Luther's "God"
One of the main reasons this book was written was to explain away Luther's version of God. This points to the fact that each religious philosopher who talks about God understands God differently, because of the nuances of their point-of-view. In Luther's point-of-view, God is supremely powerful; so powerful in fact that Luther believes God is solely responsible as the primary agent of everything that has ever happened. This theology sees God as the agent of human fate, but in Erasmus's opinion, Luther's theology is short-sighted.
Erasmus's "God"
Erasmus offers his own idea of God as a potential alternative to not only Luther (who had many followers) but also alternative to the Catholic church, which was so powerful at the time it's hard to even imagine how powerful it was. To Erasmus, God is a master architect, someone who understands the timing of all the machines that comprise the universe. In other words, God is simply exercising enough of his divine will to allow humans the experience of reality, so they can use that platform in whatever ways they see fit. That's why humans are responsible for their sin, says Erasmus.
The Catholic church
Although history remembers Luther as a rebel, he was far less anti-authoritarian than his followers—but Erasmus is more bold in his rejection of the church. He comes right out of the gate in this book arguing that the imposition of human tradition contradicts the nature of divine illumination. He argues that the Catholic church is corrupt and humanly, and that it should not be the sole arbiter of Christian discourse.
