Here I think I have come up with some people we should cancel:
Calvin: he executed people for theological differences.
Sir Thomas More. Also, burned heretics at the stake for theological differences.
Martin Luther. Rabidly antisemitic.
Paul. Said slaves should obey their masters and women should not speak in church.
Of course, people will say that we shouldn't judge according to our standards. In those days, burning people who didn't agree with you theologically was culturally acceptable. Here's the problem, though. That is cultural relativism, and this kind of religion claims universal, timeless status. It won't do to simply invoke cultural relativism when it is convenient and reject it in all other cases.
3 comments:
There have always been people who knew these things were wrong. "Judging by our cultural standards" isn't the problem.
Also, we support all of these things right now, at least in some form, and we are doing it with our money, just so long as it isn't ndone by U.S. people within our line of sight or within the sight of those who might disapprove.
Neither Protestants nor Catholics in English during this period thought it was wrong to execute people for having the wrong theology. There were people who knew it was wrong, but it took a long time to have a consensus that this was not ok. Thomas More is still a saint, so I have to say the church still has not recognized that it is not ok. If you object, they will say that those were tumultuous times, but we still live in tumultuous times. We are still no better. I just don't think we should go after minor figures, but should instead look at people who are still influential. There are plenty of Calvinists around, and I find that theology repugnant, even apart from the fact that its founder burned people who disagreed with him.
We haven't improved.
I'm for going after the living Calvinists and every Calvin-descended idea. Of course I'm not for the death penalty, though
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