Martin Luther's theological approach resonated with me more so than that of John Calvin's theory. Luther's approach, with its strong belief in faith of God and righteousness of God seems for me to be a more realistic approach. As practiced, if one is righteous they will live by faith. The fact that Luther was outraged by the sale of indulgence also resonates quite strongly. I firmly believe one must work to create their station in life and buying one's way through life, secular or religious, is unethical and immoral. Luther's theory of imputed justice follows that one's sin is forgiven not by what they do to repent, but because of God's unconditional love. I believe that this serves as a strong foundation for Lutheranism.
There are positives and negatives in both theologies, but from my interpretation, I see more negatives with Calvinism. Although Calvin was against corruption and abuse by the church, he believed God determines the fate of each person, and it is God controlling everything that happens. He believed that God willed the good, the bad, and the ugly. Calvin believed that humans were innately lacking in God and they could not do good deeds unless they were assisted by the grace of God. Those who opposed and deserted were tortured and some were even killed. The fact that he believed there were elect and non-elect members, with predestined salvation, makes this theological
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Some of the positives include -An overall level of compliance. - No debate on religion as everyone follows the same God. - All laws are based on religious texts. - People are more loyal to the government as they see the government and God connected. - It is easier to create social reform because of the combination social laws and involvement of God. - It is easier to have a level of control and compliance as the members of the society fear non-compliance as they all follow the same laws and word of