How Did Martin Luther Influence The Catholic Church

Martin Luther and his followers seized the right to read and interpret the bible in a new way, that paid the way for Reformation. Martin Luther challenged the church. He criticized the churches ideas and practices. He sought no revolution, but he tried to persuade church leaders to make reforms. Luther believed that gods free gift of forgiveness did not depend on taking sacriments or performing good deeds.

Martin Luther Martin Luther was one of two of the greatest leaders of the reformation along with John Calvin. The Reformation was the period in the 16th century (1571-1648) where the was a cultural upheaval the divided the European catholic population. Not only did it create a cultural upheaval it created political and intellectual disruption. Luther believed that the Catholic church was corrupt, his 95 Theses was a list of 95 arguments about the catholic church which he wanted to resolve.

Devoting his time to the Church, Martin Luther wrote 95 theses billeted on the Church door which requested for a disputation. Martin Luther truly was “unhappy with the Church,” and it also reads that “indulgences were payments to the Roman Church in return

While Martin Luther was not the first person to want to change the Catholic Church, he became the first leader of a major religious order to secede successfully from the western Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation, led by Luther, began in 1517 and ended in 1555. Since Luther’s order broke away from the Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation should more accurately be called the Protestant Revolution. While lecturing on the Bible, a revelation appeared to Luther and changed his life.

People were unhappy with the way the clergy were treating their people and it was clear that corruption was throughout the Catholic church. The state of the Catholic church, while significant, was simply a backdrop for Martin Luther in his early life. Ironically, he was on the side of the Catholic church in his early life; he was “a university professor of theology and a member of the Catholic clergy,” (Dutton, 390). This close integration with the church made it surprising that he was the one to lead a religious reformation. However, it was his knowledge of scripture that made his message so

"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.

Martin Luther and John Calvin's ideas had a significant influence on Europe's religious and cultural environment in the 16th century and beyond. In this essay, I will summarize their main new ideas and discuss a significant way in which they have affected human life and culture, citing past historical events and present-day consequences to support the claims. One of the central figures of the Protestant Reformation was the German monk and theologian Martin Luther. Luther started to challenge Catholic Church policies, especially the practice of selling indulgences, which were thought to shorten a person's purgatory sentence.

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 sale of indulgences was the Church saying that if the people paid the Church the pope and God would forgive their sins and they would be able to go to heaven. John Tetzel was the main man who was in charge of the sales. In document 2 Excerpt from Sermon, John Tetzel said that people are sinners and the only way they could get into heaven was if they bought these indulgences and salvation. This was an investment for the Church and used as persuasion to get the people to pay them more money. Martin Luther on the other hand did not agree with the sale of indulgences, so he protested the Church and spread his ideas of what the Church should be.

(Merriam and Webster Dictionary.) Luther challenged existing religious conditions and institutions by presenting evidence from the scripture that proved that the papacy had no control over a man’s grace, and therefore indulgences were

As Martin Luther proceeded to spread word of the Catholic Church’s wrong doing in hopes of reforming the church, he created a new branch of Christianity. Those who agreed with his beliefs broke away from Catholicism and into Lutheranism. John Calvin, a French theologian and pastor, created another denomination known as Calvinism. This branch believes that only a few select will reach salvation, unlike Lutheranism, which all will find peace as long as they have faith. Also, followers of Calvinism lead stricter lifestyles compared to Lutheranism.

Various religions have made a great turning point on European history. One of the most notable figures of European history, a German theologian and religious reformer named Martin Luther, had so much passion about his faith of God. This man leaves a mark on European history for having the courage to lead a revolution against the Catholic Church. He felt that the Catholic Church’s practices were impractical. Martin Luther made a great, positive impact as a religious leader during the Protestant Reformation by his successful achievements as a theologian, starting and spreading the Protestant Reformation to many parts in Europe, and creating his own Lutheran Church.

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.

This new church helped revive the Christian religion and faith. An accomplishment with a long-term effect would be that because of Martin Luther’s actions, the Christian religion was fixed and the Lutheran religion was created. Basically, Martin Luther made the Bible available to the people and he influenced religious thought throughout

These ideas prompted many Catholics into finally correcting the church themselves and seeking Reformation. Martin Luther became the leading figure of the Reformation because he had openly challenged the authority of the Pope and attacked the practice of indulgences in his “Ninety-Five Theses” letter. Several other prominent Theologians such as John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli seized upon Luther’s beliefs and Reformation swept across 16th century Europe, leading eventually to