Reflections on the Protestant Reformation -- 500 years old

[MrShorty]

500 years ago this Halloween, Martin Luther a Catholic monk (I forget which order, but I'm sure that information is readily available) went public with his concerns about the Roman Catholic Church, kicking off the Protestant Reformation. Some of my reflections:

1) God wants us to come to a unity of faith. The Reformation shows how difficult it can be. The Protestant Catholic schism is not the only division within Christianity, but it is arguably the most obvious.

2) I recall some sentiments expressed withing Mormonism regarding how the Reformation laid the groundwork for the LDS Restoration by making "heresy" no longer punishable by death. The Restoration could only survive in a society that could tolerate (even if only just barely) religious plurality.

3) While the worst of the "bad feelings" from the Reformation are mostly behind us, there are still some anti-Catholic sentiments out there. At the same time, I hear of anti-Protestant sentiments from the Catholic side of the aisle. It seems to me that the wounds from the Protestant Reformation are still healing. Some these "you're not Christian" arguments can strick pretty close to home as a Mormon, as many of the same accusations get leveled against us (and we are not entirely free from guilt for our own brand of "Mormon superiority").

Anyone else (LDS and non-LDS here) have any reflections on the Reformation?

[Jane_Doe]

I think you already hit the ball out of the park.  The only other thing I can add from my LDS shoes it redeclare the 11th article of faith: "11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

Looking from outside my own Mormon shoes, I think everyone worldwide can agree that the events 500 years ago reshaped the world and laid part of groundwork for our modern civilization.

[MrShorty]

This was in today's Deseret News: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900002926/what-would-martin-luther-think-of-todays-rates-of-divorce-and-cohabitation.html It's a piece about how the Reformation changed concepts surrounding marriage.

[DennisTate]

On 10/28/2017 at 2:50 PM, Jane_Doe said:

I think you already hit the ball out of the park.  The only other thing I can add from my LDS shoes it redeclare the 11th article of faith: "11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

Looking from outside my own Mormon shoes, I think everyone worldwide can agree that the events 500 years ago reshaped the world and laid part of groundwork for our modern civilization.

On the negative side of things an article by Luther in 1543 left the nation of Germany wide open for 

the Holocaust of the Nazi era.  

 

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/martin-luther-quot-the-jews-and-their-lies-quot

[prisonchaplain]

Catholic-Protestant, LDS-Evangelical, Republican-Democrat -- all of these divides have been handled poorly. We generally suspect the other of carrying the greater guilt--or, to be even more childish--of 'starting it.' Civility will save our republic, and it might mend some broken bridges. For my part, all sincerely religious folk are God-seekers. If the Old Testament is correct, if the New Testament is correct, if the Book of Mormon is correct, and if the Quran is correct, then ALL sincere God-seekers will find Him--for He is not far away.

 

Come now...someone give me an 'amen!' 

[DennisTate]

On 10/28/2017 at 11:53 AM, MrShorty said:

500 years ago this Halloween, Martin Luther a Catholic monk (I forget which order, but I'm sure that information is readily available) went public with his concerns about the Roman Catholic Church, kicking off the Protestant Reformation. Some of my reflections:

1) God wants us to come to a unity of faith. The Reformation shows how difficult it can be. The Protestant Catholic schism is not the only division within Christianity, but it is arguably the most obvious.

2) I recall some sentiments expressed withing Mormonism regarding how the Reformation laid the groundwork for the LDS Restoration by making "heresy" no longer punishable by death. The Restoration could only survive in a society that could tolerate (even if only just barely) religious plurality.

3) While the worst of the "bad feelings" from the Reformation are mostly behind us, there are still some anti-Catholic sentiments out there. At the same time, I hear of anti-Protestant sentiments from the Catholic side of the aisle. It seems to me that the wounds from the Protestant Reformation are still healing. Some these "you're not Christian" arguments can strick pretty close to home as a Mormon, as many of the same accusations get leveled against us (and we are not entirely free from guilt for our own brand of "Mormon superiority").

Anyone else (LDS and non-LDS here) have any reflections on the Reformation?

I could be wrong.... but for many years now I am thinking that the key to

us Christians from all across the denominational spectrum making significant progress toward unity on

the really important issues could be found in modern near death experience accounts.  

You Latter Day Saints, in my opinion, have a massive head start on more than ninety percent of Christian denominations due to

your leadership taking these accounts very seriously.

The Being of Light of NDE fame.......... at the minimum has to be Messiah Yeshua - Jesus in his glorified immortal form...... in at least a majority of

genuine cases..... .especially where a valid Life Review is experienced.

G-d promised that He would not give His glory to another........... so how could G-d delegate the Life Review to Satan.......

appearing as an angel of light????????

 

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=jbms

1-31-1993 “Nigh unto Death”: NDE Research and the Book of Mormon Kevin Christensen San Jose State University

 

 

http://www.drbo.org/chapter/30006.htm

 "For my angel is with you: And I myself will demand an account of your souls."

Edited August 13, 2018 by DennisTate
add a scripture

[DennisTate]

On 7/8/2018 at 8:49 PM, prisonchaplain said:

Catholic-Protestant, LDS-Evangelical, Republican-Democrat -- all of these divides have been handled poorly. We generally suspect the other of carrying the greater guilt--or, to be even more childish--of 'starting it.' Civility will save our republic, and it might mend some broken bridges. For my part, all sincerely religious folk are God-seekers. If the Old Testament is correct, if the New Testament is correct, if the Book of Mormon is correct, and if the Quran is correct, then ALL sincere God-seekers will find Him--for He is not far away.

 

Come now...someone give me an 'amen!' 

Wow!!!!

I am so glad that I found this forum! AMEN!!!!!!

On this note..... I would like to apologize for buying into the idea that my old church..... was superior to yours!

Because we attempted to observe the weekly Jewish Sabbath, the annual Jewish Sabbaths, avoid pork and other meats.......

and had some pretty good ideas on hidden meaning in many Jewish Holy Day rituals........  we members of the Worldwide Church of God became very proud......

and convinced of our own superiority.  

Beginning especially around 1990 Messiah Yeshua - Jesus answered my prayers for correction....... and wisdom......

and He led me to see error, after error, after error in my own supposed understanding of scripture..... in my case near death experience accounts were used to

correct many of my total fowl ups on the meaning of much of the Jewish and Christian scriptures.  

Our sin of pride.... took us very, very, very close to...... (if not over the line of)...... "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" which the Scribes and Pharisees

were playing around with by accusing Messiah Yeshua - Jesus of doing miracles by the power of Baalzebub!