Happy excommunication dayMartin Luther excommunicated

This Day in History ^ | 01/03/2011 | not stated

[RnMomof7]

On January 3, 1521, Pope Leo X issues the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, which excommunicates Martin Luther from the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther, the chief catalyst of Protestantism, was a professor of biblical interpretation at the University of Wittenberg in Germany when he drew up his 95 theses condemning the Catholic Church for its corrupt practice of selling indulgences, or the forgiveness of sins. He followed up the revolutionary work with equally controversial and groundbreaking theological works, and his fiery words set off religious reformers all across Europe.

In January 1521, Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther. Three months later, Luther was called to defend his beliefs before Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms, where he was famously defiant. For his refusal to recant his writings, the emperor declared him an outlaw and a heretic. Luther was protected by powerful German princes, however, and by his death in 1546, the course of Western civilization had been significantly altered.

[Secret Agent Man]

You could write one up on your own. If you leave you’re in a state of excommunication according to them, you’ve turned your back on “the church”. Probably take forever to get anything from them anyway.

[MeganC]

That’s circular logic which is illogical.

*In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.*

The Roman Catholic Church neither predates these words nor does it validate them with its existence. What kind of vanity is it that one would hold their church above God?

[BlueDragon]

Yes, I tend to agree with your other comment, that the "alone" word, could stand to be changed.

Yet the "alone" also meant, particularly at the time it was first used, all those three (grace, faith, scripture, along with the other SOLAS) with the pointed exclusion of:

PLUS being in the good graces of one particular set of "religious" authorities.

To not consider this, is to overlook the context.

As it was, and still is to a variable extent, we find this group seeks to interpose themselves between the seeker of Grace, and the actual giver of Grace. Fall out of favor with this group, and the threat is one shall in all ways be cut off from the Graces or favor of Father/Son/Spirit in entirety.

It was in the light of this sort of posturing, that the "alone" usage was employed. As such, it brings clarification that one need not be an actual member of this one religious group to have hope of salvation through Christ.

I would give the full and official name of this group, but if I did so here on this forum, I'd be accused of being a "hater"...

[metmom]

I can imagine that history would have taken quite a different turn if the Catholic church hadn’t ex-communicated Luther.

They really shot themselves in the foot with that move in hindsight, to the benefit of the rest of the world.

[maryz]

why are others excommunicated more explicitly and publicly?

Um, maybe because they claim to be Catholic? Not much point in a public declaration that someone is hereby separated from the Church, when he has always made it clear that he wants nothing to do with the Church.

[pgyanke]

The true Church is not a denomination. The true Church is the body of believers which trusts in Christ's righteousness for salvation.

In a way... but no. The Body of Christ is all of us joined in Holy Matrimony through His Bride, the Church. However, you have a fundamental error in your understanding of the Church. It is more than a gaggle of believers... it is believers adhering to common doctrines with the authority to protect these. This is where the Protestant churches have shown the folly of schism. Here are some elements of the Church of Scripture...

1. The Church must have its historical origins in Christ.
2. The Church must have authority.
3. The Church must have autonomy from temporal powers.
4. The Church must have a sacrifice to offer.
5. The Church must have an altar on which to offer the sacrifice.
6. The Church must have a priesthood to offer the sacrifice.

Can you think of any modern institutions which qualify?

[Jewbacca]

The European kings were in power because of the Roman Church gave them legitimacy; the concept of “seperation of Church and State” completely foreign in the era of the “Divine Right of Kings.”

As a result, your anaology is false, as your denomination readily admits.

Do you reject the teachings of your denomination so easily? I thought that was the whole thing about being Roman Catholic — you had to buy the whole enchilada.

Or are you one of those Mel Gibson Roman Catholics that think the current pope is a pretender?

[DesertRhino]

Agreed, but why didn’t they scream it from the rooftops? Its well known that Bavaria is deeply catholic. Who knows how it could have helped? Doesn’t the church that claims to solely represent gods truth have a duty to clearly go HARD on record opposing such murderous goings-on?

[Secret Agent Man]

To say the Holy Roman Empire was completely secular from The Pope, is just lying.

[metmom]

As well as the term trinity.

When is the Catholic church going to tell us where that term is found in the Bible?

[Hieronymus]

*In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.*

The Roman Catholic Church neither predates these words nor does it validate them with its existence. What kind of vanity is it that one would hold their church above God?

---

Nice test verse—it does predate these words but it does not predate the Word—which is to say it does not predate the second person of the Trinity, to which this verse refers, nor the action that brings the trinity about, but St. John had been a member of the true Church for a good number of years before he wrote the words down, so the true Church does pre-date the writing of the gospel of John. One can debate whether the true church of which St. John was a member was the second street baptist, or the Catholic, or the salvation army, but unless he wrote his gospel between the ascension and pentecost, the gospel is younger than the public manifestation of the church.

[RnMomof7]

Amen

[metmom]

Very apt analogy.

[pgyanke]

MeganC, after much meandering you have come to the heart of the matter... John 1. While Protestants hold up the Word of God written, Catholics hold up the Word of God made flesh. Is there a difference? Yes... in completeness (again, John 21:25).

[metmom]

Another “bait” thread.

And you fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

And bit.

Tell you what. Next time the Catholics post a thread we can call it *another bait thread*. OK?

[metmom]

Of course. Blame every one but the RC church.

[Tolkien]

My tagline.

[Sherman Logan]

I was fascinated with Henry VIII for a time. I pretty much came to the conclusion he was an asshole and attached his cart to an pre-existing religious dispute that had little or nothing to do with him because he could use political force to bend it to his will.

In general I agree with your assessment. The most autocratic monarch in English history. Has sometimes been called by historians Henry the Terrible.

In his (partial) defense, there is excellent reason to believe his primary motivation in starting the religious innovations was his entirely laudable desire to have an unchallenged heir.

After all, the last time England had a disputed succession, it led directly to 50+ years of civil war and the impoverishment of the realm.

All Henry wanted from the Church was a divorce so he could marry a more fertile Queen, something routinely handed out to monarchs by the Pope for centuries. In this case, the main reason Henry couldn't get what he wanted was that the Pope was essentially a prisoner of the (Catholic) Emperor Charles V, the present Queen's uncle.

The theory behind all this was that a ruling Queen would be unable to hold the country together, which is ironic when you remember Henry's second daughter became the greatest monarch of English history.

[Erasmus]

Perhaps we can at least agree with Voltaire that the HRE was "neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire."

≤}B^)

[Sherman Logan]

Ack. Charles V was Catherine’s nephew, not her uncle.

Sorry.