without the intercession of the church, an institution which had sanctified the medieval secular hierarchy over men, was indispensable to the Declaration of Independence.

If no Martin Luther, no Declaration of Independence, at least not by the path we came to it, and no concept that All Men Are Created Equal. This was a revolution in the epistemology of the world and nailing 95 thesis to a church door was absolutely indispensable to getting here.

[pgyanke]

The idea advanced by Martin Luther that any man could communicate directly with his Creator on equal access basis with any other man without the intercession of the church, an institution which had sanctified the medieval secular hierarchy over men, was indispensable to the Declaration of Independence.

What a bunch of manure. There is some serious self-importance that gets promulgated in the protestant ranks.

"The Declaration of Independence dogmatically bases all rights on the fact that God created all men equal; it is right [to do so].... There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man."

-- G.K. Chesterton (a Roman Catholic)

[Bellflower]

One of the greatest posts I ever read on Free Republic. Thank you for your clear message.

[papertyger]

The idea advanced by Martin Luther that any man could communicate directly with his Creator on equal access basis with any other man without the intercession of the church, an institution which had sanctified the medieval secular hierarchy over men, was indispensable to the Declaration of Independence.

Utter nonsense. Were it true, the founders would have instituted an Anarchy, not a Republic. Conflating the legitimacy of an office with equality is intellectually dishonest.

[DungeonMaster]

The idea advanced by Martin Luther that any man could communicate directly with his Creator on equal access basis with any other man without the intercession of the church, an institution which had sanctified the medieval secular hierarchy over men, was indispensable to the Declaration of Independence.

People don't realize how things used to be.