When the Homily is about Immunology

Luther

Finally saw the film the other night. I didn't realize that some Lutheran financial group funded it, at least in part. But whether a wholly secular endeavor or Lutheran, I fully expected to see the Roman Catholic Church portrayed in the absolute worse light possible, and I wasn't dissapointed. Though not quite reaching the level of the Eisenstein film “Nevsky” in which we see Catholic hierarchs looking on as Russian babies are tossed into a fire, this certainly gave us the much-hated image of a thoroughly corrupted Church wielding unquestionable authority for nefarious purposes.

No intelligent contrary arguments were ever offered in the film to any of Luther’s complaints, none. As if Luther could not possibly have been mistaken in anything he was complaining against – but I suppose that would be expected. No mention of his little word addition in Romans and no mention of his hatred for my patron’s epistle. One particularly sad part for me was Luther’s attacks on relics and at one point in a sermon he says that God is not to be found in dead men’s bones, but in the living love we share amongst one another. And I kept thinking: why not both? I mean, perhaps the west has a different understanding of the veneration of relics?

While watching, it seemed clear to me that Luther’s reformation was kneejerk to abuses that no doubt existed, but his was an overreaction that began the process of throwing the baby out with the bathwater – which reached insane proportions in the coming years.

Interesting that the film closes happily with words that say in effect that today, 540 million people worship in churches inspired by Luther’s reformation. I sighed seeing it, for what to the makers of the film is a glorious celebration of religious freedom seems to me to be a very sad thing – because those 540 million are pitifully divided on so much, because so much was rejected in a kneejerk.

Interesting article HERE.