Holocaust inspired by Martin Luther?
I just found this out. Evidently, Martin Luther was a notorious anti-Semite and wrote a 200 page essay explaining how synagogues should be burned, and Jews imprisoned and forced into labour. This was one of the major influences on pre-war Germany.
I'm wondering if anyone would like to comment on this. Did you all know? Any Lutherans here? Are you mature enough to denounce Luther yet accept his contribution to your church, or would you choose to deny that Luther was a terrible, terrible man.
My, how times change.
I'm wondering if anyone would like to comment on this. Did you all know? Any Lutherans here? Are you mature enough to denounce Luther yet accept his contribution to your church, or would you choose to deny that Luther was a terrible, terrible man.
My, how times change.
Comments
I wouldn't be surprised, though the Nazis may have distorted Luther's words, much like they did Neitchke (sp?) and countless others to fit their twisted world view. For all I know, Luther could have called Jews "sinners" much like the Vaticans refers to gays, but still called for compassion towrds them. On the other hand, there's a lot of cruelty and hate in history too.
Originally posted by JimDreamworx
Similarily, Henry Ford was pretty big anti-Semite, should we stop buying these cars? Or stop buying Volkswagens? Do we blame the organization on the beliefs of an indvidual who founded it?
Well, when it's a religious organization and the person who inspired/created it is the individual in question...yes.
Anyway, I'd like to see the sources.
As to sources about Martin Luther in particular, try this:
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/ant...r_on_Jews.html
A letter to the Jewish Community from The Evangelical Lutheran Church...
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/ant...lutheran1.html
"In the spirit of that truth-telling, we who bear his name and heritage must with pain acknowledge also Luther's anti-Judaic diatribes and the violent recommendations of his later writings against the Jews. As did many of Luther's own companions in the sixteenth century, we reject this violent invective, and yet more do we express our deep and abiding sorrow over its tragic effects on subsequent generations. In concert with the Lutheran World Federation, we particularly deplore the appropriation of Luther's words by modern anti-Semites for the teaching of hatred toward Judaism or toward the Jewish people in our day.
Grieving the complicity of our own tradition within this history of hatred, moreover, we express our urgent desire to live out our faith in Jesus Christ with love and respect for the Jewish people. We recognize in anti-Semitism a contradiction and an affront to the Gospel, a violation of our hope and calling, and we pledge this church to oppose the deadly working of such bigotry, both within our own circles and in the society around us. Finally, we pray for the continued blessing of the Blessed One upon the increasing cooperation and understanding between Lutheran Christians and the Jewish community. "
There has been considerable historic debate on this topic from what I understand. I remember a professor in college giving a seminar on his most recent research project...a dissertation on anti-semitism in Johann Sebastian Bach's music...who was obviously a Lutheran. As far as Luther is concerned, I don't think it's an open and shut case. Tonton...where is the link?
Augustine himself was surprisingly quite the Christian henchman. Promoting the forcible conversion of some heathens
Originally posted by tonton
I just found this out. Evidently, Martin Luther was a notorious anti-Semite and wrote a 200 page essay explaining how synagogues should be burned, and Jews imprisoned and forced into labour. This was one of the major influences on pre-war Germany.
I'm wondering if anyone would like to comment on this. Did you all know? Any Lutherans here? Are you mature enough to denounce Luther yet accept his contribution to your church, or would you choose to deny that Luther was a terrible, terrible man.
My, how times change.
Well, since tonton is in a Luther bashing mode, I wonder, would you have the balls to say exactly what you did, but about Muhammed instead. What he said and wrote about jews was also inflamatory and hateful at times, and his actions against them far beyond anything Luther might have written.
So how about it, will you ask Muslims to denounce Mohammed's teachings and actions, or if they would deny he was "terrible, terrible man".
I've editted out the last part of my post. The last statement was an unfair accusation against tonton.
I don't like hypocrisy
That Martin Luther was anti-Jewish is pretty evident, but then so were most christians & muslims at various times in their collective histories.
Both those faiths required the Jews pay special protective taxes etc in order to be allowed to remain relatively unmolested. These days we'd call it extortion or blackmail.
As a result Jewish communities were often "ghetto-ised " and prohibited to own, possess or occupy particular properties,or run certain types of business. Jews in general had to live within very tight economic & social rules as set down by their dominant Christian or Muslim " hosts ". This sort of socio-political oppression was often meant to be a subtle way of forcing the Jewish communities into exile.
To keep their heads above water, many Jews turned to " usury " as a way of making a living. Since both faiths ( muslim & christian ) considered the handling of money as " unclean ", it fell to the Jews to fill this occupational gap.
But paradoxically, " usury " gave the Jews some unexpected " power " of interaction with their otherwise difficult hosts. Many royal houses of Europe owned their continuing viability to such jewish money lenders.
King Richard ( the Lion heart ) of England was able to continue his Crusades, only thanks to the money loaned to him by London's Jewish community.
And I haven't even touched on the alleged jewish " blood Libel " an issue which would have been very familiar to Martin Luther..
Yes, Martin Luther was indeed anti-jewish but as to whether he was the catalyst to the modern holocaust..?
I would have to say he that if he could have witnessed the resulting "use" of his words by others: then I have no doubt he would have tossed his diatribe into the flames without a second's hesitation..
Such is the benefit of history , we can all be wise in hindsight.