“The Martin Luther Experience” implications exist throughout recorded history. Control of humans is incomplete unless it controls beliefs related to an afterlife. In recent history Evolutionary Theory for many includes “You only go around once in life so get all the gusto you can.” Historically, dictatorship-links between government and one or more religious systems were used to try and gain complete control. The Martin Luther Experience demonstrates an awakening to this control issue.
When Martin Luther lived the Catholic Church via the Pope told people what acts or payments were needed to assure a heavenly afterlife versus the experience of an eternal hell. When Martin Luther had an awakening experience as he was going up a Vatican stairway on his knees, He got up and walked away. His intellectual and emotional struggle led to the posting of the 95 Thesis on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517. The link http://www.uncommon-travel-germany.com/95-theses.html includes a succinct summary of the Martin Luther’s posting under three headings:
- Selling indulgences to finance the building of St. Peter’s is wrong.
- The pope has no power over Purgatory.
- Buying indulgences gives people a false sense of security and endangers their salvation.
What are the implications of this historical event today? There are still many countries where governments and religion collaborate for control of the now and the hereafter. In Christendom, there are more than 30,000 denominations that seem to use “Getting Your Doctrines Right” as a condition for salvation control. This is then used to generate financial support and forms of control. Taken to the extreme this seems paradoxical to the “True to Conscience Concept” found in Romans 2: 12-16 and Jeremiah 31:31-34.
In Matthew 18:1-5 when the disciples ask Jesus who will be greatest in heaven He puts a child in their midst and states: ” 3 and “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”
- Robert D. Moon