Norwegian Church Denounces Luther’s Anti-Jewish Writings

Washington Post ^ | November 25, 2016

[Steelfish]

Norwegian Church Denounces Luther’s Anti-Jewish Writings

November 25 STOCKHOLM — Norway’s state Lutheran Church has condemned the anti-Jewish legacy of Martin Luther, the 16th century German theologian who started the Protestant Reformation.

In a statement issued Friday ahead of next year’s 500-year anniversary of the Reformation, the Church of Norway’s General Synod said some of Luther’s writings were later used in anti-Semitic propaganda, including in Nazi Germany.

Noting that such propaganda was also spread in Nazi-occupied Norway during World War II, the synod said that “in the Reformation anniversary year of 2017, we as a church must clearly distance ourselves from the anti-Judaism that Luther left behind.”

[Secret Agent Man]

Have they denounced his anti-German writings too?

He was harder on his own countryfolk if you read what he wrote about them.

The motive behind this - to be PC - never analyzes big picture content or even tries to figure out the why of things. Liberals are not known for this.

[Migraine]

It’s a good move, IMHO. I was just re-reading some of the imprecations in question the other day, wondering how one could read the Bible and still have such blind spots.

[faithhopecharity]

This is, of course, a very good step forward for the Norwegian church.

perhaps they can use whatever influence they may have to turn the Norwegian government’s Nazi-type anti-Jew policies around, too?

(and repatriate the IslamoNazi invasion army before they actually do take over Oslo as they’ve pretty much taken over Molmo, Sweden and several more nearly places)

[faithhopecharity]

several Lutheran Churches (from Missouri Synod to ELCA, etc.) have adopted creeds or positions renouncing or dis-affiliating themselves from Martin Luther’s infamous anti-Semitic remarks (while reaffirming his kinder, more Christian statements about Jewish people)

if the Norwegian Church hadn’t done so yet, it is very good that it now has

ML had a very VERY sharp tongue when it came to anyone and everyone that he felt did not fully support his efforts on any given day .... his incisive remarks about certain RC Church officials or higher-ups were part of this, too...

[Moltke]

Playing the NAZI card on a 16th century reformer in the second sentence = losers.

[NRx]

I’d be more impressed with this if anyone actually attended the Lutheran State Church in Norway. Norway is one of the most secular states in the world with only about 3% of the population attending services weekly. Most of those belong to other churches. The Norwegian Church is coincidentally also among the most liberal.

[SoFloFreeper]

You shouldn’t have to denounce something you don’t accept.

Luther was a great reformer but he wasn’t perfect.

David was a great king of Israel but we don’t celebrate his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah.

Peter was a great apostle but we don’t condone his denial of Jesus.

People should not think Lutherans automatically buy into the founder’s screeds against Jewish people. They don’t.

[wardaddy]

You just pwnd the agitator who was btw the way a major nevertrump basher here

I don’t forget

They think we don’t remember

Pathetic

I salute you and I’m not even Lutheran but I appreciate Luther as a southern varied prod

[Praxeologue]

What is a “nevertrump basher”?

[wardaddy]

A poorly written name for a trump basher

[SoFloFreeper]

I am not Lutheran, but I do respect Luther.
I consider myself Reformed. :)

[wardaddy]

Some lutherans are strict I hear

Most I’ve seen are ultra progressive

[wardaddy]

Exactly

Just another tool in the progressive work satchel

Why promote it here

[Read Write Repeat]

I suggest they call their church anything but Lutheran if they want to distance themselves away from Luther, who was a raging anti-semite and formed his entire theology on anti-semitism.

Anyone calling themselves Lutheran won’t be spared from the curse they put on themselves.

[Read Write Repeat]

People should not think Lutherans automatically buy into the founder’s screeds against Jewish people. They don’t.

Their entire theology is against Jews.

[Bob434]

[[David was a great king of Israel but we don’t celebrate his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah.]]

Speak for yourself

[cloudmountain]

Isn't the Norwegian Church a few weeks late on that?

[LadyDoc]

Too bad the Pope did not notice these when he said he admired Luther.

and Luther also denounced the peasants when they demended their rights.

[CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC]

Luther had some disease in his later years that attacks nerves and caused him to be in 24x7 constant pain. Among other things, it prevented him from getting any reasonable amount of sleep.

This turned his mood foul, and he was nasty towards everyone. Not just Jews, but EVERYone, even his close friends and followers and apologists.

Unfortunately, one thing that was NOT affected in his last years was his skill at the written & spoken word. And his prolific pen, now a prolific *poisoned* pen, was attacking everything & everybody. His vituperative words caused him to lose most of his friends, which made him even more bitter of course, and thus he spiraled down into a vicious circle, with the ever-present physical pain leading to increasing emotional pain.

His works dealing with Jews back in the earliest days when he was healthy, are world's apart from his later works when he was in physical agony. The early stuff is like, "Hey, the Jews may be wrong, but Jesus WAS a Jew after all". And the later stuff is like, "Evict ALL these cretins from our territory unless they recant!"

Also, he felt "betrayed" by Jewish scholars, because pre-Reformation, their criticisms of the Church closely echoed his own. Ie, against the corruption that produced simony (selling of church offices to highest bidder), selling indulgences (a written pass allowing you to sin in advance), Purgatory (pay $$ after your loved ones die to advance them from purgatory into heaven), quackery (selling all kinds of fraudulent stuff), etc. And so he felt they were basically on the same page as he was, and that they were leading him to believe that once a "pure" church (ie Protestant) replaced the corrupt church, the Jews would no longer see big obstacles to follow Christ. Yet he saw no Jews moving to join his new church.

Yes, his antisemitic screeds are frequently mentioned. But seldom is the context mentioned, especially the fact that he was saying nasty hateful things to EVERYBODY in his last years.