Posted on 07/09/2003 9:05:32 PM PDT by AnalogReigns
Documentary was shown on various PBS stations this week... (you know PBS--will be on again, surely--got to get something out of those tax dollars spent). It's worth taping...
Very good portrayal in my opinion...but downplayed his theology, mainly highlighting the social consequences of what Luther discovered in the Bible. Understandable when telling about such an important historic figure in just 2 hours.
Personally, I think, but for Luther's courage, there would have been no eventual United States of America...and we'd live in a very different world...
Here's the speil from PBS's site:
Martin Luther (#101)
"Driven to Defiance/The Reluctant Revolutionary"
Driven to Defiance - Martin Luther is born into a world dominated by the Catholic Church. For the keenly spiritual Luther, the Church's promise of salvation is irresistible. Caught in a thunderstorm and terrified by the possibility of imminent death, he vows to become a monk. But after entering the monastery, Luther becomes increasingly doubtful that the Church can actually offer him salvation. His views crystallize further when he travels to Rome and finds the capital of Catholicism swamped in corruption. Wracked by despair, Luther finds release in the pages of the Bible, discovering that it is not the Church, but his own individual faith that will guarantee his salvation. With this revelation he turns on the Church. In his famous 95 Theses he attacks its practice of selling Indulgences, putting himself on an irreversible path to conflict with the most powerful institution of the day. The Reluctant Revolutionary - The Catholic Church uses all of its might to try and silence Luther, including accusations of heresy and excommunication. Protected by his local ruler, Frederick the Wise, Luther continues to write radical critiques of the Church. In the process, he develops a new system of faith that places the freedom of the individual believer above the rituals of the Church. Aided by the newly invented printing press, his ideas spread rapidly. He is called before the German Imperial Parliament in the city of Worms and told he must recant. Risking torture and execution, Luther refuses, proclaiming his inalienable right to believe what he wishes. His stand becomes a legend that inspires revolution across Europe, overturning the thousand-year-old hegemony of the Church. But as the reformation expands into a movement for social freedom, Luther finds himself overwhelmed by the pace of change and is left vainly protesting that his followers should be concerning themselves with God.
The areas of Europe dominated by Catholicism fell to the suppsed "post-Christian" ethos as fast or faster than did the Protestant bastions. The last two great formerly Christian powers to so decline spiritually were Great Britain and now America. Protestantism had greater influence in America than in any other nation. We also have the greatest freedom here. But there has been a moral and spiritual Apostasy in all facets of "Christendom." The Bible foretold this in 2 Thess.2:
"1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." Now, as for this "Post-Christian" era, there are more people coming in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior than ever before. The end of the repressive Catholic theocracy in Europe is not a bad thing. Forced conversions, whether by Muslims or "Christians" are anathema to the freedom that comes with true Christianity.
A Mighty Fortress is my favorite hymn ever. Period.
Can't hear it without getting goosebumps.
It is? Care to elaborate on this flimsy allegation? The King James Bible, (named after a human king, has the exact same New Testament canon as the Catholic Church. What was added by the Catholic Church, which gave us the Bible and maintained it in Latin since 400 A.D.?. The Bible did not fall from a parachute into Martin Luther's lap, it was assembled and kept intact by the Catholic Church since 400 A.D. Luther took that Bible and altered it to his personal liking.
And exactly how do you know that the Bible is the word of God? Who told you this? Who taught Luther, Calvin and the Protestants that the Bible was the Word of God? The Roman Catholic Church, that's who. If not for the Catholic Church assembling, publishing and protecting the truths of the Bible down through the ages, you would not even have a Bible today. And if not for the Catholic Church's perennial teaching through the ages that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, Calvin, Luther, and you would not know that either. Saint Jerome weeded out the false gospels and epistles that abounded in the early Christian Church, and he and his team of Catholic scholars assembled the Latin Vulgate Bible circa 400 A.D., the very same Bible that you Protestants use today, (only you call seven of those canonical books the "Apocrypha"). So while you rant on with your vile anti-Catholic nonsense, you inadevertantly reveal that you completely trust the Roman Catholic Church's teaching that the Bible is the Word of God. For we taught this to the human founders of your Protestant churches.
(1). The Assissi interfaith prayer meeting of the world's relgious leaders had nothing to do with any single theology, or the Bible - it was held to promote world peace and help end religious persecution. With 160 world religious leaders attending, many of them Protestant Ministers, I'm sure the Calvinist "reformers", (of which you are a member), were represented at Assissi. But isn't it amazing that the Pope was able to get all these Christians and non-Christians gathered together in a Catholic Church? Is there a better way to expose the pagans to Christ and the gospel than to bring them directly into a Christian Cathedral? Notice the world came to the Pope, and not vice versa.
(2). Canon Law forbids Catholics to participate in non-Catholic worship services, but only allows them to attend these services passively, such as at a wedding or funeral. Anyway, this inter-religious gathering in Assissi was not about any particular religious "service", but only a staging area for everyone to pray for peace. What do you find offensive about a gathering to help promote world peace? When men meet at the U.N. to promote world peace does anyone care about what their faiths are? I think you're just envious that no Protestant leader has the power and influence to do what the Pope did.
(3). Hear what the Pope actually said at Assissi: ""it is essential... that religious people and communities should in the clearest and most radical way repudiate violence, all violence, starting with the violence that seeks to clothe itself in religion." Here's a quote from the Official Catechism of the Catholic Church, written by Pope JPII: "Although in ways known to Himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please Him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men".
Notice that during this gathering the Pope held his beloved Cross with Christ Crucified the entire time. To claim "the Pope prayed with them" is just another anti-Catholic red herring. The Pope prayed to Jesus Christ, along-side them. As Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors, so the Pope showed Jesus working through him in an act of love. Perhaps some of them will be converted as a result of coming to meet the Pope. (The Cheif Rabbi of Rome, Rabbi Zolli, was converted to the Catholic Church after witnessing the love that Pope Pius XII showed for Jews during WWII).
(4). Churches of your own "Baptist-Calvinist" tradition are now working feverishly to try to do what the Pope did at Assissi by gathering together with other religions to promote world peace. They just don't have his power to accomplish it. However, here is a great example of your own church trying to do what the Pope did.
Dear Friends: We write to our fellow (Protestant) religious leaders as Presidents of the nine member schools of the Graduate Theological Union and as the President of that Union. We are diverse in our religious beliefs. We differ from one another in our political stands on many issues. But we share a sense of concern and even alarm about the political and spiritual situation as our nation seems to be preparing for war with Iraq ---We urge you to use your leadership to seek the things that make for peace. We urge deeper understanding of the peoples and religions of the Middle East—and that the religious communities take a leading role in creating such a climate. We offer our willingness and the resources of our schools to work with you to help such activities flourish in our churches. With respect and deep concern,
signed,
Dr. Keith A. Russell, American Baptist Seminary of the West
HAHAHAHA. This is beautiful, I just took some Kava in my tea last night. LOL. Kava is a natural herb used all over the earth, and sold in every health food/vitamin store in the U.S. It's similar to Ginsing, Camomile flowers, or Peppermint. And it's about as "potent" as Bob Dole before he started taking Viagra. LOL
Thanks for the laugh, dude. Rubbing noses is heresy? LOL. Now let's get serious, here's a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, written by Pope JPII himself: Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end". (page 554, # 2258). The Pope knows Whom the "life force is". But thanks again for the giggles. smile
The "reliable" source of your information is a web site called "Antichrist Sideshow", where I have found each and every one of your quotes in this post so far. I see you're really searching for Truth with your far out sources. But here are a couple of very interesting quotes from this Satanic web site you got your information from that you failed to mention. They reveal the purpose, and some of the fruits of the Pope's visit with the various non-Christian and pagan peoples.
"I have never seen God, but today when I have seen the pope, I recognize that I have seen the good God,---" , said Sossa Guedehoungue, head of Benin's vodun community.
Voodoo leader Senou Zannou gave a formal speech in which he announced his son was becoming a Roman Catholic priest".
Funny, you didn't mention these quotes from your source, eh? Why are you afraid to admit that the Pope has evangelized and helped to convert some of these people? Why leave out such important information as this? Why hide from the truth?
Once again your sources are shabby, at best. Malingo was so whacked out he left the Church, married an accupuncturist, and became a Moonie. He was then excommunicated. Archbishop Malingo suffered from mental illness during this time, and his marriage ceremony was actually performed by the Reverend Moon. After Malingo recovered his senses, and after he publicly recanted all his nonsense, he was readmitted into the Church. (Source = Tue, 29 May 2001 - "Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity).
Again, your half truths and lack of full information are tactics straight from the bowels of Hell.
Sometimes the truth isn't vitriol, it's just the truth. I listed not a single quote of Luther's that cannot be found in his writings. The man hated Jews, for example, and he made no bones about it. He wanted it known. And btw, the Catholic Church doesn't teach protestant theology in their schools, other than to perhaps refute some heresies; but I admire your husband for learning the truth. After all, what is Protestant theology except the Catholic teachings minus something? There are few Protestant articles of faith that weren't first taught by the Catholic Church. It seems to me rather that Protestant theology is a negative one, basing its teachings mainly on condemning certain Catholic doctrines, and accepting certain others. The Ministers like to tell the congregation what they don't believe. "We dont believe Mary remained a virgin --- We don't believe in confessing our sins to a priest --- We don't believe we eat the flesh of Christ in the Eucharist --- We don't believe in the purgatory", etc, etc. It's negative theology. I've rarely heard a Protestant Minister make his sermon without finding a thinly veiled way to take a swipe at the pope or at some other Catholic teaching.
Saint Augustine called himself a Catholic back in the 4th Century. He wrote that the greatest expression of "love they neighbor" was to bring an accurate account of the gospel and the true faith to those living in error. I agree with him completely. Jesus asked for "one flock", "one vine", "one faith". The universality of the true Christian Church isn't the embracing of the 25,000 different Protestant denominations that exist today, it's every Christian believing the same thing, being of "one body--one spirit--one hope--one Lord--one faith--one baptism" (Eph. 4:4-5). Luther certainly didn't do anything to foster unity that I can see. His actions brought about the invention of over 25,000 different Protestant denominations, each teaching something different than the others, each claiming to be right.
Sooo, you've been deceived by snakes and monkies lately? Your name isn't Jane Goodall is it? hehehe
I've seen a few replies that weakly defend a couple of Luther's quotes I posted, but nobody has dared tackle his quotes on the Jews yet. He wrote violently against the Jews, not even restaining his desire to have them killed. Any takers? Ok, if you're too shy, then at least take on his stirring up the Peasant Uprising against the Royalty, and then switching sides and going with the Prices, whom he asked to "strangle the peasants". This should be interesting.
Who gave you that choice, Luther and the "reformers"? btw, Catholics don't "follow" the Pope, we follow Christ and the Pope helps us in our travels, as Peter helped his fellow Apostles and thousands of others he converted. Many a pope has been crucified, jailed, stabbed to death and tortured for following Jesus... you can take the easier, softer way, (predistination) that Luther provided for you... but who knows where it will lead?
See my post #28.
If Truman said derogatory things about Jews in his diary, as is now being reported, that's one thing. If Truman said those things and then repented, that's another. Luther repented.
Just like you should repent about him being a madman. After all, if you are indeed in Christ, you'll be living w/him for eternity. As the Psalmist says, how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity.
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