The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Reformation & Protestantism (2002)

I bought this book on Amazon for like $3 used because, well, I'm an idiot!

This 2002 edition is authored by James S. Bell, Jr. and Tracy Macon Sumner.

It's a pretty good history, a lot of it new to me. I was raised Catholic, I went to Catholic elementary schools and high schools. I had a religion class in high school about "comparative religions" Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. and also Protestants. Some Quaker women came to my class and talked about Quakers, all I remember was their pacifism and oatmeal.

We learned about Martin Luther and John Calvin and we learned about the bad popes and the indulgences and burning Protestants as heretics.

This particular book really bends over backwards to give credit to "good" Catholics where IMO it isn't warranted.

I also did not know that the settlers of the Jamestown colony were Puritans, and IIRC the same Puritans that everyone's learned about on the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock.

I also did not know that the Puritans in Massachusetts hanged Quakers.

My first question, if anyone can answer it, has to do with John Calvin in Geneva circa AD 1537. On page 153 of this book, it says "By today's standards, the behavior of the people of Geneva doesn't look at all unusual... they took part in all sorts of sexual immorality." WTF were they doing there?