Saturday, January 03, 2009

The Reformation of Wolfshausen

Teil Eins
To the right, a tower at the Wittenburg Church, with the description "A Mighty Fortress."  Click on it to hear Minka begin the story.  Pay attention to the pronunciation.








To the left, a statue of Martin Luther with the explanation "Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise so help me, God."  Click it to read the first part of the new story.

17 comments:

Minka said...

"The power to forgive costs too much for the unambitious."
What does that mean? How come a wheelwright smarter than I? These are questions I need an answer for, can you point me to a good passage?

Good start, I am curious how it will all unfold and dude, I love the font.

Anonymous said...

So. Cute German swineherds invented the steam locomotive? ;)

Minka, dahling, if you could corner the market on indulgences in 1520, you'd be sitting as pretty as the average Middle Ages lifespan of, oh, about 35 could offer you. But oh, the upkeep on that sacristy!

Martin Luther had sworn to stand reason up against piety ... this from the fellow who announced that "Whoever wants to be a Christian should tear the eyes out of his reason. Sure, he fled - but only after spawning the likes of Jerry Falwell.

I can hardly wait for the plot complications.

Cie Cheesemeister said...

Very interesting from the start.

Tom & Icy said...

That was great.

Minka said...

Oc, the train does not say Tchutchu in GERMAN ;)

Is it my fault that you guys can't distinguish between the call of the wild and the call of a metal snake? We Germans are quite teh woodsmen ;)

TLP said...

"If I had five farmers I could make one decent husband." True of any profession.

Martin Luther said some pretty ugly things about Jews. Should we forgive him?

Doug The Una said...

Minka, I wouldn't say the Wheelwright was smarter than you. I'd say he was differently special.

Amoeba, Luther was a very complex person. The sacred and profane mixed in him and if you read enough of his sayings the religious leader sometimes fades into the lawyer he almost was, who will gladly contradict himself. That said, the line should probably have been "orthodoxy against piety." In retrospect I wish it had been.

Thanks, Cheesie.

And thank you, Icy. Woof!

It's true, Minka. The German pyramids of wood ought to count collectively as a wonder.

TLP, he did and you don't have to forgive him. (While I can't see past the third part, yet, I don't expect him to appear again in the story.) But the things he said about Jews lost context in the holocaust. Luther had believed that it was the Church's teaching of Jesus that the Jews didn't appreciate and he had hoped that when they heard his teaching of Jesus, they would convert and was disappointed.

From what I've read, it doesn't seem he disliked Jews racially as much as he thought they were being deliberately dense as to his rightness. Much of what he said about Jews was misrepresented by the Nazis. I think he was not an anti-semite in the round-em-up way but a frustrated teacher. I've inspired a few of those myself.

Actonbell, I'm unambitious too, but forgiveness is a lot cheaper nowadays.

Anonymous said...

Doug -- I came to leave a comment on this intriguing start to your latest story, and have been stopped cold by the verifier, which is: emating

You know it is absolutely impossible to find love online and I find the word startlingly ... startling!

Logophile said...

Once you've been cast in bronze it really is difficult to do aught but stand where you are.

Minka sounded wonderful and you did choose quite a lovely font for the printed version. The fancy opening T is very impressive.
What is it with Germans debating the costliness of forgiveness... or cheapness of grace?

Anonymous said...

A fascinating start to the new year and new story. No more or less than then now I guess, when referencing ML it's startling how far we've remained.

I've had a couple of strange verifiers this last one is "clance", but if peered at from the right looks like "dance". The prior once was "foowicked". I was slightly insulted.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back to this side of the pond...extinction ; emotion ; and RELIGION for the new year...guess we just should be happy not to be in gaza...Peace,may it one day be as sought-after , as money.....BLESSING2009

Anonymous said...

Welcome back to this side of the pond...extinction ; emotion ; and RELIGION for the new year...guess we just should be happy not to be in gaza...Peace,may it one day be as sought-after , as money.....BLESSING2009.........word verf..REFIL

tsduff said...

Well, Minka you read like the blueblooded aristocrat in delicious foreign accent, sound AND pronunciation... and wowie the font of that story is quite fancy. I'm feeling a little left out of this story so far, but I know I'll warm up to it.

Doug The Una said...

Quilly, I think that refers to a component of java.

Logo, I think sin and forgiveness are important German exports.

Aye, Cooper. We can remain a long way, when we put our backs into it.

Peace, Bear,

Terry, there's no obligation but I hope the story warms up to you.

Anonymous said...

funny but minka sounds just like my mother... but that cannot be as my mother is bavarian... chuchuchu, eh?

Jamie Dawn said...

I thought those tchu thingies were sneezes at first, then I got it.
Jason got a chuckle about your story and my explanation of your last series of stories.
I look forward to this new batch of tales.
:-)
Swineherd is a terrific word. I must start using that one on a regular basis.

Doug The Una said...

Sauerkraut, it can be. Minka is Prussian. To here the difference, I should have added a "loch.:

JD, I'm glad Jason enjoyed. I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday.