The Necessary Eradication of False Rulers One significant goal of the protestant theologians and preachers was to prevent false rulers from establishing their own self serving burdens and commands 1 They define these tyrants as rulers who want to be rulers for their own sake 1 And they believe that the power that these false rulers have obtained was not awarded from God but rather was seized through the relentlessness of their own selfish greed This tenacious greed converts these rulers into the devil s soldiers who the preachers accuse of imposing a tyranny on the people and even committing such unjust offenses such as rape or torture 2 Accounts of protestant theologians suggest that archdevil causes the peasants under his rule to behave savagely or to engage in the devil s work which condemns the entire realm to endure a constant state of robbery murder and bloodshed 1 These preachers offer accounts of how the peasants have allowed themselves to be led astray by these malicious rulers who soon become enemies in their own territory 2 They continuously express these tyrants excessively overbearing nature and selfish abuse of power by explaining that God alone wants to be lord and that these rulers should allow God to be the main focus in the society 1 The dominant goal of the preachers is to eradicate the false rulers who relentlessly wreak havoc on the lives of all those under their oppressive rule The goals of the protestant theologians an preachers regarding false rulers are for the most part legitimate These preachers along with the rest of society have had previous knowledge or have bore witness to several unjust and even tyrannical afflictions directed at innocent people at the hand of these unfit and power hungry rulers Also the preachers address a substantial point the wicked rulers and their subjects referred to themselves as christian brethren and claimed that they were behaving according to the way of the Gospel 2 This of course had to be stopped at once because it is incredibly offensive to God that these godless people claim to be representatives of the christian way The preachers urge the peasants to support their cause because they allegedly cannot be told about God as long as they rule 1 Needless to say they primarily want to remove these tyrants from power On the other hand they are thoroughly opposed to rebellion among the peasants claiming that this type of disobedience will bring a judgement upon the transgressors 2 Martin Luther s account of this event is unquestionably judgmental itself stating that rebellion brings with it a land full of murder and bloodshed 2 Furthermore Luther s portrayal of the peasants is equally as rigid proclaiming that there is not a devil left in hell they have all gone into the peasants 2 Ultimately the preachers insist that the only way to eliminate the devil s presence in a destructive realm is to defeat their leader once the leader is defeated the peasants will be free from their obligations to behave wickedly The city government would not agree with the goals of the protestant theologians and preachers because the government fully supports all rulers on the basis that they are essentially the head of the entire system The city government even goes as far as to forbid any document which calls the Emperor and the princes fools 1 The nobles would also be opposed to the goals of the preachers for they openly sympathize with the poor peasants who were misled by Thomas Muntzer in his letter to the league at Allstedt The nobles accuse Muntzer of calling for the private and public murder of the peasants 1 Their position on the matter is that poor are innocent because whoever speaks out will be accused of being a rebel therefore it is not their fault that the situation in their homeland has gone somewhat awry 2 The nobles suggest that the proposal offered by the preachers will simply crucify anyone who now refuses what they had to render before 2 However the nobles do support Martin Luther s outrage against the rebellion clarifying that he has written the truth in condemning rebellion except Muhlpfort goes on to say that the poor have been greatly forgotten 2 The german peasants criticize the preachers who publicly announce that no one should obey but all should everywhere rise in revolt and rush together to reform or perhaps destroy altogether the authorities 1 Moreover the peasants elaborate by referring to the preachers as godless and criminal fault finders They go on to address the preacher s accusations of their false claim to christianity by explaining that the Gospel is not the cause of revolt and disorder but that Luther s evil reports unjustly denote the Gospel to be a cause of revolt and disobedience 2 Conclusively the city government the nobles and the german peasants would all be opposed to the proposition offered by the preachers on the basis that Luther s accusations and violent solutions were far too brutal than what was necessary The preachers would respond to the city government s arguments that the rulers should remain in power by proclaiming that it is God s will that the king be honored and the rebels destroyed 1 They believe that it is God wants the people to fear the kind and the government because it is an abomination brought about at the hand of the devil himself 1 As for the german peasants the preachers accosted them for being stupid enough to think that no one notices the rascal behind their evil ways 2 They accuse the peasants of falsely hiding behind the concept of mercy when according to the principles of christianity they actually must be required take their turn and die without mercy 2 When addressing the accusations of the nobles who argue that his proposal is too severe in regards to treatment of the peasants Luther argues that if a rebel is not eliminated an arch murderer will then be allowed to murder the whole land 2 Luther further justifies his accounts of the terrible situation brought about by these virulent false rulers by explaining that rebellion is a flood of all wickedness 3 The preachers would defend their propsitions on the basis that violence is necessary in order to restore peace and prevent any further corruption and criminality in this troubled realm