Rather than awaiting a reply from Lateline presenter Leigh Sales that Martin Luther was afflicted by self-doubt, a few seconds of research would have provided the required insight. Doesn’t the private sector embrace the actual enterprise of information seeking?

Luther’s decision to enter an Augustinian monastery was a difficult one (the payoff for a vow made during an horrific thunderstorm) and he was haunted by insecurity about his salvation (he dubbed these insecurities Anfectungen or Afflictions). While he flung himself into the life of a monk with vigor, he remained plagued by anxieties and uncertainties. It wasn’t until he began his first lectures on the Psalms that he began to develop an assurance about his life and his faith, especially when he affirmed the doctrine of justification by grace alone.

Even then, while it might be said that Luther became more certain of God and his salvation, he never became fully secure in human society - unsurprising given the hostile response by some to his theology.

Sadly this is not history-changing information, nor will it lead to a re-evaluation of the Protestant Reformation or the Lutheran church - commonplace information rarely does - but it might lead to a re-evaluation of snide asides based on remarkable ignorance. No wonder Sales hasn’t bothered with a reply.

That does make my above comment somewhat incongruous. It would probably be best if you excise that comment as well. And this one.

I assume that the Pure Poison Boys will be getting onto this right away. After all, they were quick to pounce on ‘The Australian’ after the paper altered its obituary of Frank Devine earlier this afternoon.

Obviously, Rundle needs to learn a thing or two about irony - incidentally, the tagline for the article he wrote between his ‘News Ltd is the Soviet Union’ and ‘Libel is bad’ articles.