The Pros And Cons Of The Protestant Reformation

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The Protestant Reformation was a time of great change in western society. The Roman Catholic Church would be challenged in a way they did not see coming. This was the beginning of many religious feuds, rivalries, and heated debates, some of which are still ongoing today. In 1483, Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany. Although Martin’s father was a miner, he wanted Martin to become a lawyer. Martin Luther would soon break away from that to become something much more. This decision is what led to him being one of the most influential leaders of the Protestant Reformation. In 1517, Martin Luther posted ninety-five theses on the door of the cathedral in the Saxon city of Wittenberg. Normally this is a way of calling for an open debate. However, this list of propositions made against the Roman Catholic Church started a revolutionary break with Rome. At the time of Martin writing these ninety-five theses, he was working as a monk. This is a peculiar change of professions from what he had planned on becoming. Martin Luther’s father was known for being super strict. He had …show more content…

The sale of indulgences is when the Roman Catholic Church forgives people of their sins in exchange for money. The church also exploited death as a way to receive money. They claimed that dead relatives were in purgatory and all you had to do was pay to let them be forgiven of their sins so they can rightfully go to heaven. Martin Luther believes that you cannot buy the forgiveness of your sins. According to him, this is just a ploy for the church to get more money and it is not needed whatsoever. He knows that only God can forgive people of their sins, so this makes him very angry. The ninety-five theses that he wrote is mainly based around how wrong the selling of indulgences is. Martin Luther firmly believed that this was a corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther writing about this is yet another