Thursday, November 01, 2007

Protestantism: Labor and Land grab

Luther, a disaffected priest, who wanted to marry, was supported by German Barons who wanted to enrich themselves on Church land. Additionally German princes wanted to capitalize on peasant labor that was much happier taking off from 21 - 40 days a year in religious festivals.

Now, if the German prince could cut out all of those religious days their profit margin could increase. Additionally, once they were able to get rid of Rome they could confiscate productive monasteries and enrich themselves even more. An added benefit for Protestant was that they could divorce their wives and remarry with Luther's blessing. Great Reformation, right? Wrong.

The faithful Catholic was forced to accept a fabricated religion devoid of every sacrament except for baptism. The Reformation also deprived the populace of a valid priesthood and apostolic succession. Essentially the Reformation created a new religion and should actually be called a revolution, not a reformation.

As for Spain, if it were not for Charles V and his son Phillip II , Europe would be Moslem. Protestants were notoriously anti Christian and curiously unprepared for the onslaught by the Turk.

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