how is Martin Luther today viewed by the catholic faith?

Question

i need to know this answer... when luther nailed the 95 theses to the Whittenberg Catholic Church wasnt he excommunicated? this is a paper topic for my 9th grade history class!

Answer 1

*Is Catholic*

Luther is viewed exactly the same as he was back then by the Catholic faith: An excommunicated heretic that died outside of the bounds of the Body of Christ.

Like all such individual with such a sorry condition, the Church does pray that God might grant mercy upon them however He sees fit.

Now people can have differing opinions on this or that about Luther but when it comes to how the Church views some one who was excommunicated that is something that doesn't change unless the excommunication is lifted through the repentance of the individual. If a person dies while excommunicated, this excommunication cannot be lifted by the Church on earth any longer unless it is proved that the individual should not have been excommunicated in the first place. Luther's sentence is just and sound.

This leaves the very rare possibility of the Church in heaven revealing to the Church on earth that Luther did make it to heaven and thus is back in communion. However to this date this has not occurred and it is doubtful to occur even if Luther was in heaven because the Church in heaven does not wish to cause confusion or scandal. If Luther is in heaven it is on the account of some other fact than the path of his life after he broke from the Body of Christ. The Church in heaven most likely would never reveal that Luther is in heaven due to the fact that many people would get confused and think that Luther's life is a safe model and path to take, which it is not at all.

Answer 2

Luther was excommunicated on 40 charges of heresy. Many of the abuses he cited in the 95 theses were reformed by the Council of Trent (1545-63) during the so called Counter Reformation. Lutherans and Catholics have been engaged in dialogue for many years. One fairly recent development was a document declaring that the issue of "justification" had been resolved and that basically Lutherans and Catholics both agree that we are saved by Grace but that good works are also a necessary part of Christian living.

This statement from the 1994 Catholic Almanac gives a brief statement on Catholic / Lutheran relations:

"The Council of the Lutheran World Federation of 114 churches and 70 million believers, praised the accomplishments of 25 years of Catholic-Lutheran relations and commited iteself 'to contine with the Roman Catholic Church on the path to visible unity'."

We Catholics continue to dialogue with other Christians and we hope and pray for the reunification of all Christians.

I am not sure how many Christians realize just how grave the scandal is that Christians are divided. Jesus said that all should be one.

Answer 3

Liet Kynes' answer sums up the Catholic position very well.

One thing that might be worth noting is that though the Catholic position on Martin Luther has not changed, the Catholic attitude toward Lutheranism in general is relatively positive compared to how they view other Protestant denominations. Our persistence in teaching a sacramental theology and our love of the history and tradition of the Church have not gone unnoticed.

Answer 4

Martin Luther additionally believed in Christ's presence interior the Eucharist besides as interior the Sacrament of Confession. he's given plenty extra credit than he's due. All he did replaced into plant the seed. He did not do plenty different than translate the Bible into German, Sola Scriptura and Sola Feda. different than that, he replaced right into a reliable Catholic. He did not prefer to circulate away the Church, he replaced into making plans to alter it from the interior, yet to to nationalism and different situations, he had to circulate away the Church.

Answer 5

He narrowly escaped being burned at the steak. If you ask a Catholic of today about either one (Luther or people being burned), you'll get the stock answer: "That was long time ago."

The Pope apologized for the inquisition - in 1990!

Answer 6

Public Roman Catholic enemy number one. They almost got hold of him and would have burned him at the stake. This form of execution was used so that the Roman Church could claim that it had shed no blood. His greatest crime was to say that the Bible taught that salvation was by grace alone: '... for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ... (Ephesians 2:8). You could not be saved by anything you did or said.

Answer 7

today? he's not like "the evil martin luther" he's just "the guy who led the Protestant Reformation"


lost.eu/21618

Answer 8

Luther- Exposing the Myth

By Raymond Taouk



Luther speaks for himself;



With the New Movie on Luther having recently come out I think it would be good to get a real insight to the true Character of Luther and expose “legend” of “Luther Reformer”. Luther is undoubtedly the father of the Protestant rebellion and spiritual father of the Modern Apostasy from God. The object of this article on Martin Luther is not to give his history, which is easily researched, but rather to give direct quotes from a man called a “great religious reformer” and to whom many non-Catholics trace back real origin of their respective churches.



Who will doubt that the best judge of Luther’s true character is Luther himself? And so from Luther’s own words we shall see him for what he really was, that is a rebellious apostate, who abandoned the faith and led many into apostasy from God under the guise of “reformation” in order to follow his perverse inclinations.[1] Keeping in mind that none of the following statements of Luther, which I will quote, were ever retracted by him, and so they may still be considered as part of his “religious thought”. This should show the aspect of Martin Luther which Protestants and all alike so conveniently overlooked in these days of false ecumenism and intellectual dishonesty.

The Commandments



Christ taught: “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”[2]



Luther teaches: “If Moses should attempt to intimidate you with his stupid Ten Commandments, tell him right out – chase yourself to the Jews”[3]



“Thou shalt not covet,’ is a commandment which proves us all to be sinners; since it is not in man’s power not to covet, and the same is the drift of all the commandments, for they are all equally impossible to us.”[4]

“We must remove the Decalogue out of sight and heart” (De Wette 4, 188).

“It does not matter what people do; it only matters what they believe.” [5]

“If we allow them - the Commandments - any influence in our conscience, they become the cloak of all evil, heresies and blasphemies” (Comm. ad Galat, p.310).

What is more is that scripture constantly declares the greatness of the commandments and the importance of keeping them:

Ps. 19 :7 : “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes.”


FREE WILL



Christ taught: “Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” [6]



Luther teaches: "...with regard to God, and in all that bears on salvation or damnation, (man) has no 'free-will', but is a captive, prisoner and bond slave, either to the will of God, or to the will of Satan."[7]

"...we do everything of necessity and nothing by 'free-will'; for the power of 'free-will' is nil..."[8]

"Man is like a horse. Does God leap into the saddle? The horse is obedient and accommodates itself to every movement of the rider and goes whither he wills it. Does God throw down the reins? Then Satan leaps upon the back of the animal, which bends, goes and submits to the spurs and caprices of its new rider... Therefore, necessity, not free will, is the controlling principle of our conduct. God is the author of what is evil as well as of what is good, and, as He bestows happiness on those who merit it not, so also does He damn others who deserve not their fate." [9]

“His (Judas) will was the work of God; God by His almighty power moved his will as He does all that is in this world.”[10]

On Reason





Christ taught: “ Be therefore, wise as serpents and simple as doves”[11]



“You know then how to discern the face of the sky: and can you not know the signs of the times?”[12]



Luther teaches: “No good work happens as the result of one’s own wisdom; but everything must happen in a stupor . . . Reason must be left behind for it is the enemy of faith.” [13]



“Reason is the devils handmaid and does nothing but blaspheme and dishonor all that God says or does.” [14]

“Reason is directly opposed to faith, and one ought to let it be; in believers it should be killed and buried.”[15]

“One should learn Philosophy only as one learns witchcraft, that is to destroy it; as one finds out about errors, in order to refute them”[16]

On Sin



Christ taught: “He that commits sin is of the devil: for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God appeared that He might destroy the works of the devil.”[17]



Luther teaches: “A person that is baptized cannot, thou he would, lose his salvation by any sins however grievous, unless he refuses to believe. For no sins can damn him but unbelief alone.”[18]



"Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides... No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day."[19]

Faith and Good works



Christ taught, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven.”[20]



Christ taught (in the words of St. James) “What shall it profit, my brethren, if a he has faith, but has not works? Shall faith be able to save him? So faith also, if it have not works is dead in itself.”[21]



Luther teaches: “For we account a man to be justified by faith alone, without the works o the law.” – On Translation and on the Intercession of the Saints



“It is more important to guard against good works than against sin.”[22]



“ This is Christian Liberty . . . that we stand in need of no works for the attainment of piety and salvation.”[23]



“ The very best good works a venial sin according to God’s merciful judgment, and a mortal sin according to His strict Judgment.”[24]



“He that says the Gospel requires works for salvation, I say, flat and plain, is a liar.”[25]



Social Justice


Christ taught: “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.”[26]



Luther teaches[27]: “Peasants are no better than straw. They will not hear the word and they are without sense; therefore they must be compelled to hear the crack of the whip and the whiz of bullets and it is only what they deserve.” [28]



“To kill a peasant is not murder; it is helping to extinguish the conflagration. Let there be no half measures! Crush them! Cut their throats! Transfix them. Leave no stone unturned! To kill a peasant is to destroy a mad dog!” – “If they say that I am very hard and merciless, mercy be damned. Let whoever can stab, strangle, and kill them like mad dogs”[29]



“I, Martin Luther, have during the rebellion slain al the peasants, for it was I who ordered them to be struck dead. All their blood is upon my head. But I put it all on our Lord God: for he commanded me to speak thus.”[30]



“God has given the law, and nobody observes it. He has in addition instituted rod masters, drivers and urgers; so then are rulers to drive, beat, choke, hang, burn, behead, and break upon the well of the vulgar masses.”[31]



“Like the drivers of donkeys, who have to belabor the donkeys incessantly with rods and whips, or they will not obey, so must the ruler do with the people; they must drive, beat throttle, hang, burn, behead and torture, so as to make themselves feared and to keep the people in check”[32]



“Wherever the princes take their power from, it does not regard us. It is the will of God, irrespective whether they have stolen their power or assumed it by robbery”[33]

The Jews

Christ taught: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”[34]

Luther teaches: "Burn their synagogues. Forbid them all that I have mentioned above. Force them to work and treat them with every kind of severity, as Moses did in the desert and slew three thousand... If that is no use, we must drive them away like mad dogs, in order that we may not be partakers of their abominable blasphemy and of all their vices, and in order that we may not deserve the anger of God and be damned with them. I have done my duty. Let everyone see how he does his. I am excused."[35]

“ If I had to baptize a Jew, I would take him to the bridge of the Elbe, hang a stone round his neck and push him over with the words I baptize thee in the name of Abraham”[36]

“The Jews deserve to be hanged on gallows seven times higher than ordinary thieves.”[37]



Marriage and Women



Christ taught: “For this reason shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder. . . Moses by reason of the hardness of your heart permitted you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, commits adultery.”[38]



Luther teaches: “If the husband is unwilling, there is another who is; if the wife is unwilling, then let the maid come.”[39]



“Suppose I should counsel the wife of an impotent man, with his consent, to giver herself to another, say her husband’s brother, but to keep this marriage secret and to ascribe the children to the so-called putative father. The question is: Is such a women in a saved state? I answer, certainly.”[40]



“It is not in opposition to the Holy Scriptures for a man to have several wives.”[41]



“Know that Marriage is an outward material thing like any other secular business. The body has nothing to do with God. In this respect one can never sin against God, but only against one’s neighbour.”[42]



“As to divorce, it is still a debatable question whether it is allowable. For my part I prefer bigamy to it.”[43]

“The word and work of God is quite clear, viz., that women are made to be either wives or prostitutes.”[44]



“In spite of all the good I say of married life, I will not grant so much to nature as to admit that there is no sin in it. .. no conjugal due is ever rendered without sin. The matrimonial duty is never performed without sin.”[45]

Virtue and Vice



Christ taught: “You are of your father the devil: and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning: and he stood not in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.”[46]



Luther teaches: “What harm could it do if a man told a good lusty lie in a worthy cause and for the sake of the Christian Churches?”[47]



“To lie in a case of necessity or for convenience or in excuse – such lying would not be against God; He was ready to take such lies on Himself”[48]



Christ taught: “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.”[49]



Luther teaches: “I look upon God no better than a scoundrel”[50]



Christ Taught (in the words of St. Paul): “Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers: Nor the effeminate nor liars with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards”[51]



Luther teaches: “We eat and drink to kill ourselves, we eat and rink up to our last farthing.”[52]



Christ taught: “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled” [53]



Luther teaches: “St. Augustine or St. Ambrosius cannot be compared with me.”[54]



“What I teach and write remains true even though the whole world should fall to pieces over it”[55]

On the Person of Christ



Christ taught, “Which of you shall convince Me of sin? If I say the truth to you, why do not believe Me? He that is of God, hears the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God.”[56]



Luther teaches: “Christ committed adultery first of all with the women at the well about whom St. John tell’s us. Was not everybody about Him saying: ‘Whatever has He been doing with her?’ Secondly, with Mary Magdalen, and thirdly with the women taken in adultery whom He dismissed so lightly. Thus even, Christ who was so righteous, must have been guilty of fornication before He died.”[57]



“I have greater confidence in my wife and my pupils than I have in Christ”[58]



“It does not matter how Christ behaved – what He taught is all that matters”[59]



Sacred Scripture



Christ taught: " For I testify to every one that hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from these things that are written in this book.”[60]

Luther teaches: "to my mind it (the book of the Apocalypse) bears upon it no marks of an apostolic or prophetic character... Everyone may form his own judgment of this book; as for myself, I feel an aversion to it, and to me this is sufficient reason for rejecting it."[61]

"If your Papist annoys you with the word ('alone' - Rom. 3:28), tell him straightway, Dr. Martin Luther will have it so: Papist and *** are one and the same thing. Whoever will not have my translation, let him give it the go-by: the devil's thanks to him who censures it without my will and knowledge. Luther will have it so, and he is a doctor above all the doctors in Popedom."[62]

"The history of Jonah is so monstrous that it is absolutely incredible."[63]

"The book of Esther I toss into the Elbe. I am such an enemy to the book of Esther that I wish it did not exist, for it Judaizes too much and has in it a great deal of heathenish foolishness."[64]

"Of very little worth is the Book of Baruch, whoever the worthy Baruch might be."[65]

"...the epistle of St. James is an epistle full of straw, because it contains nothing evangelical."[66]

Conclusion:

While I leave to the reader to draw his own conclusions, it suffices to say that what Luther really was; and the picture that is presented of him today by modern scholars, Lutherans and Protestants alike is far from the truth. Given this fact, it’s not difficult to see how a nation like Germany was able to blindly follow a person like Hitler if it had previously so readily embrace a person like Luther.[67] Adolf Hitler himself was indeed no doubt a true (spiritual) son of Luther and in many ways was only being logical to the principles set forth by Luther in his approach to things[68]. Hitler himself declared the reality of this point in one of his speeches saying: “I do insist on the certainty that sooner or later – once we hold power – Christianity will be overcome and the German Church established. Yes, the German church, without a Pope and without the bible, and Luther, if he could be with us, would give us his blessing.”[69]



What is more is that from Luther’s own words (which I have stated above) we are able to grasp the origin of the inversion of orders in modern society, which we see has prevailed in the modern world. Luther ushered in this new era of apostasy from God in his attempt to rationalize his own perversity and make of it the foundations for civil society. The erroneous principles upon which the modern world is based undeniably come from Luther himself and can never be reconciled to the teachings of the Gospel no matter what Luther might have thought.






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N.B. Erlangen and Weimar refer to the different editions of Luther’s works.

[1] As Luther himself stated “I am but a man prone to let himself be swept off his feet by Society, Drunkenness, the torments of the flesh.” – Weimar, Vol. 9, Pg. 215, Pg. 13. On another occasion, he states: “I burn with all the desires of my unconquered flesh” – Enders Vol. 3, Pg. 189.

[2] Matt 19:17, Cf. Matt 5:17, 1 John5:2

[3] Lecture at Wittenburg

[4] De Liv. Chris. Tom. 4:2

[5] Erlangen Vol. 29, Pg. 126

[6] “Matthew 7:21, Cf. Matt 7:24, Matt 26:24,

[7] From the essay, 'Bondage of the Will,' 'Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings, ed. by Dillenberger, Anchor Books, 1962 p. 190.

[8] Ibid., p. 188.

[9] 'De Servo Arbitrio', 7, 113 seq., quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, pp. 266-267.

[10] De servo Arbitrio, against man’s free will.

[11] Matt 10:16

[12] Matt 16:3

[13] Trischreden, Weimer VI, 143, 25-35.

[14] Against the Heavenly Prophets, On Images and the Sacraments.

[15] Erlangen, Vol. 44, Pg. 156-157. For more quotes in this regard see: “Three Reformers”, By Jacques Maritan, Pg. 34

[16] Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, Fol. (1516). Ficker, II, 198. Cf. Three Reformers, By Jacques Maritan, Pg. 31

[17] 1 John 3:8

[18] The Babylonian Captivity. It’s worth mentioning on this point that Luther himself had early written “Pray for me I am falling into the abyss of Sin” – Enders, Vol. 3, Pg. 193.

[19] 'Let Your Sins Be Strong, from 'The Wittenberg Project;' 'The Wartburg Segment', translated by Erika Flores, from Dr. Martin Luther's Saemmtliche Schriften, Letter No. 99, 1 Aug. 1521.



[20] Matt 5:16, Cf. Apoc 20:12, Gal 6:2, 1 Jn 3:18, Jas 4:17, I Cor 13:2, II Peter 1:10, Gal 6:9. There are also many warnings in scripture that warn against falling away from salvation (Gal 4:9, Col 1:23, 1 Tim 1:19, 4:1, Heb 3:12-14, 12:14-15, 2 Pet 2:20-21, Apoc 2:4-5).

[21] James 2:14-17

[22] Trischreden, Wittenberg Edition, Vol. VI., p. 160

[23] On Christian Liberty

[24] 32nd Article-Argument in defense of Articles of Martin Luther.

[25] Tischreden, P. 137

[26] Matt 5:6,Cf. Matt 19:18, I John 3:15, Matt 26:52, Romans 12:21

[27] It is important to keep in mind that these peasants were actually Protestants who favored Luther and his views, yet in order to please the German princes Luther and gain influence Luther did not hesitate to have even his own followers put to death! As one writer put it “I know of no example in history ( with the exception of Hitler’s famous, or rather infamous, June 30, 1934) where a man turned in such an inhuman, brutal, low way against his own followers – merely in order to establish his own position, without any reason.” – Peter F. Winer, Martin Luther, Hitler’s Spiritual Ancestor, Pg. 57

[28] Erlangen Vol 24, Pg. 294

[29] Erlangen Vol 24, Pg. 294

[30] Tischreden; Erlanger Ed., Vol. 59. p. 284

[31] Sermon delivered by Luther in 1526. Ref. Erlanger, Vol. XV, 2p. 276

[32] Erlangen Vol 15, Pg. 276

[33] Weimar Vol. 30, Pg. 1

[34] Matt 22:39

[35] About the Jews and Their Lies,' quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 290.

[36] Grisar, “Luther”, Vol. V. pg. 413.

[37] Weimar, Vol. 53, Pg. 502.

[38] Matt 19:4,Cf. Heb 13:4

[39] Of Married Life

[40] On Marriage

[41] De Wette, Vol. 2, p. 459

[42] Weimar, Vol. 12, Pg. 131.

[43] On Marriage

[44] On Married Life

[45] Weimar, Vol 8. Pg. 654. In other words for Luther the matrimonial act is “a sin differing in nothing from adultery and fornication.” ibid. What then is the purpose of marriage for Luther you may ask? Luther affirms that it’s simply to satisfy one’s sexual cravings “The body asks for a women and must have it” or again “To marry is a remedy for fornication” – Grisar, “Luther”, vol. iv, pg. 145.

[46] John 8:44

[47] Lenz: Briefwechsel, Vol. 1. Pg. 373.

[48] Lenz: Briefwechsel, Vol. 1. Pg. 375.

[49] Matt 22:37

[50] Weimar, Vol. 1, Pg. 487. Cf. Table Talk, No. 963

[51] 1 Cor 6:9

[52] Weimar, Vo. 9. pg. 215. We can also note on this point that the opinion of Luther’s contemporaries on the subject is unmistakable. They all agree that Luther “was addicted to over-drinking.” - Th. Brieger: “Aleander and Luther”, pg. 170, 307.

[53] Matt 23:12

[54] Erlangen, Vol. 61, pg. 422.

[55] Weimar, Vol. 18, Pg. 401.

[56] John 8:86 Cf. I Peter 2:22, Heb 7:26

[57] Trishreden, Weimer Edition, Vol. 2, Pg. 107. - What a great blasphemy from a man who is regarded as “great reformer”!

[58] Table Talk, 2397b

[59] Erlangen Vol. 29, Pg. 126

[60] Apoc. 22: 18-19

[61] Sammtliche Werke, 63, pp. 169-170, 'The Facts About Luther,' O'Hare, TAN Books, 1987, p. 203.

[62] Amic. Discussion, 1, 127,'The Facts About Luther,' O'Hare, TAN Books, 1987, p. 201.

[63] 'The Facts About Luther, O'Hare, TAN Books, 1987, p. 202.

[64] Ibid.

[65] Ibid.

[66] 'Preface to the New Testament,' ed. Dillenberger, p. 19.

[67] Anyone who contends this point needs simply to read views of Luther concerning the state, civil authority and war. In his writings, we find that he openly states for example “Even if the authorities are wicked and unjust, nobody is entitled to oppose them, or to riot against them.” Or again “The *** must have blows and the People must be ruled by force. God knew this well, for it was not a fox’s brush He gave to rulers, but a sword.” - Weimar, Vol 30, Pg. 1. This point is dealt with in more detail by Peter F. Wiener in his work “Martin Luther, Hitler’s Spiritual Ancestor”, Published by Marian House, Powers Lake, N.D. 58773.

[68] This was undeniably recognized by the Lutherans who welcomed and supported the regime of Hitler. A point worth mentioning in this regard is that this fact is so blatantly ignored by Protestants and the Liberal media who at the same time do not hesitate to unjustly put forward attacks against Pope Pius XII and his efforts against the Nazis.

[69] Adolf Hitler, Hitler’s speeches, edited by Prof. N.H. Baynes [oxford, 1942], pg. 369.




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