Reformation Day is a Protestant Christian religious holiday celebrated on 31 October, alongside All Hallows' Eve (Halloween) during the triduum of All hallow tide, in remembrance of the onset of the Reformation.It's interesting to see a holiday celebrating the actions of Martin Luther, who was a vicious and repugnant anti-Semite.According to Philip Melanchthon, 31 October 1517 was the day German Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, Electorate of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire. Historians and other experts on the subject argue that Luther may have chosen All Hallows' Eve on purpose to get the attention of common people, although that has never been proven. Available data suggest that 31 October was the day when Luther sent his work to Albert of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz. This has been verified; it is now regarded as the start of the Reformation alongside the unconfirmed (Melanchthon appears to be the only source for that) nailing of the Ninety-five Theses/grievances to All Saints' Church's door on the same date.
A bit about Martin Luther's book: On the Jews and Their Lies
On the Jews and Their Lies (German: Von den Jüden und iren Lügen; in modern spelling Von den Juden und ihren Lügen) is a 65,000-word anti-Judaic and antisemitic treatise written in 1543 by the German Reformation leader Martin Luther (1483–1546).Now, I realize times were different back then, and moral codes change, but still, this seems so over-the-top that I'm always surprised that people still venerate Martin Luther. (By having holidays based on his life's actions not to mention having entire denominations still named after him.In the treatise, he argues that Jewish synagogues and schools be set on fire, their prayer books destroyed, rabbis forbidden to preach, homes burned, and property and money confiscated. Luther claimed they should be shown no mercy or kindness,[3] afforded no legal protection,[4] and "these poisonous envenomed worms" should be drafted into forced labor or expelled for all time.[5] He also advocates their murder, writing "[W]e are at fault in not slaying them".[6]
Can't wrap my head around it.
Because it was about revolution, not reformation.
Martin Luther never hesitated to condemn himself as a sinner. Being a sinner is profound. It is adequate description of anything unsavory that he or you did or wrote.
What he objected to was people in seats of authority sending people off to unbelief, pride and despair.
You can only get this if you believe Jesus was and is God (in a traditional Trinitarian sense) and that He lived, died and rose again to save and justify mortal sinners (us).
If you believe that, very good, and you don’t have to like Martin Luther.
Note: he was kicked out of the Roman church for trying to bring to the Pope’s attention errors in his doctrine and practice. Even then, he sought only to remove the errors from Roman practice, unlike the reactionaries who threw out some beautiful things that were not harmful.
While you are reviling Luther, check out some papal abuses of the flesh. And it only starts there. Christ said if you light itself is darkness, it’s darkness indeed. The Roman church, responsible for spiritual care of millions, sent them off to vain, bogus and even bad works, sent them to despair, instead of doing what it was charged with, which was to share the Good News.