One of the strangest historical providences of God for me seems to be that at the height of the Ottoman Invasion of Europe God began to sow the seeds of the Reformation and to split the Church.
Would there been any way in which Europe could have posed a united front against the Turks even after the Reformation?
The Catholics seemed besieged on two fronts, the Muslims to the South and the Protestants to the North. And even as a Protestant I celebrate these Christian victories against the infidel such as Malta and Lepanto. And Catholic apologists often speak of the great weakness caused by some nations defecting from a united Europe at the time of its greatest need. The Protestants were traitors in the great civilizational war that was being waged.
Then, even into the 1800s the Protestant nations sided with the evil Turks against Russia in conflicts such as the Crimean War. Russia should have been helped to protect the "Holy Places" but many Europeans, instead, sides with the Turk. Even to this day the evil Turk is accepted into NATO....what gives?
Martin Luther protested against Rome from a position of safety from the Turk in Northern Europe, but this sort of Reformation would have never happened, say, if Luther had been born within the Gates of Vienna.
During the Crusades the Germans did wondrous feats in defeating the Saracen. But why was there little defense of Europe by the Protestants once the Reformation happened? Did they delight to see the infidel and the Anti-Christ fight it out and was there no sympathy for the true believers who might have still been within the walls of the Catholic Church? I still believe that it is possible for some Catholics to be saved despite their errors due to a pure love of Jesus and would believe that aiding Catholic countries against a Muslim invasion would be a just war.
Thoughts?
Were the Protestants opportunists who were glad for the evil Turk to take some of the pressure off of them? For while Catholic armies were arrayed against the Turk they could not have helped crush the Reformation in Northern Europe. While there were Muslim threats to their south and east, Rome could not crush the Protestant threats to their north
I hate being helped by the devils' hordes.
Would there been any way in which Europe could have posed a united front against the Turks even after the Reformation?
The Catholics seemed besieged on two fronts, the Muslims to the South and the Protestants to the North. And even as a Protestant I celebrate these Christian victories against the infidel such as Malta and Lepanto. And Catholic apologists often speak of the great weakness caused by some nations defecting from a united Europe at the time of its greatest need. The Protestants were traitors in the great civilizational war that was being waged.
Then, even into the 1800s the Protestant nations sided with the evil Turks against Russia in conflicts such as the Crimean War. Russia should have been helped to protect the "Holy Places" but many Europeans, instead, sides with the Turk. Even to this day the evil Turk is accepted into NATO....what gives?
Martin Luther protested against Rome from a position of safety from the Turk in Northern Europe, but this sort of Reformation would have never happened, say, if Luther had been born within the Gates of Vienna.
During the Crusades the Germans did wondrous feats in defeating the Saracen. But why was there little defense of Europe by the Protestants once the Reformation happened? Did they delight to see the infidel and the Anti-Christ fight it out and was there no sympathy for the true believers who might have still been within the walls of the Catholic Church? I still believe that it is possible for some Catholics to be saved despite their errors due to a pure love of Jesus and would believe that aiding Catholic countries against a Muslim invasion would be a just war.
Thoughts?
Were the Protestants opportunists who were glad for the evil Turk to take some of the pressure off of them? For while Catholic armies were arrayed against the Turk they could not have helped crush the Reformation in Northern Europe. While there were Muslim threats to their south and east, Rome could not crush the Protestant threats to their north
I hate being helped by the devils' hordes.