On 31st October 1517, a German monk called Martin Luther nailed a piece of paper to a church door in Wittenburg. So began what has come to be called The Reformation. Luther's petition, although initially against dubious methods of fundraising by the Church, grew into a much wider protest against the doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, which lead to the formation of the 'Protestant' churches, including the Church of England. For most people the 500th anniversary of this event will pass unnoticed and unmarked, unlike the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana or the 100th anniversary of Passchendaele. Yet the Reformation had a profound effect not just on the religious beliefs of millions of people but also on the the way the world is today.
It has been argued that without the Reformation, the technological
and scientific advances of the Enlightenment would not have occurred.
Ironically for some atheists the Reformation's rejection of some of
the superstitious religious practices of the Mediaeval world has
enabled the modern world to rejection all religion as superstitious.
This is often the way that the relationship between religion and
science is framed: superstitious religion vs rational science. The
truth however is more complicated. Many aspects of Christianity in
particular can be verified, and conversely some scientific theory is
based more on ideology than fact. But also religion and science are
actually on the same side when it comes to superstition.
The philosopher Roger Scruton has recently spoken about religion and
science in contrast with the magical worldview of the Harry Potter
books. Superstition and magic, Scrutton says, are rooted in the
belief that we can control the universe, whereas religion and science
acknowledge that we can't. A magical outlook arrogantly asserts that
anything is possible if you know the right spell, whereas religion
and science humbly admit that there are gaps in our knowledge and
abilities. Scrutton argues that although this magical view is
alright in fiction, it is a problem when it also becomes the outlook
in real life. From a Christian perspective, the magical worldview is
not only contrary to reality but also spiritually harmful.
31st October is associated more these days with Halloween
than Martin Luther, and I have written in previous years about the
dangers of celebrating Halloween (here and here). Not only does it open people up to
attack from malevolent spiritual forces but in normalising witchcraft
and magic it perpetuates this magical outlook on life. In a world of
magic, Scrutton explains, there is no need for God because we are
god: we can control everything. Genesis 3 tells us that Satan
tempted Adam and Eve not just to disobey God but to want to be God;
that was the original sin and is the defect in all humanity.
Magic promotes the idea that evil can be overcome simply by knowing
the right spell. Christianity teaches that evil can only be defeated
by God himself: as a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer puts it:
“we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves”. What Martin
Luther reminded us was that God has defeated evil through Jesus'
death and resurrection, all we have to do is receive that salvation
as a free gift.
(For more on the Reformation, see the magazine from Church Society)
