why do people look up to people like luther and calvin?

Question

I am from a 'protetant' background. Here are some facts. Martin luther was a rabid anti-semite who wrote a book called 'the jews and their lies.' He also said they should be expelled from Germany.
As for Calvin; when he was dictator of geneva he executed a spanish priest who was fleeing from the inquisition. For 'heresy,' interestingly enough.
Why are these two idiots regarded as paragons of religious freedom when they wished to deny those freedoms to others?

Booth? You are entitled to your opinion, but I don't see how antisemitism can be part of the true gospel. You can't 'pick and choose' which elements of Luther's teachings to accept and ignore the rest can you?

Yes, times were different back then... BUT...
surely we can't just like him for his justification by faith doctrine and then just ignore the anti-semitism and pretend that it's not there? Surely if someone is filled with the spirit of God then they can love even their 'enemies?' [especially when they are not even true enemies!]

Answer 1

I'm as bewildered as you are. I know that many Christians study history, but I don't understand what goes on inside their heads!
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Answer 2

Oh yes, Anti Semitism as defined by saying SOMETHING bad about the Jews. In this PC and Dispensational society we live in today it does not shock me that Luther is so maligned as he is. Especially on Yahoo! Answers by people that never read ‘The Jews and their Lies.’ I have read it and the one thing you will find in the book is why he said what he said. I am NOT going to defend what Martin Luther said in the book, but you all are judging #1 a man (who is fallible and never claimed to be infallible, unlike the Papacy) by #2 20th century values and thought (when the man lived in the 15th and 16th century.) Oh no, you all sit up in your ivory towers looking down your noses at Martin Luther, while you show him the same treatment that you decry him for. It is really ridiculous that all of you judge a man by one single work that he produced late in his life. A book that is all of 61 pages and in NO way represents the whole of all his written works. And I might point out that everyone (recently) has been quoted select quotes and NOT PUTTING ANYTHING IN CONTEXT to what Luther was saying.

I know I am going to probably be maligned for defending Martin Luther. But you all have to realize that even though he is one of the fathers of the Lutheran Church, we are by no means (unlike Romanists) a cult of Luther followers. So one of our church fathers (an not the only one) had problems. I am sure I can look at other current and past theologians, politicians, entertainers, leaders and so on and find their faults and problems. Heck, look at the Apostles and tell me they were perfect. Paul persecuted the church, then went on to write the majority of the New Testament. Peter, a man that denied Christ three times, was against the preaching of the Gospel to Gentiles until he was corrected for it. Oh my! Saint Peter the Apostle was racist? Give me a break guys. If Martin Luther was so bad, evil and spawned the Holocaust, modern Academia and Ecclesiastical circles would have dismissed him a long time ago.

I would also like to point out, that the first European country to deport all the Jews from their borders was England under King Edward I. This all was done for financial reasons to win the favor of the people:
1. By throwing out their creditors (Jewish lenders who had no problem with usury with non Jews) and absolving the people's debt. It is also suspected that the King probably owed creditors money and benefited from the expulsion.
2. Throwing out prominent merchants and disrupting an influence the Jews had on trade.

This all happened a good 200 years before Martin Luther! It wasn’t because a Pope told him to do so, it wasn’t because Martin Luther wrote a book about it, it was because early Europe and Europe of the Middle Ages was anti Semitic and suspicious of the Jews. The Roman Emperors like Vespasian and Titus brought back their anti Semitism to Rome, Europe and transplanted it. Again, it wasn’t the Pope (Rome at this point was staunchly anti Christian) and it wasn’t Martin Luther’s writing that prompted the Roman Emperors to destroy Jerusalem, and exile the Jews.

I would contend that the majority of Anti Semitism in Europe was perpetrated more out of Political, Social and Cultural reason than religious. But hey, Europe has never had a problem with separating these factors with religion.


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Update
You do realize the amount of art, history, thought, innovation, music and culture we would have to throw out if we had to take the whole of everyone's faults and judge it against your standard? We can pretty much throw out everything that Europe did during the last 2,000 years.

Oh yes. Zionism that is our friend and ally. I am sure we can have a nice little discussion on who are emenies are, real and perceived at a later time.

Answer 3

Good Question, I grew up in a Lutheran Church and I dont think anyone should look up to Luther. I think they just developed churches that were an alternative to the Catholic Church. So they have their place in history, and did serve the Christian Church, but they should not be looked up too.

Answer 4

if you were full of piss and vinegar wouldn't you look to the Holy Book for justification?

religion is based on hate and separtism

the idea we need to look down upon others because they can't be manipulated and we threaten them with dire punishment is an old one

I enjoy not being under this authoritarianims

Religion 101: Power, Control, Authority

Answer 5

The people that look up to Martin Luther must share is vicious anti-semetic tendencies...

Answer 6

I looked up your info I never knew this.That is hypocrisy at its finest.Thank you for this information,it adds to my cynicism with some leaders proclaiming the love of Jesus.I am a follower of Jesus not man and this is why.

Answer 7

umm, dont know the same reason people look up to bush?

No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered as patriots. This is one nation under God."-George Bush

Answer 8

oooh a protetant?
well calvin is funny
but luther is a bad guy so you shouldnt look up to him

Answer 9

The daughters of the Whore of Babyon do what their mother did.

Answer 10

They were good at spreading fear, and at making people believe that they could be saved from it.