were the Reformers murderers?

Calvin took great steps to attempt to distance himself from Servetus' execution, but when one considers the broader historical picture of Calvin's biography it is clear that he had the means and ability to stop the execution if he so chose. He clearly didn't.

If Servetus isn't a convincing case there are others from John Calvin's time as the Michael Corleone of Geneva. I would be careful saying "murder" as opposed to church/state (the two are inseparable in Geneva) sanctioned execution.

Think also of other Reformers like Zwingli who died in battle against other Christians. The Anabaptists were frequent targets of persecution and executions and specifically from Zwingli himself.

Times were different then.

Some of Calvin's punishments of his detractors range from the comical to the severe...very different times.

 

I'm no fan of Calvin but you shouldn't judge him by his participation in the burning of a heretic. As Preachinjesus just said, "Times were different then." A couple of dozen Puritans were tried and executed in New England for the alleged practice of witchcraft. Thousands of slave owners in the South were devout Christians but thought nothing of the incongruity between owning slaves and the teachings of Christ.

It would be an interesting study to research why and how we came to realize things like murder for heresy are just as wrong as murder for any other purpose.

 

While John C. was the one who notified authorities (he was already a heated opponent in the issue), and Sev was taken after he was finished preaching. John C. did try to get the sentence lessened to beheading (I think). However John Calvin, did not sentence the man, nor was he able to turn nor over turn any decision. However the fact does remain he knew exactly what would happen when he went and told the authorities.

However it has been said those were different times, and remember also that the early reformers, were trying to 'Reform' the Roman Catholic Church, not become separate and thus some of it's way continued on with the reformed groups, eventually most being weeded out.. such as executions for opposing cardinal views of the Christian faith. They, like us are products of our time. That is not an excuse but a fact. It was the way it was, and had been so for several hundred years under church/state rule

 

The Reformers were breaking new ground in separating from the RCC which was the established church for centuries. THe Reformers carried over many of the RCC practices. Allowing sanctioned excutions was probably one of them. The Reformers also carried over infant baptism, sinless Mary, and the evervirgin Mary. Even John Wesley (many years later) carried over most of those when he left the Church of England.

We need to give the Reformers some slack; they had been thourghly indoctrinated by the RCC.

 

Both the RCC and the the early Protestant Churches were guilty of abuses.

 

I always thought it as what happens when Christians begin to blur the distrinction between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world.