Why was Protestantism based on the words of a Jew hater?
Martin Luther (1483-1546):
The Jews and Their Lies, excerpts (1543)
Martin Luther: The Jews and Their Lies
I had made up my mind to write no more either about the Jews or against them. But since I learned that these miserable and accursed people do not cease to lure to themselves even us, that is, the Christians, I have published this little book, so that I might be found among those who opposed such poisonous activities of the Jews who warned the Christians to be on their guard against them. I would not have believed that a Christian could be duped by the Jews into taking their exile and wretchedness upon himself. However, the devil is the god of the world, and wherever God's word is absent he has an easy task, not only with the weak but also with the strong. May God help us. Amen.
And: Therefore the blind Jews are truly stupid fools...
How does it feel to be a Protestant, especially a LUTHERAN?
http://www.humanitas-international.org/showcase/chronography/documents
see: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/luther-jews.html
Imagine being a Lutherin and not realizing what Luther was all about?
The Lutherin Church is based on the beliefs of a man who HATED Jews and as a result millions of Jews were murdered.
Christianity in general is antisemitic there are numerous verses in the New testament and many Catholic saints that stank of it.
St. Gregory: ? Jews are slayers of the Lord, murderers of the prophets, enemies of God, haters of God, adversaries of grace, enemies of their fathers? faith, advocates of the devil, brood of vipers, slanderers, scoffers, men of darkened minds, leaven of the Pharisees, congregation of demons, sinners, wicked men, stone rs and haters of goodness.?
St. Jerome: ?....serpents, haters of all men, their image is Judas ... their psalms and prayers are the braying of donkeys..?
St. John Chrysostom: ?I know that many people hold a high regard for the Jews and consider their way of life worthy of respect at the present time... This is why I am hurrying to pull up this fatal notion by the roots ... A place where a whore stands on display is a whorehouse. What is more, the synagogue is not only a whorehouse and a theater; it is also a den of thieves and a haunt of wild animals ... not the cave of a wild animal merely, but of an unclean wild animal ... When animals are unfit for work, they are marked for slaughter, and this is the very thing which the Jews have experienced. By making themselves unfit for work, they have become ready for slaughter. This is why Christ said: ?ask for my enemies, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them and slay them before me? (Luke 19.27).?
St. Augustine: ?Judaism is a corruption. Indeed Judas is the image of the Jewish people. Their understanding of the Scriptures is carnal. They bear the guilt for the death of the Savior, for through their fathers they have killed the Christ.?
St. Thomas Aquinas: ?It would be licit to hold Jews, because of the crimes, in perpetual servitude, and therefore the princes may regard the possessions of Jews as belonging to the State.?
I'm Lutheran and our church and beliefs aren't based upon hating Jewish people, or anyone for that matter. In fact, what Martin Luther wrote 500 years ago doesn't impact anything we talk about today, and the idea of hating Jews is just preposterous. I think if someone attended a Lutheran church they would find it pretty similar to most nondenominational Christian faith churches.
Perhaps Luther gave the kings the opportunity to become leaders of their own churches and not having to obey the Pope. That meant more power to the kings. Consider that the Pope was the only one who kept kings in control. They resented that. About the Jews, well, they were already disliked. That gave the kings a better pretext.
Christians follow Christ...not Luther, Calvin or anyone else. Luther was a great theologian & reformer. Was he perfect? Of course not. If people have had a bad experience with some Christians, does that make the Christian faith bad? It shouldn't, but some people don't see through an obvious stereotype/bias. Luther apparently had some bad experiences with Jewish people...he too, should have seen through his bias. Unfortunately, his words were later used as propaganda for someones agenda. While his flaw in this area was VERY unfortunate, it doesn't diminish the contributions he made to theology.
If you are looking for pristine/perfect leaders within any church, good luck! Christians are not perfect. They make mistakes in life just like anyone else. As far as the Lutheran's of today, do you really think his statements mean that all members of that church body are anti-Semitic? I hope you're smarter than that...
During that time period, the was much general disaffection with the perceived and real corruption and supremacy of the Roman Catholic Church. Anyone who dared question the church was subject to the inquisition. Luther, living in an area of Germany that was receptive to his anti-catholic message, was largely able to avoid persecution and actively spread his claims of corruption and the need to return to 'true Christianity'. One has to wonder, however, how could Luther have known what 'true Christianity' was considering that the RCC had been the ONLY Christianity for at least 1200 years. As a result, Luther's followers were able to successfully break away from the church. But it must be noted, no one ever claimed that Luther was any kind of a prophet. All agree he was a disaffect monk who successfully rebelled against the church. Truth is, if it wasn't Luther, someone else who have done it...though possibly without the hatred of Jews embedded in his psyche.
As for his anti-Jewish writings, they are uniquely despicable. These writings served as the blueprint for centuries of persecution culminating with the Holocaust. I believe a special place in Hell is home for his tortured soul.
It's true that Martin Luther was a rabid and ruthless anti-Semite, basically a precursor to Hitler.
Basically, this came out of Luther being pissed off that the Jews refused to convert to his "new" Christianity, just as Jews had refused to covert to Roman Catholicism.
Thankfully most protestant Christians today, especially in the United States, don't prescribe to the recommendations of Luther to kill Jews and burn down synagogues. Most US Christians are great friends of the Jewish People.
Why was Protestantism based on the words of a Jew hater?
