The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

V. Religious Freedom Perceived and Proclaimed

In his second treatise, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, which was published in October, 1520, ³² Luther discussed the different sacraments of the church, revealing their man-made inferences and therefore their futility, by throwing the full light of gospel truth upon them. Finally he comes to a climax in his classic statement on liberty and freedom of conscience, which blazed the trail for all who fought and now fight for religious freedom to this day: PFF2 257.1

“I cry aloud on behalf of liberty and conscience, and I proclaim with confidence that no kind of law can with any justice be imposed on Christians, whether by men or by angels, except so far as they themselves will; for we are free from all. If such laws are imposed on us, we ought so to endure them as still to preserve the consciousness of our liberty. We ought to know and steadfastly to protest that a wrong is being done to that liberty, though we may bear and even glory in that wrong; taking care neither to justify the tyrant nor to murmur against the tyranny. ‘Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?’ (1 Peter 3:13.) All things work together for good to the elect of God. Since, however, there are but few who understand the glory of baptism and the happiness of Christian liberty, or who can understand them for the tyranny of the Pope -I for my part will set free my own mind and deliver my conscience, by declaring aloud to the Pope and to all papists, that, unless they shall throw aside all their laws and traditions, and restore liberty to the churches of Christ, and cause that liberty to be taught, they are guilty of the death of all the souls which are perishing in this wretched bondage, and that the papacy is in truth nothing else than the kingdom of Babylon and of very Antichrist. For who is the man of sin and the son of perdition, but he who by his teaching and his ordinances increases the sin and perdition of souls in the Church; while he yet sits in the Church as if he were God? All these conditions have now for many ages been fulfilled by the papal tyranny. It has extinguished faith, darkened the sacraments, crushed the gospel; while it has enjoined and multiplied without end its own laws, which are not only wicked and sacrilegious, but also most unlearned and barbarous.” ³³ PFF2 257.2

His third treatise, Concerning Christian Liberty (literally, The Freedom of the Christian), the most spiritual document of the three, he sent with a dedication directed to Pope Leo, after October 13, 1520. In the covering letter, which is most polite and apologetic, we find the following statements: PFF2 257.3

“Therefore, most holy father Leo, pray, accept my apology, and be assured I never attacked your person ... although I confess to have spoken against the Roman see, the Court of Rome, which not even thyself nor anybody on earth can deny that it is in a worse and more corrupt condition than Sodom, Gomorrha, and Babylon have ever been.... Meanwhile thou sittest, most holy father, like a sheep among wolves, like Daniel in the lion’s den, like Ezekiel among scorpions. What canst thou do against such like? And even if there be three or four pious and learned cardinals, what are they amongst so many? ... I have ever regretted, pious Leo, that thou shouldest now be pope when thou wert worthy of better times. The Roman See is not worthy of thee,—the Evil Spirit should be Pope, who rules more than thou in this Babel.... Such a honour should be reserved to Judas Iscariot and his tribe, whom God has cast out.... The Roman Court surpasses that of Turkey in wickedness. Once it was a gate of heaven; now it is the very jaw of hell. This is why I have attacked it so mercilessly.” ³⁴ PFF2 258.1