An interesting opinion

I had an interesting conversation this past Saturday, 7/17/2021, with a gentleman about my age that figured out that I had a Theology Degree.   He started off with the normal greeting, introduction and then added he was a devote Roman Catholic.   Now from my perspective, this could mean a tense conversation as I am liberal in religious views in certain areas.  It also could mean a nice casual generic conversation. 

Well, it turned bad quickly.   After a minute are two he state, paraphrasing to remove some colorful language that Martin Luther was wrong and ruined everything for Christians.   I, of course, being curious asked how Luther ruined everything?

This is what he said that led me to stand speechless for minutes.  "Well you know without him there would not be Bibles in anything but Latin and we would only have to wait for our priests to tell us what the Bible says.  No reading, not thinking,  just listen to what they tell us what we need to know.  But bo, Lother had to protest and start everyone wanting to know what he was talking about.  Soon there was an English version and everyone was reading it and asking questions.  The Bible is the word of God and no one should question it.  It is just wrong and that why I think he ruined everything."

When I finally got over the shock, I did my best to try to simplify what he said to understand.  I asked if he was saying that Luther ruined Christianity because his movement made it possible for everyone to read the Bible?  He said yes, exactly.  I was dumb-struck.  I stood there staring at him for what felt like forever but sure was just one or two minutes.  I finally was able to get out that this was a new reason for hating Luther for me, having never heard this reason before. 

He proud puffed u and said, that's cause he is an original thinker.   The best I could do was Okay then.

That was pretty much the end of that conversation. 

God, Jesus and politics, an opinion

 My issue with any speaker that crosses the line and starts mixing getting people to turn back to God and Jesus and also trying to get them to follow a specific political belief can you say they are still doing God's work has the crossed the line and trying to use God and Jesus to do political work.  Both parties have been guilty of this for many many years.  I have found nothing in any version of any Abrahamic Bible or religion that says religion and politics should be one and the same.  In fact, in all my readings your belief and faith in God and Jesus should come before all others and be stand-alone free of other influences.  Just my opinion though.

Early morning thought over coffee.

 The next religious war will be waged in social media and in textbooks at universities, not by the church or by the sword.  Organized religions are ill-equipped and unprepared for this type of warfare.    We in Christianity are at the nexus in time that those that want to truly fight the good fight need to be writing and publishing and stating views to fight this war before it happens.  Just my humble opinion.