Status Updates From Reformation Myths: Five Cen...

Back in chapter 2, Stark calls out Martin Luther’s virulent anti-Semitism and shows how Hitler built on this hatred of Jewish people. Luther had called them an “evil, corrupt, and traitorous race”, whereas Hitler added the term Untermenschen, meaning subhuman “under men”.

[I’ve often characterized the 2 world wars of the 20th centuries as just one was with a 20-year ceasefire.]

Stark notes that “in 1939, 17 of the 28 European nations were ruled by dictators who emphasized nationalism. . . “

But of course, we humans can pervert a neutral or even a good thing as Stark goes on to show in the next pages. It’s indisputable that nationalism was a factor in the devastating wars in the 19th and 20th centuries that directly and indirectly caused the deaths of many millions of people worldwide.

Unlike most who write on the subject, I do not find nationalism deplorable. . . There is nothing inherently wicked or ignorant about nationalism – about pride, in one’s culture and history, and a preference for one’s way of life.

[I don’t know much about this author, but I like that he’s brave enough to put this in a book and publish it! Especially that he used the word “deplorable.” 😉]