For those of you who live in the Louisville, KY area, I will be co-leading a Martin Luther reading group hosted by Concordia Lutheran Church. Anyone is invited to attend: Lutheran, non-Lutheran, believer, unbeliever. We will be reading selected portions from Timothy F. Lull’s Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings. The group will meet every other week starting September 6th at 7:30 pm. You can purchase copies of the book from the church for around $35.00. If you are interested in attending please email me at johnfraiser@gmail.com. If the cost of the book is a factor in your decision not to join the group, please let me know so we may accomdate you.
For a map of the church’s location click here.
I would suggest that you read “The Facts About Luther” by MSGR. Patrick F. O’hare, LL.D., published by TAN Books. (ISBN: 0-89555-322-8)
I am sure it would create interesting discussions.
Why on earth would a Lutheran group want to study a piece of papal garbage?
Get a brain!
I do understand your reasoning. I mean this is just how the foul mouth Luther would have responded. I just thought that a Lutheran group might just want to hear the facts and not some after-reformation fairy tale that has led so many astray.
I mean really what did Luther do, lets see
1. He took books from the Bible and through them out because they did not agree with his man-made doctrines.
2. He equated Moses and the Ten Commands to a Devil.
3. He hated the Jews and wanted them wipped off the eath.
4. He believed man did not have free will.
5. He believed in Predestination.
6. He developed the doctrine of private interpretation (so long as you did not disagree with Luther).
7. He believed himself to be a prophet of God and as such infalliable. (kinda sounds like David Koresh)
I could go on and on with the “achievments” of this so called reformer who speaks with a forked tongue.
But that’s okay, you go ahead and interpret things the way you see fit. I mean that is what our Lord wanted right?
He prayed to the father that we all may be in a state of confusion. That we would all be divided, like he and the father are divided.
It just doesn’t make sense when you read it this way does it? But that is in fact what has happened.
I pray that one day you will be blessed with the truth. When / if that day comes know that the Church that Jesus Christ founded on the rock of Peter will be waiting for you with open arms.
God Bless you and your family on these upcoming Holidays.
Dear Truth be Told,
I will not attempt to defend weaknesses in Martin Luther’s character. Yet, the same statement could arguably be made that Roman Catholics make regarding wicked popes. Roman Catholics acknowledge that there have been wicked popes, yet still proclaim Papal Infallibility. Well, in defense of Luther, just because he had some serious flaws in his personality does not justify discarding all that the man ever did and said. Read his thesis nailed to the door at Wittenburg and you will discover that he was justifiably refuting the abuses within the Roman Catholic Church, in defense of the Christian faith. Even Roman Catholics acknowledge that the Roman Church had become corrupt from within and Luther was not amiss in his declarations.
Did not blessed Paul the Apostle say that “His power is made perfect in our weakness?” Just look at King David, a murderer and adulterer. Yet, is he not a beautiful example of God’s mercy? And it was through his line that our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ comes.
If you think to question and debunk all that Luther stands for, by casting doubt on the man’s character, then I suggest you look at former popes and their poor examples as well. For we have popes who killed other popes. And we have popes who commit fornication allowing their mistress to live with them, and who bore illegitimate children. And one of these illegitimate children then became pope. And we have popes who decreed and financially supported the Crusades and the slaughter of Jews, Muslims and any who resisted the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. This the the Vicar of Christ, the Shepherd of the Roman Catholic Church did for over six centuries!
Contrary to Cardinal Newman, I say, “To be deep into history is to cease to be Roman Catholic.” Believe me, discovering the truth about the Papacy was indeed at first alarming and distressful for me. I was so close to crossing the Tiber and believing that the Roman Catholic Church possessed the fullness of the truth. I strongly wanted and desired that to be the case so I could rest securely in an infallible Church.
Now I thank God, and the prayers of many loved ones, that I did not cross the Tiber. For I cannot in good conscience submit to all that the Roman Catholic Church teaches, and especially I cannot submit to a man who calls himself the Vicar of Christ on earth.
Sincerely In Christ Jesus,
Darlene
Dear Truth Be Told,
I would like to add my list to yours just to perhaps get you thinking.
We have popes who:
1. Proclaimed doctrines and dogmas and beliefs that are extra biblical such as: Purgatory, Mary as Mediatrix of all Graces and Co-Redemtrix, the Sabbatine Privilege associated with wearing the brown scapular, indulgences, the propitiary nature of the sacrifice of the Mass, canonization of saints, praying to the dead, etc. etc. I can give more examples if you like, if this doesn’t suffice.
2. Condemned the Jews in a prayer said in Mass for centuries until it was lifted by Vatican II.
3. Commissioned the wholesale murder of Jews who would not submit to the Roman Catholic Church, taking their lands and belongings and forcing them to leave their homeland.
4. Commissioned the murder of Protestants who would not submit to the Roman Catholic Church by burning them at the stake and other various tortures.
5. Who turned their back on the Portugese slaughter of the converted Christian tribes in South America because it was politically advantageous for the Vatican to do so.
6. Who declared that religious freedom and separation of church and state was evil and not of God.
7. Who teach that Christ’s once and for all sacrifice is not sufficient without our participation in the Mass, which includes the necessity to submit to the 7 sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church.
8. Who teach that one does not have to believe in Christ in order to be saved. A recent pronouncement from popes JPII and Benedict XVI.
9. Who openly kissed the Quran displaying a holy reverance for a religion opposed to the Christian faith.
10. Who commissioned the sale of indulgences, making faithful Catholics believe they could buy their loved ones out of Purgatory.
11. Who said private masses for those rich enough to afford to do so.
12. Who turned the other way when it was known that there were sexually abusive priests who were allowed to remain in their parishes or shifted to other ones so they wouldn’t be discovered.
13. Who have been informed of dioceses where abuses in the Mass and teaching contrary to the Magesterium is being openly practiced and taught and do nothing to discipline these recalcitrent bishops.
14. Who permit long standing marriages, many which have produced children, to be declared as null, while proclaiming that the Church is against divorce. This is duplicity of the most obvious kind.
The Roman Catholic Church, which claims to be the one, holy, apostolic Church, in which the fullness of truth resides, needs to do some reaccessing of history.
Darlene