After visiting Worms where Martin Luther made his stand, I bought an 800-page book, "The Reformation" by Diarmaid MacCulloch. I just finished it and here are a few notes on the book that I found of particular interest:
I was surprised to learn that King James, who conceived the English version of the Bible in 1611, was a homosexual. As stated: “English noblemen resented the consequences of the King’s homosexual affections.”
Homosexuality was a constant problem in the Middle Ages due to all the taboos surrounding sex. It was interesting to note the controversy especially with the priesthood. Celibacy was proclaimed but many found ways to still have their sex without getting married. Many openly had concubines and fathered children. When it became okay for Protestant clerics to be married, it avoided those sins.
Concerning slaves in America, Christians brought them. They believed that Africans were being saved from pagan darkness by their removal to America. A Franciscan wrote sarcastically, “I do not believe that it can be demonstrated that according to the law of Christ the liberty of the soul can be purchased by the servitude of the body.”
With the Reformation, bibles were made available to the lay people to read. The Catholics then instituted censorship of all other books but it didn’t succeed.
The burning of witches at the stake was common and carried into the colony of New England. It was even associated with the plague in 1545. Exodus 22:18 says “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” and that was used as justification. Further, Deuteronomy 19:10-11 extended the possibility of the death penalty even to benevolent witchcraft.
“Christianity before 1500 must rank as one of the most intolerant religions in world history: its record in comparison with medieval Islamic civilization is embarrassingly poor. It put up with Jews (more or less) only because they played a part in the Church’s view of its own future, it hated and feared Islam and did its best to destroy it whenever possible.”
Europeans were prepared to burn and torture each other because they disagreed on whether, or how, bread and wine were transformed into God, or about the sense in which Jesus Christ could be both divine and human.
The 30 Year’s War (1618 – 1648) was a continuous religious war. That does not take into account the years before and after where religious conflict existed. The multitudes that were killed in the name of God over religious philosophy are too horrible to even contemplate. And, it many ways, it continues today.
The “End Times” was anticipated often. When it didn’t occur as expected, they usually referenced the bible proclaiming that it would occur only when the Jews converted to Christianity. Often Jews were welcomed in areas in order to hurry along the end times. Some Jews went along with the conversion idea enjoying the commercial benefits .I’m surprised that the biblical reference of the end times isn’t used more today.
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