Protestant Reformation comes up in 3 chapters across 3 episodes of The Higherside Chats Free Show, from July 2015 to December 2016.
Rebellion Against the Divine Right of Kings
The conversation explores how historical dissent against church and state was systematically labeled as "Satanic" to protect the established order. Knowles explains that because monarchs claimed a divine right to rule, any technological or political insurrection was framed as a rebellion against God. This pattern is traced from the Catholic-Protestant schisms to the Salem witch trials.
Martin Luther, Medici Family, and the Protestant Reformation
Johnny Cirucci identifies the Medici family, specifically Pope Leo X, as the power behind the exploitation that triggered the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther's 95 Theses are described as an academic challenge to the abuse of indulgences that sparked a global movement. The segment highlights the Vatican's efforts to keep the Bible in Latin to maintain a monopoly on spiritual knowledge.
Johann Sebastian Bach, Protestant Reformation and Baroque Music
The transition from the Catholic ban on the tritone to modern music theory is attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach and the Protestant Reformation in Germany. Merrick explains that the term "Baroque" originally meant "broken" or "irregular" from the Church's perspective because Bach began integrating the forbidden tritone into sacred music. This shift allowed the tritone to become a foundational element of Western music after the Reformation broke the papal rule.
