Summary

The article draws a parallel between the historical Catholic Church's sale of indulgences and President Trump's pardoning of Roger Stone, suggesting a need for reform in America akin to the Protestant Reformation.

Abstract

The article compares the indulgences of the Catholic Church, which allowed sinners to pay for the forgiveness of sins, to President Trump's commutation of Roger Stone's sentence. This act is portrayed as a modern example of corruption, where political favors are exchanged for personal loyalty, mirroring the transactional nature of indulgences. The author posits that Trump's actions are symptomatic of a broader pattern of corruption and abuse of power, reminiscent of the issues that led to the Protestant Reformation. The article questions whether America will emerge from Trump's presidency with a reformation of its own, strengthening institutions against future corruption and abuse.

Opinions

The author views Trump's commutation of Stone's sentence as a clear act of corruption, akin to a quid pro quo or bribe.
The article suggests that Trump's presidency has exposed deep-seated weaknesses in American institutions, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.
There is an underlying belief that America is at a crossroads, with the potential for a transformative reformation similar to those of 1776 and 1865.
The author implies that Trump's actions are not only a perversion of justice but also an insult to the rule of law and democratic principles.
The piece expresses a hope that the current period of turmoil will lead to a national awakening and a commitment to overcoming the country's vulnerabilities.
The author warns that failure to address these issues may result in a long period of decline or a "dark age" for America.

Trump Brings Back the Sin that Broke the Catholic Church the First Time

Will a reformed America emerge from the wreckage?

It was perhaps the biggest trigger of the Protestant Reformation ignited by Martin Luther in 1517. What was it?

The Indulgence. Official forgiveness of sins in exchange for money or service.

Satan giving Indulgences — Illustration from the Jensky Codex, 1490s Czech Manuscript. Wikimedia Commons

“Basically, by purchasing an indulgence, an individual could reduce the length and severity of punishment that heaven would require as payment for their sins, or so the church claimed. Buy an indulgence for a loved one, and they would go to heaven and not burn in hell. Buy an indulgence for yourself, and you needn’t worry about that pesky affair you’d been having. … If this sounds like cash or good deeds for less pain, that is exactly what it was.” https://www.thoughtco.com/indulgences-their-role-in-the-reformation-1221776

Besides being an avenue for money flowing to the Church from worried sinners, this system - originally formalized at the Council of Clermont in 1095 by Pope Urban II - was also a political tool which helped fill the ranks of armies for the Crusades, as arrangements could be made for fighting abroad as a means to cancel your debts in heaven. What a deal, right?

By the time Martin Luther came to the door of a Wittenberg church to nail-up his rationale for the desperate need for reformation of the corrupt institution the Church had become, he needed 95 Theses to fit it all in.

We have come to a point now where a web search of “every reason to impeach Trump” generates hours of reading and answers that require lengthy and densely packed timelines. There are more transgressions against his oath, more corruption of the rule of law, and more outright crimes which we’ve all forgotten than the ones we might recall off the top of our head.

Add to that list, late on a Friday night while America slept, Trump commuted the sentence of his “friend” and confidant, Roger Stone, set to begin a 40-month sentence in federal prison for obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and lying to congress. All of those crimes, by the way, were committed in the name of hiding the crimes of the president (crimes for which he was impeached, but not convicted and not removed from office).

The commuting of Stone’s sentence was just another example of a corrupt president degrading the powers of the office by using them for his own purposes rather than what they were intended for. Or, as the editorial board of the Washington Post put it:

THERE ARE no doubt thousands of people in federal prison who deserved a presidential commutation more than Roger Stone. But after President Trump’s intervention on Friday, Mr. Stone will serve none of his prison sentence. The president may have had the power to help his longtime friend. But that does not make it any less a perversion of justice — indeed, it is one of the most nauseating instances of corrupt government favoritism the United States has ever seen.

Ironically, considering that Trump’s generosity toward Stone is merely a reward for Stone’s coverup of Trump’s corruption, this particular corrupt act is also, clearly and obviously, a quid pro quo. It is payment in return for a service. A bribe. A crime.

And yet… and yet…

It took nearly 500 years of Indulgences and at least 94 other problems before the Protestant Reformation came along. The people of the United States are protesting many things right now. Has a reformation of our own come once more? We’ve had two so far. One in 1776 and another in 1865. It is past time for a third. It feels like it could happen.

And yet…

When Trump is finally gone - whether that happens tomorrow when he is impeached again for his latest step too far (haha, just kidding, that will never happen), or next January after a November defeat in the election, or sometime later when he must be forcibly removed like a diseased deer tick, or after he dies in office during his third term as “President for Life” - whenever it is that he is finally gone, will we, the American people have the courage and intelligence to reform, to repair our institutions so they can not only work for us again, but are not so vulnerable to opportunists and grifters as they are today?

Will we use this moment of such obvious corruption and degradation to improve our country?

Or will we slip into a long dark age?

If we are able to choose the better path, if we can evolve our way out of this moment, we will owe some debt to Trump for showing us our own weaknesses so clearly so that we might overcome them.

But if we can’t do that, if we can’t rid ourselves of corruption and greed and graft, not to mention all the other sins he has brought to the light, like hatred, bigotry, and ignorance-as-virtue… we will only have ourselves to blame.