The Protestant Reformation wasn't real after all

... or so I learned a week or two ago.

There are three universities here in town: Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and St. Paul's University. The first two of these broadcast some lectures on a local TV station. I happened to catch several minutes of some professor (sorry, no name available) positing a correlation between certain aspects of brain chemistry and one's imaginitive abilities. He then offhandedly provided his young class with what seemed to be some kind of case study. Martin Luther had been struck by lightning early in his adult life, and that this had caused his personality to change radically, giving the former stolid and unimaginitive young German a flair for crackpot invention. Hence the Protestant Reformation.

Before we accept the utter debunking of Lutheranism, the Reformation in general and (for I suspect this professor was aiming high) Christianity in general, let's examine the argument being made here.

First, Luther was not struck by lightning. Lightning struck near him and he was merely frightened. I personally don't see any reason to believe that his brain chemistry was altered.

Second, this event occurred before he became a monk. The change in attitudes and beliefs that brought about the 95 Theses were still years in the future. Guess that was slow-acting lightning.

Third, the Lutheran Brain Chemistry hypothesis doesn't provide a very strong explanation for the fact that many other people with eerily similar ideas contributed to the Reformation --- Hus, Farel, Knox and Calvin, to name a few. Seems a lot of people were getting struck by lightning in those days.

Fourth, Luther admitted freely that a significant part of his theology was developed by his long-time friend, theologian Philip Melancthon. No data are available on how many lightning strikes Melancthon suffered.

Fifth: News flash, Professor --- evangelicals don't hold conservative beliefs Because Martin Luther Said So. We hold them because we agree that they are an accurate interpretation of the Bible.

So, Professor, whatever your name was, it was interesting to get a religious critique from the Second-Head-Bonk-Cures-Amnesia school of thought, but I'd really suggest you get another hobby. There are many people who don't belong at the front of a classroom. Frankly, you're one of them.