Luther and Antisemitism
Gene Ward Smith
>In article <7...@ihlpf.UUCP> ch...@ihlpf.UUCP (Mike Cherepov) writes:
>>Luther was an incredible antisemite
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Wow! Are you sure about what you said about Martin Luther? If so, please
>follow-up with some evidence. As a Jew married to a Methodist, I see this
>assertion as being quite inflammatory. However, if you can substantiate
>this, Mike, please do so.
Luther wrote a few virulently antisemitic tracts, a fact which the
Nazis later found convenient to exploit. He went through much the same
process as Mohammmad, as I recall -- he first wanted the Jews to join
his team, and them became incensed when they declined. I didn't look
any references up, but Mike's assertion is well known.
ucbvax!brahms!gsmith Gene Ward Smith/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720
ucbvax!weyl!gsmith The Josh McDowell of the Net
e...@plx.uucp
>
> >In article <7...@ihlpf.UUCP> ch...@ihlpf.UUCP (Mike Cherepov) writes:
>
> >>Luther was an incredible antisemite
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>
> >Wow! Are you sure about what you said about Martin Luther? If so, please
> >follow-up with some evidence. As a Jew married to a Methodist, I see this
> >assertion as being quite inflammatory. However, if you can substantiate
> >this, Mike, please do so.
>
> Luther wrote a few virulently antisemitic tracts, a fact which the
> Nazis later found convenient to exploit. He went through much the same
> process as Mohammmad, as I recall -- he first wanted the Jews to join
> his team, and them became incensed when they declined. I didn't look
> any references up, but Mike's assertion is well known.
OH GREAT!! NOW *MARTIN LUTHER* IS A NAZI!!!!
.....I smell a Witch Hunt!
Ed Chaban
Plexus Computers Inc.
Phone: (408) 943-2226
Net: sun!plx!ed
Ethan Vishniac
Martin Luther was an anti-semite. Robert Averack recollections are
correct. He originally claimed that the nonconversion of the Jews
was due to the corruption of the Catholic Church. When they declined
to become protestants he decided they were incurably blind to God's
truth and therefore incurably evil. This historical fact should
not be held too strongly against him. Most people find it difficult
to rise above their cultural milieu in even minor ways. As a non-Christian
(and a Jew) I find much to admire in his religious writings. He also
denounced Copernicus quite vehemently. Time has rendered the latter
stance irrelevant. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for his
anti-semitism.
I think there is little question but that he would have found Nazism
morally repugnant.
--
"More Astronomy Ethan Vishniac
Less Sodomy" {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
- from a poster seen et...@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU
at an airport Department of Astronomy
University of Texas
ber...@clio.uiuc.arpa
William Shirer goes into detail about this as a partial explanation of
Hitler's hatred for the Jews in "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich."
His references to Luther's doctrine are pretty specific.
sUsAn ElIzAbEtH aBe
>> Luther wrote a few virulently antisemitic tracts, a fact which the
>> Nazis later found convenient to exploit.
>
> .....I smell a Witch Hunt!
> Ed Chaban
Try again.
The "logical" extension is: The Nazis considered Luther a
quotable authority, therefore the Nazis were (are?) rabid
Lutherans. No, I don't believe this; in general I think "logical"
extensions are good mostly as silly entertainment. For that
matter, in general I think that pronouncing moral judgments on
folks long dead, viewed through the mores of a different society,
is pretty silly...
Susan.
Robert H. Averack
>In article <2...@plx.UUCP>, e...@plx.UUCP writes:
>> > In article <12...@bunker.UUCP> r...@bunker.UUCP (Robert H. Averack) writes:
>> > Luther wrote a few virulently antisemitic tracts, a fact which the
>> > Nazis later found convenient to exploit. He went through much the same
>> > process as Mohammmad, as I recall -- he first wanted the Jews to join
>> > his team, and them became incensed when they declined. I didn't look
>> > any references up, but Mike's assertion is well known.
>>
>> OH GREAT!! NOW *MARTIN LUTHER* IS A NAZI!!!!
>>
>> .....I smell a Witch Hunt!
>
>Martin Luther was an anti-semite. Robert Averack recollections are
>correct. He originally claimed that the nonconversion of the Jews
>was due to the corruption of the Catholic Church. When they declined
>to become protestants he decided they were incurably blind to God's
>truth and therefore incurably evil. This historical fact should
>not be held too strongly against him. Most people find it difficult
PLEASE! Before this cutting and pasting followup game gets too far
out of hand, I didn't make these recollections. The substantiation
about Mike C.'s original assertion about Luther came from someone else,
as a result of my originally asking Mike for clarification. Robert
Averack did not know before this round of postings and followups about
Luther`s anti-semitic writings. Please, let's at least credit quotes
to the right people. Thank you.
Bob Averack
--
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Ed Nather
Please, Susan, remember where you are. This is *USENET*. Anything as
sensible as the paragraph above has no place here.
Try to be more careful.
--
Ed Nather
Astronomy Dept, U of Texas @ Austin
{allegra,ihnp4}!{noao,ut-sally}!utastro!nather
nat...@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU