This episode continues the history of Christian Nationalism, highlighting Martin Luther’s theological protest against the Catholic church. Since church and state were substantially interwoven, the upstart monk’s “religious” protest was tantamount to rebellion against the state. Consequently, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, presides over Luther’s trial, the state having a vested interest in protecting the sacred-secular marriage. The episode also details the English Reformation, which initially had nothing to do with religion. The “father” of the English “reformation” was Henry VIII, who created the Anglican Church after the pope refused to grant him an annulment with Catherine of Aragon, based purely on political considerations. (Catherine was the aunt of Charles V, the secular protector of the papacy, which was beholden to secular power). So when the State interferes with religion based on a political calculus and the Church renders “religious” decisions based on the same, corruption of both is evident. James Madison alluded to the former, noting that state intrusion in religion amounted to an “unhallowed perversion of the means of salvation.”
