Martin Luther

The Buddhism creation story centre around events after the Buddha's death. It is believed that approximately five hundred monks met under the leadership of Kashyapa at the first council at Rajagrha. A monk called Upali recited the Vinaya (monastic code) as he remembered it. The Buddha's cousin, friend and disciple Ananda recited the Buddha's lessons, the Sutras. The monks debated the details recited and decided on final versions. These were then commited to memory by the other monks and remained an oral teaching tradition for over two hundred years, and eventually were translated into the many languages found in India.

Over the next few centuries the original unity of Buddhism began to fragment and during the second council held at Vaishali, some one hundred years after the first, debates between a more liberal group and traditionalists took place. The liberal group left and called themselves the Mahasangha, 'the great Sangha'. This group further evolved into the Mahayanna tradition of northern Asia.

The traditionalists were referred to as Sthaviravada or 'way of the elders'. They developed a complex set of philosophical ideas beyond those made clear by Buddha. These were gathered into the Abhidharma or 'higher teachings'. However, they too began to disagree so that one splinter group after another left the 'way of the elders'. Eighteen schools developed, each with their own interpretations of various issues. Today, only the school originating from the Sri Lankan Theravadan survives.

There is also a story which tells of a poor young boy who did not have a gift for the Buddha, so he collected a handful of dust and innocently presented it. The story tells how the Buddha smiled and accepted his gift with the same graciousness as he accepted gifts from the wealthy. The young boy is said to have been reborn as the Emperor Ashoka.

Ashoka then sent missionaries all over India and beyond, reaching countries such as Egypt, Plaestine and Greece. The Greeks of the Alexandrian kingdoms of northern India adopted Buddhism after their king had a conversation with a monk called Nagasena and was convinced by him; their conversation was immortalized in the Milinda Panha. Another king in northern India was also converted to Buddhism and a council was held in about 100 ad in Kashmir. The Greek Buddhists recorded the Sutras onto copper sheet, but these have never been recovered.

Buddhism Creation Stories vary, one story which is told is of Orthodox Christianity; a saint called Josaphat, an Indian king, tells a story which is basically that of the Buddha. The name Josaphat is thought to be a distortion of the word Bodhisattva.

At the time that he lived, Martin Luther was perceived as a dangerous heretic who was seeking to flee from God and the faith as God presents it in His Church; as well as leading others into heresy and out of the Church. He was pointedly offered many ways of returning to the faith and making amends for his heresy, but, when he rejected them all, he was excommunicated, along with his followers.

Decet Romanum Pontificem - Papal Bull on the Condemnation and Excommunication of Martin Luther, the Heretic, and his Followers, January 3, 1521.

Exsurge Domine - CONDEMNING THE ERRORS OF MARTIN LUTHER Bull of Pope Leo X issued June 15, 1520

Printing the Bible in the vernacular so all could read it.

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from the website Beggars All: Reformation and Apologetics

"Martin Luther ADDED words to the Bible that were not there. When he was confronted with this sin of adding to the Bible he replied: "Because Dr. Martin Luther will have it so!" This man was one ego-maniac with delusions of popehood." (from an "Open Letter on Translation by Martin Luther, 1530)

"Romans 3:28 states, "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law" (NKJV). Martin Luther, in his German translation of the Bible, specifically added the word "allein" (English 'alone') to Romans 3:28-a word that is not in the original Greek. Martin Luther reportedly said, "You tell me what a great fuss the Papists are making because the word alone in not in the text of Paul...say right out to him: 'Dr. Martin Luther will have it so,'...I will have it so, and I order it to be so, and my will is reason enough. I know very well that the word 'alone' is not in the Latin or the Greek text" (Stoddard J. Rebuilding a Lost Faith. 1922, pp. 101-102; see also Luther M. Amic. Discussion, 1, 127). This passage strongly suggests that Martin Luther viewed his opinions, and not the actual Bible as the primary authority--a concept which this author will name prima Luther."