Do Christians STILL love and respect the Great Antisemite Martin Luther ?

Question

Did I not tell you earlier that a Jew is such a noble, precious jewel that God and all the angels dance when he farts?---Martin Luther (Germany)

“What then shall we Christians do with this damned, rejected race of Jews?
First, their synagogues should be set on fire, and whatever does not burn up should be covered or spread over with dirt so that no one may ever be able to see a cinder or stone of it. And this ought to be done for the honour of God and of Christianity, in order that God may see that we are true Christians.
Secondly, their homes should be likewise broken down and destroyed.
Thirdly, they should be deprived of their prayerbooks and talmuds in which such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught.
Fourthly, their rabbis must be forbidden under threats of death to teach anymore.” – Martin Luther

“If I find a Jew to baptize, I shall lead him to the Elbe bridge, hang a stone around his neck, and push him into the water, baptizing him with the name of Avraham!.. I cannot convert the Jews. Our lord Christ did not succeed in doing so; but I can close their mouths so that there will be nothing for them to do but to lie upon the ground.” – Martin Luther

Jesus did not call them Abraham's children, but a "brood of vipers" [Matt. 3:7]. Oh, that was too insulting for the noble blood and race of Israel, and they declared, "He has a demon' [Matt 11:18]. Our Lord also calls them a "brood of vipers"; furthermore in John 8 [:39,44] he states: "If you were Abraham's children ye would do what Abraham did.... You are of your father the devil. It was intolerable to them to hear that they were not Abraham's but the devil's children, nor can they bear to hear this today.------Martin Luther

They [rulers] must act like a good physician who, when gangrene has set in proceeds without mercy to cut, saw, and burn flesh, veins, bone, and marrow. Such a procedure must also be followed in this instance. Burn down their synagogues, forbid all that I enumerated earlier, force them to work, and deal harshly with them, as Moses did...
If this does not help we must drive them out like mad dogs.----Martin Luther

Martin Luther: [ in his last sermon, four days before he died, ] called for practical measures: burn their synagogues, confiscate all books in Hebrew, prohibit Jewish prayers, force them to do manual labour, and drive them out of Germany.

“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 Luther, if he could be with us, would give us his blessing.” (Adolf Hitler, Hitler’s speeches, edited by Prof. N.H. Baynes [oxford, 1942], pg. 369.)



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Answer 1

Yes, Christians still love Martin Luther. He reflected the best and the worst of his time. So did President Bill Clinton, Martin Luther King, and scores of other great men and women. Respecting someone's work is not a wholesale endorsement of all they've done or said.

I think few of us would fully endorse all we ourselves have done. We make mistakes, we learn, we grow. Luther's opportunities for further education and enlightenment were broad for the time but minuscule compared with any school child with access to the Internet.

Thanks for reminding us of the evil that men can do in the name of good. Some post-modern examples might serve us better. Luther is dead and most of his hatefulness has died with him. His enlightened acts have survived him. I hope we all can fare as well.

Grace & Peace.

Answer 2

My - how you hate Martin Luther. You have every right to - he exposed the heretical basis of the Roman Church.

Answer 3

You did not tell us where you got your quotes.

Martin Luther I do love and respect as a individual. Though I do not agree with all of his teachings.

Answer 4

When societal forces changed belief in the Goddess, to that of Gods or a God, all religions became nothing more than the male's effort to dominate.

Answer 5

Yep, Luther was wrong about some things. He was, however, right about salvation by grace through faith apart from any works.

And catholics are not saved Christians.

Answer 6

don't forget he hated the Baptists too... I mean he wanted us burned, killed, stabbed, tortured, starved, you name it.