The Cambridge Modern History Collection

Calvin and Knox, Genevia and Scotland. Between the two of them many lives were changed, often for the worse. Both are symbols of what happens when religion is allowed to run government. We see evidence of the same types of stridentness in Iran. Is it any wonder that the separatist who left England in the 1620s-40s so quickly discarded the moral strictures imposed by the preachers. 

 That said, we also should examine the Great Aweaking and how the voices of a few, especially Johnthan Edwards shaped the cause for independence from England and the ultimate creation of the Constitution. Edwards is most often quoted for his famos sermon, "Sinners in the hands of an angry God". The sermon often quoted but seldom read by the leftists is presented as an example of the moral and ethical strictness of the New England religious elite. However, The depts of the sermon present a loving and caring diety. It is the first step to NE Transendentalism and a more useful religious structure. 

The writer of the chapters about Calvin has an overall positive view of the man. But he does call him out for the theocracy that Geneva became. 

As The Cambridge Medieval History had a wonderful explanation of how Christianity was adopted by Constantine, who then set out to unify the various strains within it, so the "The Cambridge Modern History Collection" is excellent in building up how the Catholic Church became so debased and corrupt that virtually all clerics, scholars and religious men outside of Italy, and especially those not in the Curia, believed it must be reformed. 

We are then introduced to Luther who was the hammer which broke the open the flood gates of Reformation. Of course he exchanged ideas and beliefs with many others in Europe, but Luther was mainly influential in Germany. During the Peasants War that broke out in the first third of the 1500s, Luther sided with the princes and rulers.  This tendency to side with the State has been a characteristic of Lutheranism ever since. Apparently, it arose from Luther's reading of the New Testament's invocation to "render unto Caesar those things which are Caesar's, and unto God those things which are God's." 

Outside of Germany, Switzerland had a very significant influence on the Reformation. The first major figure in this area was Ulrich Zwingli, a Swiss cleric who took theology farther away from the Catholic Church than Luther dared. It would not be too much to consider Zwingli the founder of Reformed theology. Calvin took this further. He formalized it and like Zwingli, was interested in the political as well as the spiritual side of Christianity. Reformed Christianity had a great influence on the spread of democratic ideas across Europe. Calvin was classically educated and formalized a system which had much broader influence than Luther's. 

Geneva was not part of Switzerland at the time, but was connected to Savoy, i.e. it was French speaking. Because of the political system of the city, it was primed for Calvin's theocracy when this was instituted. 

We in the English speaking world, don't often think about the French influence on the Reformation, but it was enormous. Lutheranism was only popular in Germany. But Zwingli's Reformed theology spread and mingled with French reformers and from Calvin it spread to Knox, then to the English Puritans, and we all know where they spread it. 

You would be correct. I simply chose that phrase to show Luther's view that Christians are admonished to obey their rulers. I should have picked a better quote, but couldn't think of the exact one offhand.  I looked it up now. 

Luther's belief is based on Romans 13:1-6 which reads:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is not authority except which God has established. The authorities which exist have been established by God. 

Luther took this as absolute, especially after the destruction and anarchy wrought by the Peasant's War. Better tyrants than anarchy, I guess. 
Neither had I until I moved to Switzerland when I was twenty-four. He died during a battle at Kappel, a town between Zug and Zurich. I drove through the town a number of times while I lived in Zug. 

He had a very big influence on the Reformation. Luther stayed very close to Catholic theology, Zwingli, who like Calvin was classically educated and a humanist, cut ties with much of Catholic theology.

Believe it or not, one of the big sticking points was the question of Transubstantiation of the Eucharist i.e. the Lord's Supper. Heated arguments, so heated that people were killed for not agreeing with one view or the other, took place about the nature of the Sacraments. The Catholics and Luther claimed that the bread and wine actually changed into the literal blood and body of Christ when taken. Zwingli and others saw the Sacraments as symbolic of Christ's body and blood, i.e. as a memorial. Others such as Calvin split the baby by saying Christ's body was there spiritually. 

The hairs which religions are willing to split are fine indeed. 

I know, but it was good you made the point. It made me think of the actual quote which Luther was following. Thus I achieved greater clarity. 
Some protestant theology has gotten around this by saying that one does not have to submit to Godless rulers who do not follow the Bible. That is a lot of wiggle room. 

From my not inconsiderable studies of spirituality as it relates to the Christian religion, Mr. Flu, you note a key concept.

We endure the slings and arrows of this existence in the path of Christ (bearing our own cross) who endured worse than we will likely ever receive. The world is not inherently evil, for God made it. But man has corrupted it with sin. And in reverse, we can heal it (or part of it) with virtuous conduct, despite the corruption.

So with (one would say) a healthy understanding of the above, one can (and should) live in this world with healthy doses of humility and acceptance knowing that we "see through a glass, darkly." We judge from a higher perspective than the mere slings and arrows of day-to-day existence.

This all may be false. This all may be whistling through the graveyard. But it is my best understanding of the very point of the Christian religion. It's not just an earned ticket to eternity. It is a way to take part in that eternity in the realm we are in now.

The subject came up the other day as to what a "trickle charger" was. I think the guy on To Tell the Truth lied (or didn't know). It makes it difficult to choose the real person when the real person does not actually tell the truth. He had invented some kind of electric car (this was back in 1974). You plugged it into a normal wall outlet. Gene Rayburn asked #1 what a trickle charger was (and #1 turned out to be the inventor). He gave an incorrect answer. According to Wiki:



I don't pretend to understand all the ins and outs of this. But that's why those charging stations for Teslas and such have proprietary outlets and typically take an hour or less (not overnight) to charge your battery. They are doing it quick. And we all know that slow charging is easier on the battery but quicker gets it done faster.

So anyway, when reading Mr. Flu's progress report on The Cambridge Modern History Collection – presumably about 180 hours to complete the series – I couldn't help thinking that you are "trickle charging" your history. You are reading it at about the rate that history is being produced. And that is not a comment on the speed but the sheer volume.

Yes, great quote.

A very nice stand. A nice way to honor and use your books.

I'm glad the stars aligned for your auto fix. Always a pain when something breaks. Glad it wasn't too expensive.

Have a nice visit with your friends.

Nothing keeps you young like scraping your knuckles on cold, bare metal when the wrench slips.