Literary Discussions

@R Don: I respect your feelings and perhaps I shall. You see, I was raised with NO religion and in my 20s became Greek Orthodox and entered a monastery for 13 months as a novice. I was present at a number of monastic tonsures with permanent lifetime vows. The gravity of the commitment is clearly spelled out during the service. Once someone takes those vows there are NO mitigating circumstances should they break their vows.  And Luther did seem to actually RE-WRITE Christianity to rule out celibacy, which makes no sense in the face of Jesus own words "some make eunuchs of themselves for the sake of the kingdom" and Paul's words "better to marry than to burn, but I would that all would be as I am "  .... Not to be insulting but I am sure Luther was a great guy and kind to animals and congenial, but then one might point out the many fine qualities of Hitler who was known by the Germans fondly as "Uncle Addie" ... But out of consideration for R Don I shall endeavor to read some positive portrayals of Martin Luther. I do greatly admire what he did for the German language in his masterful translation of the Bible. I just feel that the proper thing for him to have done would be to continue in his monastic vows somewhere in some fashion and not portray celibacy as something unnatural.

Look at it this way: suppose Don that I made a solemn promise to you and assured that I would honor that promise until my death bed. But then let us say that I broke that solemn promise and betrayed you. Now even if I go on to lead the most noble life, feeding the poor, educating the ignorant, clothing the naked, taking up arms to defend freedom and liberty: NOTHING NONE OF THE WILL EVER WASH AWAY THE FACT THAT I BETRAYED YOUR TRUST AND BROKE MY SOLEMN VOW.  And that is why scripture says "better NEVER TO VOW AT ALL than to vow and not pay." In Judges 11:39 we see the Jephthah swore to sacrifice the first living creature he saw upon return home and it was his daughter who FORCED HIM to keep that vow. Now I know that there are arguments which try to show that he did not take her life just as there are arguments to reconcile those conflicting passages about Satan tempting David to take a census of the people or conflicting passages about the manner of Judas Iscariot's death and I don't care to see those. I feel that certain passages are meant to teach us certain lessons and the story of Jephthah is an illustration of how serious it is to make a vow.