Defenestration? What does that mean? Well, here is the pertinent definition.

Definition of defenestration

1: a throwing of a person or thing out of a window

//assassination by defenestration

Defenestration | Definition of Defenestration by Merriam-Webster

Amazingly, sometimes people survive execution or assassination by defenestration. More often than not, defenestration is lethal. Because defenestration is so violent, however, when Protestants defenestrated high Catholic officials, that did upset some people. So, that act is often pointed to the beginning of The Thirty Years’ War

What was The Thirty Years’ War? It was a period of intense warfare starting in 1618 that began over the religious conflicts between Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church. The Thirty Years’ War was not even a single war, and it was not the first of the religious wars between the Protestants and the Catholics. Nevertheless, that thirty year period earned its name. It was a hellish period; it was war.

Consider the almost humorous way this excerpt seems to start.

The often chaotic way in which armies were recruited and financed was at least in part responsible for the widespread lack of discipline among soldiers often remarked upon by contemporaries. Although some of the accounts of wartime atrocities, such as most or all tales of cannibalism, for example, have to be dismissed as unreliable, the excesses soldiers regularly committed when dealing with the local population in friendly as much as in enemy provinces were sufficient to severely disrupt civilian life. Combined with the rapid spread of infectious diseases among soldiers and civilians alike and the partial breakdown of trade, commerce, and agriculture, these effects of warfare had serious demographic consequences. This was true in particular for the Holy Roman Empire but to a lesser extent also for some areas of northern Italy and of France. In the empire population figures were reduced by at least 25 percent and possibly by up to 35 to 40 percent (about 6 million) during the course of the war. Some regions in northeastern Germany such as Pomerania and parts of Brandenburg, but also Württemberg in the southwest, had hardly more than a third of their prewar population in 1648. It took Germany almost a hundred years to recover demographically from the war.

Thirty Years War | Encyclopedia.com

Because so many of them died by disease and famine, the people of Germany, where most of the battles were fought, learned to hate, fear, and believe the worst about the armies tramping across their lands.

When the war began, it looked as if the Roman Catholic armies would easily conquer the Protestant forces. Eventually, however, Protestants found a champion to lead them and rallied. Then the war dragged on for decades, and the combatants seemed to forget why they were fighting. Nevertheless, when the war ended, Protestant Christianity ruled in northern Europe, and Catholic Christianity ruled in southern Europe.

Was the war worth the horrible cost? Was the war worth the price if it saved Protestantism? John Gerstner (John Gerstner | Resources from Ligonier Ministries) examines that issue in The Thirty Year War by John Gerstner from Handout Church History (ligonier.org), part of a series on Church History.

Consider the question seriously. Was the war worth the price if it saved Protestantism? Millions died. The people of Germany absorbed brutal punishment. Yet because this is European history, not American, we give this war — perhaps the entire Protestant Reformation — relatively little thought.

On the other hand, if you are a Catholic, there is an alternative question. If the Catholic armies had conquered the Protestant, would it have been worth the cost?

As moderns, we tend to regard the people who proceeded us as ignorant and foolish. As Americans we tend to regard religious wars with disdain, and that is odd. Consider.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Bill of Rights: A Transcription | National Archives (Amendment I)

Would we fight to defend the First Amendment? Is that not about defending our right to believe what we wish? If the reward is salvation, giving our loved ones an opportunity to hear the Word of God, is not any suffering in this life worthy of the reward?

Were the Roman Catholics purely tyranical monsters? Gerstner is a Protestant, and that is where his sympathies lie, but his focus is Church doctrine, what people believe. Even though Gerstner disagrees with Catholicism, I think he admires anyone who exercises the courage of their convictions. It is a cinch that Jesus Christ prefers someone who has convictions and lives by those convictions. Does not Revelation 3:14-22 NASB – Message to Laodicea – “To the angel – Bible Gateway tell us as much? Let’s examine the key verses.

Revelation 3:15-16 New American Standard Bible

15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

Imagine, because your beliefs are so thoughtless and squishy, being so disgusting to Christ Jesus.

Do we in our day lack causes for which to take a stand? No. Consider this column

This week “A Message from the Gay Community” was posted on YouTube. It was delivered in song by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.  

Here’s a smattering of the lyrics.

“You think we’re sinful. 
You think that we’ll corrupt your kids, 
if our agenda goes unchecked. 
Funny just this once, 
you’re correct.

We’ll convert your children.  
It happens bit by bit.  
Quietly and subtly, 
and you will barely notice it.  

Just like you worried, 
we’ll change their group of friends.
You won’t approve of where they go at night. 

You’ll be disgusted,
when they start finding things online,
that you kept far from their sight. 

We’ll convert your children.
Yes, we will! 
There’s really no escaping it.

We’ll convert your children.
We’re coming for them!
We’re coming for your children!
We’re coming for your children! 

Soon, we’re almost certain,
your kids will start converting you.  

We’ll convert your children,
and then we’ll turn to you!”

While this little ditty is playing in your head, consider some additional news. 

Continued => School children, White infants targeted for woke propaganda, ‘porn literacy’ – Washington Times

If course, the usual suspects came out and claimed that the lyrics were satirical and taken out of context.

• SF Gay Men’s Chorus ‘Convert Your Children’ Song – Truth or Fiction?
• San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus – A Message From the Gay Community Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
• Gay Men’s Chorus satire sends conservatives into a tailspin (pinknews.co.uk)

Think about all the nonsense taught now in our public schools.

• All beliefs are equally good. So, we can each have our own truth.
• America is systemically racist.
• Science is whatever the “experts,” after arriving at a consensus, say is science.
• Religion starts wars.
• “Gender choice” matters more than biology. It is okay if biological boys share the restroom with your daughter so long as the boys say they are girls.
• Social justice, equity, is more important than impartial justice.
• If it feels good do it. Just be careful to put a “condom” over it.
• Socialism is good. Capitalism is bad.
• And so forth.

So long as we send our children to schools run by politicians, some of those politicians will abuse the power we have given them and use their power to indoctrinate our children in lies. Given the problem has become so obvious, why are we waiting? It is time to take back our schools, but we will have stand up and oppose some people who won’t easily give up their power or their cause. Are we afraid? Do we have the courage to stand by our convictions. Will we do what Jesus expects of us?

References

• Thirty Years’ War – HISTORY
• Thirty Years’ War | Summary, Causes, Combatants, Map, & Significance | Britannica
• The Reformation and the disastrous Thirty Years’ War (thegreatcoursesdaily.com)
• Thirty Years’ War | Summary, Causes, Combatants, Map, & Significance | Britannica
• Thirty Years’ War – Wikipedia
• The Thirty Years’ War | Boundless World History (lumenlearning.com)