34-year-old Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther shocked the German Church in the 1500s by starting what is now called the reformation against the church. What he achieved during this campaign was very significant in the formation of the Christian church and our morals that we live by today. Therefore, we can say that Martin Luther rocked Christianity significantly by starting the reformation, but how exactly did he do this?
Before Martin Luther started the reformation, he decided to become a monk. This occurred when he was in a horrific thunderstorm and ‘prayed to an angel to ask God if he helps him make it out safely he would offer the rest of his life to him by becoming a monk.’ (National Geographic, 2017) He started to think that the church makes up rules to become wealthy. This started a spark inside him to create the 95 theses which brought up many concerns and the proper way to live a Christian life.
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He nailed this very large poster onto the door of the castle in Wittenberg, Germany on the 31 October 1517. He also sent it to teachers and preachers in the surrounding villages and towns. ‘A particular concern to Martin Luther was the selling of indulgences.’ (Goldburg, 2015) Indulgences dated back to the Medieval times where people would pay for there sins to be forgiven and to spend less time in purgatory. Martin Luther thought this was outrageous and who could think otherwise? The priests. They too also called to action with the help of Charles V who was king of the Holy Roman Empire and a very powerful man and also Pope Leo X who
Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses onto the church door in Wittenberg, Germany 1517 ruled the Catholic Church. With the two major rulers of the Catholic Church and the Roman council against Martin Luther and his teachings, they made an official document to exclude Martin Luther from the Catholic church unless he reversed his teachings. He was given 60 days to achieve this or the theory of him being excluded would become reality. He refused to reverse his teachings and went into hiding. Anyone was allowed to catch him and hand him into authorities. So, he convinced his friend to send knights to capture him and take him back to his castle where he hid for a year. During this protracted time, he translated the whole Bible from Latin to German, so the people of the town didn’t have to listen to the priest’s perspective. This was a colossal part of his campaign and because he translated the Bible so that the everyday people can read it, they too started protesting against Holy Catholic Church. German society erupted in conflict. Martin Luther was eventually excommunicated/excluded from the Catholic Church. The church started to split into two the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church, but these two specialist ideas of two separate churches and practices weren’t fully developed. The 30 years, war effectively split the church into two disassociated practices, Holy Catholic Church and the Protestant Church. (National Geographic, 2017) The German people of this time had to choose if they followed the Protestant practices and beliefs or the Catholic Churches practices and beliefs. It also gave the lower classes of German society more of a chance to understand what God really wanted.
There are many outcomes of the protestant reformation that applies in today’s life. The reformation was a religious, social, economic, and political revolution. (Sullivan, 2018) Literacy increased throughout Europe as a cause of Martin Luther translating the Bible so the everyday person can read it. As a result of this more and more people started to learn to read. The welfare of workers was significantly better in the protestant cities. (Smith, 2017) This means that the place where protestant followers live have a stronger economy leading to a better lifestyle.
In conclusion, the reason why he started it was because of God saving him from a thunderstorm. There was a long journey that he took to get the outcome he wanted in creating a more trustworthy church. The outcome of his decision to create the 95 theses lead to a brighter future for all. There weren’t just religious benefits but literacy and economic. Therefore, Martin Luther rocked Christianity significantly by starting the reformation.
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