In the wake of the spread of Protestantism, the literacy rates in the newly reforming populations in Britain, Sweden, and the Netherlands surged past more cosmopolitan places like Italy and France. Motivated by [the demands of] eternal salvation, parents and leaders made sure the children learned to read. […] The Protestant impact on literacy and education can still be observed today in the differential impact of Protestant vs. Catholic missions in Africa and India. In Africa, regions with early Protestant missions at the beginning of the Twentieth Century (now long gone) are associated with literacy rates that are about 16 percentage points higher, on average, than those associated with Catholic missions. In some analyses, Catholics have no impact on literacy at all unless they faced direct competition for souls from Protestant missions. These impacts can also be found in early twentieth-century China.
Tag Archives: Martin Luther
Look with Luther
Denn in der wahren Natur der Dinge ist, wenn wir recht bedenken, jeder grüne Baum viel herrlicher, als wenn er aus Gold und Silber wäre. — Martin Luther
• “For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.”
Post-Performative Post-Scriptum
I’ve tried to find where — and indeed if — Luther originally wrote this but can’t find anything but “Inspirational Quotes” pages. And some of those attribute it to Martin Luther King. It doesn’t sound like MLK to me and the German doesn’t look translated from English. It’s a good quote whoever first said it and whatever language it was first said in.
Overlord In Terms of Core Issues Around Maximal Engagement with Key Notions of the Über-Feral 