Martin Luther: Father of Freedom or Father of Authoritarianism Page: 1
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INTRODUCTION
Intolerance is a state of mind found among esoteric
and ideological realms of thought and also in fundamentalist
and less intellectual bodies of thought, subscribed to by
men who believe they have arrived at absolute truth, who con-
sider any deviation from their absolutes to be heretical and
a threat to the whole fabric of society. Martin Luther was
such a man.
Intolerance is neither inherent in nor peculiar to any
particular age, society, or institution. It existed in
ancient times and in primitive societies, in both secular and
religious institutions, and it still exists in these same di-
visions of society today. All of our religious, scientific,
political, and educational systems are permeated with intol-
erance, as are most aspects of modern society. Thus, it is
clear that sixteenth-century reformers had no monopoly on in-
tolerance.
In its most pernicious state, intolerance is found where
both the religious and secular segments of society have become
so intimately aligned that any deviance becomes an offence
against both church and state. State authorities then can
be used to protect their subjects from any elements within
the system that they deem to be dangerous, even in matters
of faith. In essence, this was the situation that developed
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Mays, Gladys Dezell. Martin Luther: Father of Freedom or Father of Authoritarianism, thesis, August 1978; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc503991/m1/4/: accessed May 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .