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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Luther and Antisemitism
Message-ID: <1317@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 7-Oct-86 10:08:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.1317
Posted: Tue Oct  7 10:08:40 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Oct-86 04:01:41 EDT
References: <2170@mtgzz.UUCP> <15901@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <755@ihlpf.UUCP> <294@plx.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 32
Summary: Martin Luther was an anti-semite, not a Nazi.

In article <294@plx.UUCP>, ed@plx.UUCP writes:
> > In article <1226@bunker.UUCP> rha@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
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         ethan@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU
    at an airport              Department of Astronomy
                               University of Texas