The Lesson of Martin Luther...

by Confucious 21 Replies latest jw friends

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  Confucious

  Hey Guys...

  Just felt like posting tonight.

  Comment or don't comment... but there was a good thought that came to mind tonight for me.

  Martin Luther...

  No... not Martin Luther King, Jr.

  THE Martin Luther.

  And forgive me please if my historical facts aren't 100 percent.

  But Martin Luther went against the Catholic Church.

  He posted the 95 rig-a-ma-role on the church doors. Basically condeming the sale of Indulgence from Pope Leo.

  Anyway... Martin Luther went against the so called "norm" of the day.

  But one of the things that I learned from him was his famous quote...

  "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me."

  To me, it brought to mind how I FEEL right now - and probably YOU.

  Basically, at the time, the Pope was wanting him to "repent" of his actions.

  And Martin Luther basically said... "Well, what else can I do???"

  It reminds me of our plight.

  I mean, the GB and the Watchtower are saying basically, "Hey... stop what your doing. Fall in line with our thinking."

  But in reality, what CAN we do?

  Basically, we know what we know about the Organization.

  So... take courage.

  What we did is what we NEEDED to do.

  After all, "What can we do? Here I stand. So God please help me."
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  XJW4EVR

  Bravo. Excellent insight.
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  becca1

  I've thought of Luther a lot latetly too. But we all know what would happen if I nailed my doubts and observations to the KH door...
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  willyloman

  I've often felt a kinship with Martin Luther. I once sat down to write a list of 95 topics I could write about, thinking I'd write 95 theses and nail them to the KH door or whatever passes for the front door in Brooklyn. Then I decided that was too much work for something they'd never read.

  However, what if someone started a thread... write the first "thesis", somebody else writes one, until we get 95. Email 'em to Brooklyn. That would modernize Luther's feat.
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  Narkissos

  Hi Confucious,

  Your post brings back memories: the history of Martin Luther (which btw was referred to in the WT literature) was very present in my mind when I came at the crossroads.

  I remember, when reading about it years before, wondering if I would have the courage to do what he did.

  When the time came I realised how simple, evident it actually was. Requiring more weakness than force. "I can't otherwise." That is, I lack the nerve to live a lie.

  When I was sitting at (the wrong end of) the JC, after a answering a number of questions honestly, I remember telling them: "Even if in a couple of weeks I realise you were right and I was wrong, today I really can't tell you anything else." From this perspective it was very simple indeed.
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  truthsetsonefree

  I have felt the same way. And for me this choice of Yeartext is the last straw. They are doing 1975 all over again, and I can't continue to ignore it.
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  becca1

  I love the idea. Here's #1

  The blood issue. It's either an issue or not. All this nit picky, take this bit but not that bit is riduculous. You can't be a little bit pregnant and if taking blood is wrong any little bit of it you take is a violation of the command.
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  BabaYaga

  Exactly... the incredible gift from Martin Luther was that he proclaimed that NO ONE NEEDED THE POPE TO BE HEARD BY GOD.
  
  You know, I have been out of the Witnesses for a couple of decades now, and I had never thought of how similar the WTBTS is to the POPE until I read these forums. It is much more similar than ANYONE would like to admit (Catholics included!!! ha!)
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  Jeepthing

  My lesson for Martin Luther is that we don't need another religion. I don't think he wanted anyone to follow him as a leader and form another religion but just to let others know that Catholic church was abusing the power by using the Bible. Stand up to do right thing is fine but if we don't watch ourselves we become what we despised in the first place. Then it's too late to do anything about it untill someone else like Martin Luther come along and correct us. Vicious circle that we humans kept it for long long time.
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  JWdaughter

  Wonderful points made here-great thread. Martin Luther was an interesting and complex man. I have often felt that JWs were in a similar position to him when made to choose between their consciences and their church leadership.