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From Medieval Corruption to Contemporary Environmentalism: Paying Others for Your Sins

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From Medieval Corruption to Contemporary Environmentalism: Paying Others for Your Sins
A recycling technician checks pressed plastic bottles at a recycling plant in Santiago, on Aug. 21, 2019. Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images
Matthew Ogilvie
Updated:
Commentary

Prior to the Protestant Reformation, many European Christians believed that they could buy their way out of punishment in the afterlife. It was reputed that some sellers of indulgences used the jingle, “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”

Matthew Ogilvie
Matthew Ogilvie
Ph.D.
Matthew Ogilvie, Ph.D., is an Australian-based academic and writer. For over 30 years, he has served at universities and colleges in Australia and the United States. He currently serves in leadership positions for the Western Australia State Council and the Federal Council of the Liberal Party of Australia. In his "spare time," he is a self-defense instructor and venomous snake catcher.
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