ipl-logo

The Pope Is The Ultimate Authority Essay

548 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Thesis statement for Martin Luther christianity

Some believe scripture or the pope is the ultimate authority; others believed authority comes solely from himself. This dialogue will analyze some of the great philosophers who hold to these heresies and by examining the various shapers of modern philosophy throughout the history of western civilization, one will come to understand where authority is derived.
A philosophy student-led by Virgil walks through the circles of hell. The Student's mission is to debate with heretical philosophers who believed that authority derives from things other than God in an attempt to understand the logic behind their beliefs. First, they encountered the circle reserved for students who procrastinated on essays and never read their assigned readings. Tied to chairs and desks as punishment, the students who procrastinated on their assignments had to write …show more content…

Virgil and the Student journeyed on to the circle reserved for heretics. This circle was not just for any heretics, but those who had misconceptions of where one derives authority.

Virgil: “It is important for you to understand that many great philosophers believe ultimate authority derives from sacred scripture. Going back to the early centuries of Christianity, numerous Church Fathers and many medieval theologians were witnesses to the ultimate authority of Scripture. Martin Luther, for example, was notorious for this belief. And there he is now!”
The Student and Virgil approached Martin Luther who, as punishment, repeatedly removed the nails of his ninety-five theses from a Cathedral door. This punishment symbolizes his ninety-five theses that he hammered on the Cathedral doors in 1517.
Student: “Luther, I thought that you would be deeper in hell for leading so many of the faithful away from the church, this seems a lighter burden than you

Show More
Related
1050 Words | 5 Pages

This made Luther create a document called the the 95 Theses. The 95 Theses exposed the church in 95 different ways. Luther took this document very seriously. He even nailed the document to the door of the church so everyone could see.

Read More
2030 Words | 9 Pages

This is to clarify to the people the exact knowingness of their religion. When he went around visiting various churches he began to notice that no matter where he went most everyone had been baptized and were receiving the body and blood of Christ, yet they didn’t even know the Our Father, the Ten Commandments, or the Creed. This was very hurtful to Luther. He knew that all of these people were taking their Christian liberty for granted, and he wanted to put an end to this. It was not the peoples fault per say, but they weren’t able to get help.

Read More
671 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther was a Catholic monk at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. Luther was unhappy with the practice of selling indulgences (a pardon releasing a sinner from performing a penalty in exchange for money), so, on October 31, 1517, he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. These Theses were intended to encourage discussion about indulgences, but, with the help of the printing press, Luther’s 95 Theses gave rise to the Protestant Reformation (Document B).

Read More
1281 Words | 6 Pages

As Luther is fighting the corrupt Papacy he writes this, “Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.” Luther writes this to show what true religion is, to show what a truly faithful person should do, believe in their God and give him every bit of faith from someone's person. The Papacy hates Luther not because he is wrong, but because he is right, which means if Luther was right and the masses believed him all the power that was held by the church would crumble into nothing; most importantly though the Papacy members personal power would crumble into nothing. During the early phases of the Reformation, Luther wrote the 95 Theses, which described everything he found wrong with the church at this time. The Theses was the catalyst, which set off the ticking time bomb of corruption and irreverence.

Read More
712 Words | 3 Pages

The series of questions produces discomfort to the clergymen and the guiltiness of the white churches. Martin Luther compares ideas in order to express his disappointment, guiltiness, lachrymose feeling, and injustice in

Read More
543 Words | 3 Pages

"95 Theses," a paper which spoke against the pope using Indulgences for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. His paper spoke of how the Bible should be the main guide for Christians and that faith rather than good deeds was the way to Heaven. He nailed the paper to the door of the Church, making the topic up for debate. Within years Luther had gathered enough followers to begin their own churches in Germany.

Read More
1299 Words | 6 Pages

On October 31, 1517, Luther posted Ninety-Five Theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg Germany (Sayre 561-562). Luther believed that the Church had abused its power and position by manipulating the common people for their own gain. He believed that salvation is

Read More
1706 Words | 7 Pages

While this was clearly two-sided, my favorite Thomas More comment towards Luther is: “throw back into your paternity’s shitty mouth, truly the shit-pool of all shit, all the muck and shit which your damnable rottenness has vomited up and to empty out all the sewers and privies onto your

Read More
134 Words | 1 Pages

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.

Read More
812 Words | 4 Pages

Most importantly, the Gospel speaks to one’s heart and reveals the coming wrath of God upon the earth. Therefore, Luther warns us that, “when the word confronts you, beware and yield. Give ground, and obey in good time; for it must conquer whether you bow gracefully or ungracefully.” For Luther, this takes place most effectively in the oral proclamation, which he believed was its intended medium. As such, Luther references this as offensive weapons i.e. God’s sword, bow, arrows and spear. “Thus the “sword” is the power of judgment by which He separates the ungodly, the “bow” is the power of imposing penalties, and the “arrows” and spears are the torments and punishments themselves.

Read More
1085 Words | 5 Pages

Starting from the statement that Christians receive salvation through faith and the grace of God. Luther also stated, “The churches rituals did not have the ability to save souls. ”Also Luther talked about how the Church and the Pope make errors often. This had gone from a need for reforming indulgences to a whole

Read More
624 Words | 3 Pages

By questioning the sale of indulgences and arguing that the pope does not have complete authority over forgiveness of sins and, to a larger extent, salvation, Luther established a precedent for the word of the Church to be called into question rather than it having absolute authority. Given that Luther opens his 95 Theses with “out of love and concern for the truth,” it is clear that his intentions are not necessarily to completely undermine the authority of the Catholic Church, but rather to open a dialogue between the Catholic Church and its faithful on what is actually true in regards to God. The collective judgment of the Catholic community, particularly those who did not have positions of power in the Church, would then have a much greater effect on the direction in which the Catholic Church took than it would have before Luther’s 95 Theses.

Read More
847 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout religious history, there have been many religious events that have reshaped the religious landscape of Australia for the nation to become a multicultural, multi-faith and multi-denominational country. A significant event that has impacted and reshaped the religious landscape of Australia was the Second Vatican Council, which was an event associated with the Christian denomination of Catholicism, was a meeting held in the Vatican City of all the bishops from around the world and all from different Christian denominations. It was held from 1962 to 1965 and its aims were to reform and renew the life of the church in modern society, as well as addressing the internal and external issues of the world in the 1960s. The Vatican II presented

Read More
1101 Words | 5 Pages

Martin Luther was a German theology professor recognized as the

Read More
355 Words | 2 Pages

of two Church documents: The first document is Gaudium et Spes - the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Church in the Modern World; The second document is Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical on the Promotion of a Culture of Life. The key concept of Gaudium et Spes, the dignity of the human person made in the image of God, is clearly the basis for the defense of life at all stages affirmed in Evangelium Vitae. It is evident that the inspiration for the very idea of a culture of life comes from Gaudium et Spes. The purpose of these two documents was to emphasize on the culture of life and to expand the Church’s teachings on the sanctity of life. They do not simply state the Church’s position on various life issues, such

Read More

More about The Pope Is The Ultimate Authority Essay

Related Topics

Open Document