When a well-known figure is as prolific as these two were and are, it isn’t hard to compare them both.
When you think about it this way, 16th century Martin Luther and 21st century Donald Trump do bear some kind of resemblance. Not only in the way they addressed the public in either writing or speaking, but when you look closely, they start to look alike too.
Courtesy of The Huffington Post
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Martin Luther was a “theologian, professor, pastor, and church reformer“. Luther’s publication of Ninety-Five Theses began the Protestant Reformation. In this publication, he attacked how the Church basically sold indulgences with human works rather than paying more attention solely in God’s graciousness. Now, Luther was known for much more than the reformation of Church and his publications. Not only was he a monk and a publisher, but he was also well-known for his profuse statements that marked him as defiant to the Church.
There’s a famous statement by Luther in which he says, “reason is the devil’s whore.” And from this, it’s easy to think that he has a sort of disdain for reasoning and philosophy. However, from his famed publication, it appears that he believed that philosophy and reason had roles to play in our lives, and it was with this belief, that he hoped to reform the Church. In one word, we can call Luther the most outspoken man of the 16th century.
Cue in Donald Trump. Trump has raised up quite a storm in the U.S.A. with his current run for presidency. He hasn’t only gained attention from being a wealthy celebrity deciding to run for president, but from his words. Trump is quite the outspoken man, just like Luther was. Not many people can forget the words he said in his announcement to run for presidency when he stated that Mexico wasn’t sending their best people. This statement came along the lines of calling them rapists, which not too many Americans and immigrants were happy about.
Both Trump and Luther are famous for being plain-spoken and direct. Trump in a speaking and presentation way, and Luther for his publications. Both figures’ words spread like wildfire to cause response among audiences, communities, and respective countries. Luther was not afraid to publish what he believed, and he did not care if it was offensive or outlandish, as long as he believed what he was publishing would create a change for reformation. And this is parallel to what Trump is doing too. The man is not afraid to say what he believes, no matter how much criticizing it results in. So is Donald Trump the modern Martin Luther? Was Martin Luther the 16th century Donald Trump? Or are they just two men who followed their beliefs, purely in an attempt to reform?
“I would never have thought that such a storm would rise from Rome over one simple scrap of paper…” – Martin Luther
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