Martin Luther: Is He Still Relevant?(Critical Essay‪)‬

Luther was a servant of Princes, a man who hated Jews and oppressed women. He has given people guilt complexes with his constant talk about sin; he made our lives boring; he made us into workaholics. He made it a virtue to have a bad conscience, and we are not supposed to have fun. We have to shun good food and a glass of wine. This is all Luther's fault! It sounds like a joke, but such comments are rather common in the Lutheran country of Sweden, sometimes in newspaper and magazine articles but more often in advertisements or letters to the editor in daily papers. "Fight Luther within You" is perhaps the message, so that you may enjoy a nice flight with this or that airline without working yourself to death or relax with a good meal in some restaurant. Luther sits on your shoulder and whispers negative and bad things in your ear. And the common message is: Put him down! Get rid of him!