Prof. Dr. Christina Stern
SSH 104.6846
Rezwana Islam
4/13/2007
Protestant Reformation- a Revolution
The greatest event of the16th century, the most revolutionary movement – was the
Protestant Reformation. It was the Reformation that forced people to make a choice - to
be Catholic or Protestant. This was an important choice, and a choice had to be made.
The Reformation was dominated by the figure of Martin Luther. The resulting Protestant
Reformation changed the course of Western civilization. The theological and ideological
core of Luther’s thinking is “the freedom of the Christian”, that center around which
every other aspect of his thoughts rotates. It raises the concept of “freedom” or “liberty”.
It was a project of liberating people; liberating them from false belief, from false religion,
and from arbitrary authority.
Luther experienced the first great event of his life that made some kind of
conversion in him after having been struck by a bolt of lighting. After surviving that
incident, he decided to devote his life to God. He joined a monastery studied to become a
Catholic priest, and went on to earn a doctor of theology degree, vowing to remain true to
the teachings of the Church. As he had close contact with Bible, works like indulgences
and penance have long troubled Martin Luther. Moreover, during that period Popes and
bishops were acting more like king and princes than they were the spiritual guides of the
European men and women. Popes and other Church officials encouraged the sale of
indulgences to raise money for many purposes. Over time, people came to believe that
they could literally buy their way into heaven with indulgences. It was even possible to
purchase them for the dead. At the same time Popes bought and sold high offices – all
these led to the increasing wealth of the Church. Some Church officials held several
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Prof. Dr. Christina Stern
SSH 104.6846
Rezwana Islam
4/13/2007
offices at once and lived off their income. Luther was so disenchanted by this kind of
behavior of the Catholic Church officials.
Protestant reformation was the new beginning of the Christianity. Luther’s close
reading of the Bible, led him to conclude that a person could only be saved by personal
faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of God. Luther considered indulgences, praying to
saints, pilgrimages, and many other such “works” as worthless and a fraud inflicted on
the people by the Church. The Roman Catholic Church was a major political power in the
Western Europe. Popes used this power to defend and expand the church’s influence and
wealth. During that period, many Germans started to believe that the church took
advantage of them. Due to the fact that so many people were moving into cities, the
lavish home and palace of the church were noticed by more and more people from all
walks of life. The common people, meanwhile, sought a more personal, spiritual and
immediate kind of religion – something that would touch them immediately in the heart.
The ritual of the Church then meant very little to them. They needed some kind of
guarantee that they would indeed be saved. What seemed to be needed then was a
general reform of the Christianity itself.
Luther changed the course of the Christianity by establishing his “Ninety Five
Theses”. The theses, all related to the prevalence of indulgences and Luther offered to
dispute them all. He pointed out papacy itself spread the false doctrine of the indulgence.
By attacking the issue of the indulgences, Luther was really attacking the entire structure
of the Church. By making salvation dependent on the individual’s faith, Luther abolished
the need for sacraments. According to Luther, faith alone without the necessity of good
works would bring salvation. Luther concluded his notion by saying only God knows
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Prof. Dr. Christina Stern
SSH 104.6846
Rezwana Islam
4/13/2007
who will be saved and will be damned. Good works and faith did not guarantee salvation.
God alone grants salvation. It is overwhelming that within a very short period of time
many people turned their back on the Roman Church and followed Luther. Becoming a
Lutheran was one way for the wealthy to keep their wealth yet still be given a chance for
salvation without paying homage to Rome. For the very poor Luther offered individual
dignity and respect. Not good works or servitude to Rome could guarantee salvation
instead faith held out the possibility of salvation. Wealthy and poor people followed
Luther as a form of protest against Church. Luther appeared as an alternative to Roman
Church. Whereas the Roman Church appealed to men and women as members of a
group, Lutheranism meant that faith was now something individual, and this would have
profound consequences.
The difference between Catholic and Protestant is Catholic believes, the Catholic
Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation but those
baptized in other Christian denominations are in communion with the Church. Whereas,
Protestant believes there is a distinction between the visible and invisible Church. God
saves anyone he chooses, or anyone with proper faith, regardless of Church membership.
Other distinctions between Catholic and Protestant are followed: Purgatory was affirmed
by Catholic, and denied by Protestant. Prayers to saints are accepted in Catholic, and
rejected in Protestant. The similarities between Catholic and Protestant are both believe,
“Those who never heard of Christ may be saved”. Protestant do not acknowledge the
authority of the pope, rejects many tradition and belief of the Catholic Church, and
emphasizes the importance of reading Bible and the doctrine of salvation by faith alone.
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Prof. Dr. Christina Stern
SSH 104.6846
Rezwana Islam
4/13/2007
Luther’s massage, “The freedom of the Christian”, is so radical not only in terms
of religion but also ultimately in politics as well. In politics, Democracy is the freedom of
people. Democracy is based on the idea of all people are equal. As Luther says, “every
baptized Christian is a priest already, not by appointment or ordination from the Pope or
any other man, but because Christ Himself has begotten him as a priest…in baptism”, it
depicts the idea of all Christian are equal and Popes don’t have super power over other
people. According to Martin Luther, nothing in the Bible granted the Pope authority to
free a person of his sins in life or after death. Only God could do this. A belief of
Protestantism is a conviction that every profession is a religious, not just the priesthood
and monasticism. Luther’s radical religious idea spread rapidly as it touched people’s
heart - thus the revolutionary event of Protestant Reformation evolved.
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