Chapter 2: Church and Empire Co-dependence

While I was reading chapter two, I found it very interesting that the church and empire were co-dependent.  At first this was new to me.  I have grown up my whole life learning that the church and state should be separate. Yet after thinking about it I figured it could not be all that terrible.  There could be some difference in judgment calls that might have caused some trouble between the two but nothing major.

The Church and Empire worked hand in hand.

I find this fact very interesting because here in the USA we are against the church getting into politics and vice versa.  The Government got into a bind when they finally discovered that kids have been saying “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.  This caused the Pledge to be taken out of schools for a while yet it returned. Even to this day parents can ask to have it banded in their school.  To see an example of a nation that managed to intertwine these two is amazing and at the same time mind boggling.  It really makes you wonder if all decisions were made for the good of the people or off of the basis that it was “Gods designed plan”. I wonder if Martin Luther’s religion would have taken effect if church and empire were separate. 

There has been attention brought to the Pledge of Allegiance with how students say "under God". Some parents believe that the Pledge should be removed from schools while others see it as harmless.

 Due to this fact I wonder how Germany could have turned out differently.  I believe that this intertwining of church and the empire shows that Germans are highly religious and that the people wanted these two powers to join together to help make where they live.  If the church was not as involved with the empire, Germany could have been less religious and Luther would not have to had voiced his opinion and create his 95 Thesis.

I believe that this is important to the German history and culture because this could reveal that some of the choices they made might not have been the best for the people but more to please God and the higher powers.