Refomation: Calvin/Luther
The Reformation was an era of political, social, and religious unrest and many changes were made during this period. Peoples' eyes were opened to a lot of the practices and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, which before no one seemed to have thought about in a negative manner. The readings of the German, Martin Luther and Frenchman, John Calvin influenced many people to have questions about their church, its teachings and why one should believe in the theology of what they have been raised with. These two writers were undoubtedly, the main contributers in starting such a large religious revolution of turmoil and separation throughout Europe. They have changed society and the way people practice the Christian religion today. Although these two religious writers protested the corrupt, man-made rules and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, they surprisingly did not meet on the same level spiritually. They did not share the same beliefs about God and God's will for mankind and how to be saved so as to go to heaven, also known as salvation. Because of their contrasting views against the Catholic Church, they produced new denominations of Christianity called Calvinism and Lutherinism. Many other variations were to
ninety-five theses', which brought question to the Catholic Apocryphal teachings and practices. Amongst these ninety-five theses' which were nailed to the outside church door in Wittenberg were the list of indulgences. Indulgences were worldly deeds of good and payments made to the church in order to save your soul from a place of suffering called purgatory. One could die and be in purgatory according to a priest and if you were a relative, you could simply make your specific donation and buy him out of his suffering to go to heaven. The whole idea was a corrupt scheme to Luther and Gods power seemed absent from the church. It was more looked upon as a business scheme to him and furthermore, it was completely contradictive to Biblical scripture. Luther's core beliefs and writings expressed that receiving God's love and acceptance will not be found with the amount of money you have given or the number of good deeds you have done. He said that salvation was a free gift waiting to be accepted and that in no means one had to earn. The grace of God and one drawing himself near through prayer was all one needed to be saved. Luther also believed that one did not need to be an ordained priest of the Catholic Church in order to have his/her prayers heard by God. Through this change of events that occurred, the shaping of political matters were in process. King Charles the V agreed that he would consult with the diet of his empire on major foreign affairs and domestic problems that faced their well being. This action, in turn helped buy time for the Reformation because it prevented one ruler from overthrowing the German empire completely. The use of pamphlets containing Luther's writings spread throughout the country and made the Reformation jump forward dramatically. Political movements formed because of the
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Approximate Word count = 1230
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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