As I started reading the first chapter of The American Dream by Jim Cullen, I came across a passage that, if I had not been paying close enough attention, I would have thought had come from a recent news article from back home.
Found on page 19, Cullen is explaining that "one of the most important reasons for the Protestant Reformation in the first place: the Roman Catholic practice of selling indulgences whereby the rich could buy forgiveness of their sins. What made this so repellent was not so much what might bother someone today- a kind of class inequality that suggested salvation went to the highest bidder".
To me, that compared to former Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, trying to sell Obama's vacant senate seat to the highest bidder.
From this comparison I can completely understand how many people felt about the Roman Catholics "selling forgiveness". It's shocking, unbelievable and morally questionable.
Instead of preaching that through faith in a loving God everyone can be saved the Roman Catholics were advertising eternal life to the wealthiest members of society. Does that really convey the message of God's love and mercy?
And instead of going through the proper procedures and regulations for replacing the senate seat "Blago" tried to sell it. How can that be considered democratic in the least?
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