Frontline is now showing a program on Martin Luther and the Catholic Church selling of "indulgences" to escape purgatory. Such indulgences were hawked by a priest named Tetzel. Luther denounced the con which had more to do with raising money to build church facilities that it did with the Bible. Tetzel was taking advantage of the peasant ignorance and fear. A reader found this link on Johann Tetzel.
Luther's thesis aimed to fix problems with the Catholic Church. But the church underestimating him was a major mistake. Luther advocated free public education so everybody, including women, could read the Bible which he believed should be translated from Latin into local languages. Not all those educated today read the Bible, but our whole society benefits greatly from the ideas of Martin Luther.
Now in an area having nearly nothing to with religion, Donald Trump has entered the world of politics and government. It seems to me that Trump has much in common with the despised priest Tetzel. Trump and his apostles are selling one false dogma after another. Trickle-down economics, absurd tax proposals, etc. He has suckered far too many people with his lies and distortions and false promises.
Perhaps this is one of those times when ignorance of the past dooms the US to molder in the same old disasters of the past.
****Stay tuned but watch Frontline
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