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Remarkable Martin Luther

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Martin Luther's advice to a friend who was depressed: 

"Be strong and cheerful and cast out these monstrous thoughts. Whenever the devil harasses you thus, seek the company of men or drink more, or joke and talk nonsense, or do some other merry thing. Sometimes we must drink more, sport, recreate ourselves, aye, and even sin a little to spite the devil, so that we leave him no place for troubling our consciences with trifles. We are conquered if we try too conscientiously not to sin at all. So when the devil says to you: 'Do not drink,' answer him: 'I will drink, and right freely, just because you tell me not to.' One must always do what Satan forbids. What other cause do you think that I have for drinking so much strong drink, talking so freely and making merry so often, except that I wish to mock and harass the devil who is wont to mock and harass me. Would that I could contrive some great sin to spite the devil, that he might understand that I would not even then acknowledge it and that I was conscious of no sin whatever. We, whom the devil thus seeks to annoy, should remove the whole decalogue from our hearts and minds."

Comments

mtspace said…
Luther understood that foul mood could be elevated by the right spirits.
November 11, 2011 at 4:57 PM
mtspace said…
On a more serious note, Luther's point is well taken that foul moods can be dangerous and that a combination of chemical and behavioral adjustments seems to work best in overcoming foul moods. I think his advice is valuable for people predisposed to be both serious and glum. Perhaps less so to those who have the opposite kind of disposition.
November 11, 2011 at 5:09 PM
Colleen said…
Martin Luther was either a stunning visionary or a right weirdo. I prefer to think the former! I do agree to some extent with what he says, however I believe this falls into the category of things Paul is talking about when he says that all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. We in the New Covenant of Christ are truly free in that nothing we can do - as Luther says, "We are conquered if we try too conscientiously not to sin at all" - nothing we can do can make us less sinful. Nonethless, not all things are helpful, especially when the person's faith is not prepared for the task of absorbing the thing, be it much drink or a little too much merriment. Always we must be on guard, lest the devil make use of what we intended as cheerful "in-your-face" mockery of his power.
November 14, 2011 at 9:35 AM
TheGreatDialogue said…
Both good points, Steve and Colleen...Luther certainly had a big influence on the Christian church...he is not often talked of these days, but his influence is still felt...
November 16, 2011 at 7:44 AM
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