The 95 Theses: Martin Luther And The Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther and John Calvin considered the church to be corrupt due to the fact that one could purchase indulgences. They believe that you have to earn God’s forgiveness. This was only one of the many reason that The Protestant Reformation took place. Martin Luther

Luther Legacy pg 35) helped to replace the authority of the Church. His reason was always the bible and reason, that your salvation was yours and not that of the clergy. Traditional authority began to change, the imagination of people became more radical and there was a call to initiate reform in the Church. However, popes refused to concede anything that could weaken the power of Rome.

In northern and central Europe reformers challenged authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice. They argued for religious and political distribution of power into the hands of the Bible. The reformation was important because it hindered economic activities, and literary and artistic developments. It helped to put an end to the age of blind faith and brought in modern thinking, helping to form the modern world. Two important reformers were Martin Luther and King Henry Viii.

While the church believed that the Pope could grant grace to the people through the sale of indulgences, Martin Luther had a strong belief that grace could only come to one through an individual’s faith. He strongly believed that all people should turn back to their Bibles and find answers for themselves (Sayre 2010). The sale of indulgences, along with the ritualistic pilgrimages and people leaving money to the church on their deaths to speed up their arrival into heaven all worked together to move Martin Luther to rebel against the Catholic Church.

In his ninety-five theses, Martin Luther states, “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam

Reformation was a movement where reformists condemned the condemned the corruption of the Catholic Church. In the beginning did the Ninety-five These trigger the Reformation. Plus, the Blach Death and Catholic Church division discouraged people to follow the absolute rule of the Church. Renaissance followers began to delve into the research and re-understand the Bible and Christianity, forming Protestant. The Reformation was a further discovery of the humanity, continuing the path of the Renaissance.

Most of them were attacking the idea of indulgences. Pope leo told him to drop his beliefs. Luther

In every period of history, critics have called for reform of the church. Clerical immorality, clerical ignorance, absenteeism are only a few problems presented in the Roman Catholic Church. It was only a matter of time before someone would take notice. That someone just happened to be Martin Luther. He ignited the further events of the Protestant Reformation.

Firstly, annihilating the unity of religion in Europe resulted in the division of Christendom into Catholic and Protestant. It weakened the Church and its oppressive clergy, while restoring the pure form of early Christianity. Additionally, the Reformation helped to separate the Church and state. Secondly, empowering monarchs by sacrificing church officials facilitated the movement towards the modern centralized worldly state. Although absolute monarchy was a significant factor of political liberty, Protestantism also contributed to this growth.

C. S. Lewis noted: "We need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present." The journey of the Church was changed for the better, due to the aftermath of Martin Luther’s Thesis. Luther believed in a more active role of Christians in their walk with God and that the rules set by the Catholic Church were not based from Biblical rules that are required of them. From the time of Jesus, the search for the freedom to worship freely had been a struggle, with many followers of Jesus losing their life.

The Protestant Reformation was a revolt in Europe against the control of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church dominated religious life in Europe. Many felt that Church leaders focused on political power rather than on spiritual duties. Many criticized the Catholic Church’s political power and its actions. Martin Luther’s actions started the reformation.

The Reformation or the Protestant Reformation spanned much of the first fifty years if the 16th century. It began in the Holy Roman Empire, in an area now part of Germany. This movement spread across continental Europe, with a separate incarnation of the Reformation taking place in the British Isles during the same time. First off, several people laid the groundwork for Martin Luther’s later impact on the Church. Martin Luther had studied the teachings and theological ideas of John Wycliffe, John Hus, and Ginolamo Savonarola.

In the book, The Witches: Salem 1692, the author Stacy Schiff attempts to condense a large volume of research into a cohesive narrative that tries to avoid to much speculation. There is some contention that the book does speculate into the motives of primary accusers that some reviewers have intimated are bordering on fiction. However, the author defends her arguments logically, and her inferences do seem to bridge the gaps effectively. One of the items that causes some confusion, to both the historically curious, and to the researcher is that the author has created a list of dramatis personae in which the historical figures are labeled as a cast of characters which might make the book seem fictional.

Women rights, probably one of the most controversial topics out there alongside race and religion. Many women deemed to be great historical figures and role models, while still being thought of as mere objects by some. But today the attention of women's suffrage will be brought into the light. On a crisp April's day I appear seated in my English class, surrounded by fellow classmates listening.