Luther’s radical new ideas regarding religion excited the peasants of the German states and his ideas stated in documents such as his 95 theses acted as a catalyst for the revolts that erupted in the lower class between the years 1524 and 1526. Peasants believed the cause of these revolts were the mistreatment they received from their lords and ruling princes. Their acts of revolution were largely based on new radical ideas surrounding religion, and some even saw it as God’s will. A third cause cited by the peasants was a need for their release from serfdom.
The peasants’ revolts in the German states occurred after the Reformation had gripped Europe. Religious figures at this time such as Martin Luther, and John Calvin, as well as writings like The Ninety-Five Theses, incited many peasants to look with new ideas about Catholicism and the clergy, which led to a call for reform, and later rebellion, the causes of which were mainly the oppression of lords against the lay people economically and physically, as well as extreme Lutheran teaching. Martin Luther, and those that were accused of the oppression, the nobles, responded by saying those that took part in the rebellion were unchristian, and should submit to proper authority, shaping the conflict and the rebellion.
Thomas Muntzer supported the rebellions, he believed countries had finally stopped resisting God’s Will, and he supported the peasants taking down the unethical upper class (Doc 4). As a protestant preacher, Muntzer strived to kindle rebellions because he yearned for a drastic religious reform of the corrupt Catholic church (POV). Being the man that started the Reformation, Martin Luther supported the development of a new religion, but he did not support the violent process the peasants were using to further the reform (Doc 5). Luther was a man of strong faith and he understood that killing nobles, even if it was for God, was unchristian, therefore he didn’t endorse the German peasant revolts even though they were in his name (POV). Caspar Nutzel, similar to Luther, responded to the uprisings by saying that the authorities had been very suppressive, but the peasants did cross a line with their improper conduct (Doc 6).
Luther saw this and he said this is not what Christianity was supposed to be. He believed that people were supposed to do good to gain the benefits of redemption. Luther believed that everything was dependent on faith, not good work, and that people did not need priests or teachers to access
Martin Luther had the greatest impact on his accomplishments and his life in our modern world, because he gave us freedom to religion. In his life he became a monk and a professor at the University of Wittenberg, Germany. Luther did some Catholic teaching and he “...became stressed that both faith and good works were needed to gain personal salvation” (page 173). He became stressed because human beings were powerless in his eyes and the eyes of God. “On October 31, 1517, Luther, who was greatly angered by the Church’s practices, sent a list of Ninety-five Theses to his church superiors, especially the local bishop” (page 173).
Martin Luther didn't agree with many of the practices and beliefs of the Catholic Church. He didn't agree on some of the practices of the clergy like simony, the sale of church offices, nepotism, the giving away of church offices to family members, and pluralism, the holding of more than one church office at a time. He also was really against the sale of indulgence, documents sold by the Catholic Church lessening penance or time in purgatory. He thought that the church was only selling indulgences to earn more money and that indulgence didn't really do what they promised. He also didn't like the fact that people didn't read the Bible and thought that
Martin Luther’s reasons for challenging the Catholic church changed after he translated the New Testament. Before the New Testament was translated (document A), Martin Luther had a very respectful tone displayed through his writing. In document A, Luther was bothered by the practice of indulgences, but continued in his letter to say that he was not blaming anyone. 18 years later in Document B, Luther had translated the New testament and realized that the Pope was misinterpreting the scriptures. He was then very disrespectful through his words and blamed the Pope for taking people’s money and by so believing that the person who paid for the indulgence was saved.
Luther knew what the bible actually said. He knew it was the right thing to let others know. “He wrote a letter to the Pope, he received a letter back with threats of being expelled from the church. He publicly burned the letter” (http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther) The pope followed through with his threats, and now Luther was out of a source of income.
Luther believed that no amount of good works could be worthy enough of God. After all, to Luther God should
From the peasant’s perspective, Luther did encourage a religious rebellion because his ideas were revolutionary. Martin Luther’s beliefs disputed aspects of the Catholic church’s doctrines at that time. He promoted an uncomplicated and individual approach to religion based on faith. In his treatise On Christian Liberty, Luther exhorted, “A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none.” Luther was calling for religious change, but he affected social change as well. In the 1520s, this new concept resonated with the German peasantry, in the many states of the Holy Roman Empire.
Martin Luther, a German professor and monk, made a large impact on society in the fifteen hundreds. His new ideas of Christianity changed the concept of how religion was viewed and practiced in the 16th century. Within his Ninety-five Theses, he questioned the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and brought to light the corruption surrounding the church while stating how Christianity should be practiced in different ways rather than what is being taught. It is important to understand his stances on religion to explain how different groups reacted to his ideas. While some parts of Europe accepted his ideologies into practice, others reject Luther for many different reasons.
The opposition Luther took against the Church soon had an instant impact on peasants. Individuals began to form opinions on both political and religious fields, but they had failed to interpret the beliefs of Luther correctly.
Among these theses, Luther disliked one more than the rest, the sale of indulgences. Indulgences are the forgiveness of sins from God, and church officials would use these to exploit the working and peasants, to gain even more wealth. The people loved that Luther brought these issues up and protested the corrupt church, but the Roman Catholic Clergy and Pope Leo X thought that these theses were nonsense saying “some drunken German who will amend his ways when he sobers up.” (Spielvogel et al. 173). This quote reveals that the church needed the ideas and theses of Luther to stop as a way to maintain exploiting the poor for money.
There have been many significant figures over the course of history that were born into a life of wealth and profit. These people, though may live a good life, do not understand the struggle of the everyday man and as a result oftentimes is not as successful as those who work hard for all the advancements made in their life. Martin Luther is a perfect example of someone who was born into a difficult situation, but made the best of it and is now known as one of the biggest religious reformers of his time. Martin Luther was able to make a name for himself despite his circumstances by following his passion, working hard, and staying true to himself. Martin Luther was born as the son of two peasants, and as a result his father had high expectations
One day while mining a deadly storm began, Martin feared for his life and promised Saint Anne he would worship God if he survived. When Martin survived, he dedicated his life to God, he became a monk. As a monk Martin Luther began to study the bible and learn about the Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church had extraordinary power, no man wished to oppose the church and therefore the church was rarely challenged and when there was a brave man to stand tall and proud, there was a tall and proud punishment, which followed. The Roman Catholic Church became so driven by power and riches, as a result they began selling indulgences.
