science!

I said science again! It is interesting to see the transformation of science in this period of time. One thing i thought was noteworthy was that many of these scientific revolutionaries didn't scoff at the work of there greek and roman predecesors, but were thankful for them. They may have misinterpretted things wrong, but still their work eventually led to the right ideas. We were also reminded that the new science coming out of a vacuum, nor was it as simple as flicking on a light switch. the sciences continue to move onward lurching and stalling as they ever did.

Galileo

Again we see religion giving itself a good name by persecuting a man learning and teaching correct principles and ideas. It makes me sad to see things like this because it puts science and religion so much at odds. It seems his recanting of his teachings at the time of his trial spared his life, though i wonder what kind of impact he would have had if he was martyred. He wrote 2 more books after he lived the rest of his days under house arrest that were incredibly useful for physics, so i dont feel like i can be too harsh toward him for not sticking to his guns.

Oliver Cromwell

The rise of Oliver Cromwell was very reminiscent of many of the Roman leaders in that they both came at the head of an army, and it was the army that had the power to make leaders. Just as those leaders of old were not in power for very long, Oliver's new government didn't last beyond his own death either. I am sure he saw himself as a great patriot and lover of his country, yet he was still a dictator in every sense of the word. This seems to be a recurring theme in all of history: a leader who cares for his country (countrymen) or just cause rises up, but then seems to go too far, and either by his own ineptitude or extreme zealotry brings about a worse situation for his people. Also, it is often the cry of the people that bring these men to the fore front. Sometimes the demand for change brings more than what was bargained for.

wiki article #3 - Oliver Cromwell

This article goes over the life and time of Oliver Cromwell. It is pretty sparse however concerning the first 40 years of his life, focussing the most on his role in the English revolution. After this point it is fairly detailed. Considering the fact that Cromwell in many ways "came out of nowhere", this is not unextpected. Not only does it go over his life and death, but it also covers some influences he had over the next hundred years following his death.

1. This article is over 9000 words long.
2. Search string: Oliver Cromwell. direct result.
3. The disambiguation link references a locomotive train, an actor, and a Monty Python song about Oliver Cromwell.
4. under this discussion page it is noted that this article is rated a GA (good article) in a couple different areas.
5. this article seems to have had over 1000 edits begining in 2001
6. 9 external links
7. 23 references
8. no further reading links

This article seems to be very well put together. It has quite a few different perspectives given about Oliver Cromwell. Given that it is quite lengthy and still has been given a good article status i would definitly recomment this article to anyone needing to learn about Oliver.

It is little wonder to me as to why our Forefathers wanted freedom of religion and to ensure that government would have to keep its paws out of it. The struggles of the 30 years war, and im sure countless others have had too much to do with religion and politics being so closely entwined. It is also easy to see why there is such a harsh view of religion when it proclaims to be for peace.

I was also interested to read about the anabaptists and their ideas of their religion. I found it interesting that the first tenant they put down had to do with baptism. It seems this particular ordinance is a very pivotal point among the whole of christianity. But then why wouldn't it be? after all it IS the very doorway by which men pass on to Salvation.

reading the Bible got them in trouble

It is interesting to note that the worries the old church leaders had about varying interpretations of the Holy Bible was completely founded. I myself am amazed at how often different Christian sects can derive such differences in doctrine and practice and still read the same book. This of course leads to discussions over who has (if anybody) interpreted the text correctly.

Despite the factitious element this brought to Christianity in the world, I am glad it happened. I believe in personal scripture study as a vital element in religious practice. Along with that should come humble and prayerful meditation to understand what you read.

nature hits harder

It seems that despite all the wars men have and will inflict upon themselves, at least to the point in history we have come to, that 'natural disasters' like that of the black plague make the losses of war seem small. I'm not downplaying the loss of life during wars, nor is it my intent. The numbers of dead given in the reading are staggering. What intrigues me is that the disease is still around. It makes me wonder why there hasn't been outbreaks since these middle ages. We read that we now have a way to treat it, but it still seems that as quickly as the disease strikes you could find high population areas across the world quite susceptible to its ravaging effects. I suppose i should hope that Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars don't once again conspire against us.