Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page
Categories
QuicksearchLinks
Blog Administration |
Sunday, June 29. 2014Martin Luther in his own wordsA sample of Luther's table talk, from a piece at Scriptorium Daily:
Another:
Luther was an outspoken, plain-speaking fellow. The piece is here. Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
Comments
Display comments as
(Linear | Threaded)
Aha! Chasing the devil away. Can't wait to tell the wife that's what I'm doing.
Yes Santay... good idea...
I couldn't resist you know... the devil made me do it... The papal bulls are 'turds rolling out of the pope's asshole'--Martin Luther.
And yet, a sensitive fellow as well--
"Luther saw no difficulty with using music in the public worship of the church. 'Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise', he wrote. 'I do not believe that all the arts should be removed or forbidden on account of the Gospel, as some fanatics suggest. On the contrary, I would gladly see all arts, especially music, in the service of Him Who has given and created them.' Himself a skilled musician, Luther urged others within the reforming movement to write hymns based upon the Psalms in order that the whole of Christendom might be enlightened and inspired. Luther's best-known hymn is a paraphrase of Psalm 46, whcih opens with the words "God is our refuge and strengh, a very present help in trouble." Luther's work, set to a tune of his own composing, bacame a landmark in Christian hymnody: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" from 'Christianity's Dangerous Idea' Alister McGrath "Luther quietly slipped away from Worms before any action could be taken against him. In a piece of superb melodrama, he was kidnapped by a group of bandits and held in captivity in Wartburg Castle from May 1521 to February 1522. The 'kidnapping' had been arranged by Frederick the Wise so that Luther could be protected without Frederick laying himself open to the charge of harboring a heretic. Luther used his time in the Wartburg well: he began his landmark translaion of the New Testiment into German, implementing his own demand that the word of God should be accessible to all. The famous legend that Luther scared off the devil at Wartburg by throwing an inkwell at him is probably based on his statement that he had "driven the devil away with ink"--a reference to his translation of the New Testiment. However, tourists who visited the Wartburg during the nineteenth century were regularily shown an inkstain on the wall and told that it marked the spot at which Satan was chased off. (What they were not told, of course, was that this stain was regularily touched up to preserve its fresh appearance!)"
from "Christianity's Dangerous Idea" There is also doubt that Luther actually nailed the 95 theses to the church door, but rather simply circulated them among the other monks. Makes a good story though. Today we can post our ideas on the Internet. "Since God has filled this Rhine river with fat carp, and these Rhinish hills with fat grapes, I will drink wine and eat fish." Martin Luther
Being the hefty stout fellow that he was, I'll betcha ol' Martin could really cut one after a hearty meal. No doubt, after he swallowed his carp whole behind the line of sheriff's assigned the Duchy's sword.
Remarkably, the devil's priest may have sat in Medina behind Muhammad.
Who said, it is recorded (translated from the arabic), "He asked Allah's Messenger about a person who imagined to have passed wind during the Salat prayer. Allah's Messenger replied: 'He should not leave his Salat unless he hears sound or smells something.'" And there's the first I have read of the messenger making some real sense.
When eating camel, him said "fat is good" or so it has been recorded and translated.
Not unlike carp, me thinks. oh, they're MUCH different. Imagine a caravan of carp trying to cross the Sahara.
The camel has a single hump;
The dromedary, two; Or else the other way around. I'm never sure, are you? (Ogden Nash) Didnt write milk?
Muhmmad liked camel milk like Luther liked carp. MMM...fat is good. Nope, true story. He wrote the theses in Latin, which meant they were intended only for other clerics to read and debate -- posting theses for debate was a common practice at the time. Somebody, it's not known who, translated them into German and used that newfangled machine called the printing press to make sure everybody in Germany knew what Luther was saying.
That's the real destabilizing effect of the printing press -- not how many copies of something could be printed, but how quickly ideas could be disseminated. I wish I had a beer stein like Luther's, with the ten commandments written down the side. He'd see which commandment he could drink down to. a little bigotry never hurt anyone. besides, what would we do without 10,000 or so protestant denominations?
What shall we Christians do with this rejected and condemned people, the Jews? Since they live among us, we dare not tolerate their conduct, now that we are aware of their lying and reviling and blaspheming....I shall give you my sincere advice:
First to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them... Second, I advise that their houses also be razed and destroyed. For they pursue in them the same aims as in their synagogues. Instead they might be lodged under a roof or in a barn, like the gypsies... Third, I advise that all their prayer books and Talmudic writings, in which such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught, be taken from them... Fourth, I advise that their rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb... Fifth, I advise that safeconduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews. For they have no business in the countryside, since they are not lords, officials, tradesmen, or the like... Sixth, I advise that usury be prohibited to them, and that all cash and treasure of silver and gold be taken from them and put aside for safekeeping. Martin Luther. A little bigotry never hurt anybody? From what I understand Luther and Thomas More had a debate through letters that got very down and dirty.
|