Saturday, March 21, 2020

History Is Often Propaganda

 Above are the reasons the Walther-worshipers prefer CFW to Loehe.

History is not what most people think, probably because the teachers are misled themselves. The original historians of the West were propagandists, for the most part, and some - like Herodotus - were entertaining story-tellers. Josephus attached himself to Rome's emperor and wrote his valuable history to make the imperial majesty look good.


Thucydides was the first analytical historian. He predicted, accurately, that his work would last forever. I read the three Greek historians - Xenophon, Herodotus, and Thucydides because I owned the twelve-volume set and had the time. Later I read Thucydides and Herodotus again while teaching religions of the West. Teaching world religion also led me into reading Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire several times, a wonderful combination of humor, anecdotes, propaganda, and detail.

We are profoundly affected by the history we study, and most of it is propaganda, written to propagate a point of view. The LCMS-WELS-ELS clergy and members read that CFW Walther was a great hero who saved the Saxon migration from the evil Martin Stephan. But the favored Walther circle of clergy/teachers knew all about their promiscuous and syphilis-riddled leader. How could they miss Stephan leaving his dying wife and children in Germany and taking along his healthy son and mistress? How could they miss Stephan's need for spas for his syphilitic, painful rashes?  Nevertheless, they landed in New Orleans and signed his elevation to the life-long title of bishop. Soon after, Walther led the riot that kidnapped the bishop-for-life and stole everything he had, schocked that he was an adulterer.

The Walther myth continues to be told in hushed tones of reverence and awe, and that binds his warped followers to continue their dark path. To be a true Lutheran, they argue, one must cling to Walther and repudiate Luther in every possible way. Walther is their bible and savior - sad to observe, painful to experience.

My baptism in Walther studies changed all my thinking about LCMS history, especially the fawning book called Servant of the Word. Missouri's hatred for Zion on the Mississippi is also quite telling. Antagonism toward Luther's doctrine and worship of the institution are easily explained by CFW's clever maneuvering.

A propaganda book on the Rothschild family taught me the value - for bankers - of endless war. I remember reading it and saying to Mrs. Ichabod, "The beauty of endless war is loaning money to both sides. Debt earns interest and property can be bought when there is blood in the streets, as the Rothschilds said."

It is good for people to know the true history of the nation and to see beyond the multiple-choice history tests we often had. I see some great things ahead in the immediate future, when the corrupting leaven is cleansed from our nation.

 Leupold and Keil-Delitsch teach Creation.
Both are largely overlooked today.

Yes, this is also in English, online, for free.