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.
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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.