Martin Luther began the wave of schisms that fractured The Only Church Jesus Founded. Before Luther, Europe was increasingly Catholic. Afterwards, the divisions metastasized into today’s 43,000 separate schisms. Those competing groups make it impossible for political systems to defend against abortion, invasion, and other evils.
When one reads detailed biographies about Luther, one finds that he was not a happy man. His advice, “Sin boldly.” was certainly not in the mainstream of Catholic thought. Nor is it accepted by Lutherans, today. Insisting that “Law is bad.” and only “Faith is good.” separated Luther from the 1,500 years of Catholic thought that preceded him and many millions of Lutherans who followed.
What of today’s Lutherans, themselves? Few, if any, Lutherans today believe many of Luther’s notions, like “Good works keep us from Heaven.” Nearly all Lutherans strive to do the “good works” that Luther reviled. An odd fact about Protestants. They are better than their founders.
History records that the founder of the Episcopalian/Anglican religion was a serial adulterer. He was an ax-murderer who suffered from third-stage syphilis. Few Anglicans or Episcopalians today are such blatant serial adulterers. None are ax-murderers. Hardly any Anglicans or Episcopalians are driven mad from the effects of third-stage syphilis. At odd fact about Protestants. They are better than their founders.
Brigham Young had 55 wives. Today, nearly all Mormons have only one wife. None have fifty five. An odd fact about Protestants. They are better than their founders.
John Calvin executed nearly 60 people when he took over Geneva, usually for disagreeing with him. Few Congregationalists or Presbyterians, both groups descending from Calvin, have executed anyone, and are horrified at burning people alive, especially as Calvin directed: “Use green wood so he suffers more.” An odd fact about Protestants. They are better than their founders.
We do not want to paint with too broad a brush. But, facts are facts. Biographies of those who founded schisms show that many were incredibly vain. An odd fact about Protestants. They are better than their founders.
