Ok. I just watched a rather biased show yesterday called Luther. I'm Catholic so you will know where my bias lies but the movie doesn't give a truly accurate picture of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s. I take a neutral stand on this by quoting this passage from a website.

Very few historical figures are as controversial as Martin Luther. His supporters call him a Protestant hero, a freedom fighter, a wise and insightful church leader. His detractors call him a heretic, an apostate, a profane ecclesiastical terrorist. Still others call him a necessary evil or the unwitting catalyst that set aflame a volatile socialand ecclesiastical situation.

As i was saying, the movie is obviously biased towards the Protestant cause and it never portrayed the Catholic Church in a good light. But in every historical movie that is made, more often than not the Catholic church is always the bad guy. If its Nazi Germany, Catholic priests complied to their wishes to massacre the Jews. If its 17th Century France, Cardinal Richelieu would have been a imposing figure in the daily runnings of the French Court in Alexandre Dumas novels. If its around the time of Luther, the Papal States were waging wars against Venice, Milan and France in Italy. Cesare Borgia, Italy's nearly man, was the illegitimate son of the ruling Pope of that time. Alexander. He nearly united the whole of Italy. Guess what, he was not Italian but Spanish. Spanish inquisition in the 14th Century? Well, all the above are true with regards to history and i can't really blame the bias towards Luther. In fact i support it. A church that has been weighed down by 2000 years of tradition and secrecy will no doubt have certain abuses involved. And to put it frankly, since im going to go Rome this june, What ever i will be viewing down there as masterpieces of art and architecture are doubtlessly funded by poor peasants all over Europe. not that I'm complaining but its ridiculous to scale heights of achievement without desceding into depths of debasement. Thankfully due to the Protestant cause, the Catholic church began to wake up. Its no longer the huge bully-boy of the past but it still wields great power even though its very placid and passive, unless you take into acount Opus Dei. That group of (I won't say fanatics) enthusiatic Catholics who wear chastity belts, sackcloth and flagellate themselves. That movement is gaining momentum in South America and they are quite passionate about it. I like the Catholic Church the way it is now cos religion to me is something that i must do in silence. I prefer going to church in the night where nobody is around and i can peacefully rest in this sanctuary of God and seek his wisdom. Evangelising and charismatic practises are not my cup of tea as religion is something private and personal and i do not wish to infringe on other people when i do not possess the right to do so. My love for classical music and Latin and Romance languages stands from my interest in the history of the Catholic Church which is inevitably interwined with that of Europe. I prefer to find that solitude, serenity and solemnity that stands from the seriousness of Mass.

I would call Luther the founder of modern education. The reason why the Catholic Church wielded so much power in the past was because everything they did was in Latin and nobody except for the nobility and clergy could understand that language thus this proves that knowledge = power. By using the German Language, Luther freed up the Bible to all who are believers and in so doing paved the way for everybody to be able to read and write. This landmark dissolution of the restriction of knowledge led to the various technological and scientific revolutions due to the spread of literacy. He was a great man for without him most probably i will be lying on the floor and praying for indulgences today.

Martin Luther dealt the symbolic blow that began the Reformation when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church. That document contained an attack on papal abuses and the sale of indulgences by church officials.

But Luther himself saw the Reformation as something far more important than a revolt against ecclesiastical abuses. He believed it was a fight for the gospel. Luther even stated that he would have happily yielded every point of dispute to the Pope, if only the Pope had affirmed the gospel.

And at the heart of the gospel, in Luther's estimation, was the doctrine of justification by faith--the teaching that Christ's own righteousness is imputed to those who believe, and on that ground alone, they are accepted by God.

As in the Movie, Luther emphasised Christian Unity. Which is what people are facing up to now. I mean after 500 years of warring its getting a bit tiring and since we all believe in the same guy up there. I frankly don't see the difference. This has spiked my interest in reading Luther's autobiography as he is one of the few historical figures that i hae very little knowledge of. The Counter-Reformation by the Catholic Church reformed the church and now its much better i guess. But if astrological reports make sense we are coming to the end of a 2000 year cycle of Pisces and Jesus Christ is symbolised by fish. Now we are entering the age of Aquarius and Air will take over from water as the predominant element and a new religion is supposed to appear. Its has been predicted that we are living in the age of kali-yuga or the 7th Church of the revelation. Hmmm... this does not bode too well... now back to my beloved Dante's Inferno... If you don't really know what i'm talking about its ok... i'm just bored as you can see. Writing a religious and historical opinion is something i rarely do. unless i got nothing better to do.


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