Analysis Of Martin Luther's 95 Theses

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The Protestant Reformation is often indicated as just the Reformation. It was the major disagreement within Western Christianity started by Martin Luther. Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses in hopes of just starting a debate between the church, but ended up setting the religious world aflame. In his document, he started by criticizing the selling of indulgence, demanding that the pope had no authority over purgatory and that the Catholic doctrine of the merits of the saints had no foundation in the gospel. The “95 Theses” are a list of questions and propositions for debate and are also known as “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.” Luther wrote his document and hung it on the door to the church and it later became the foundation for the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther was born in 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony part of the Holy Roman Empire. …show more content…
He attended a school where he developed an interest for monastic life. He was withdrawn from that school to be put in another school to become a lawyer. During his time spent studying to become a lawyer, he was caught in a very savage storm. Luther was struck down by lightning and vowed that if he made it through this storm he would become a monk. He made it through the storm and in 1505 he entered an Augustinian monastery. As a monk, Luther did not quit his studies and received his doctorate and became a professor in biblical studies. Soon after, many theologist and scholars began to question the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther believed that salvation could be reached through faith and by divine grace only, so he eagerly protested against the churches idea of selling indulgences. Acting on this he then wrote the “95 Theses.” The fifth these, the pope neither desires nor is able to remit and penalties except those imposed by his own authority or that of the canons, and the sixth these, the pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God; or, to be sure, by remitting guilt in cases reserved to his judgement. If his right to grant remission in these cases were disregarded, the guilt would certainly remain unforgiven, are both some of Luther’s debates. Martin Luther argues that it does not matter who you confess to that you should be forgiven. He disputes that the pope or bishop does just the same as the lowliest priest. Luther says that any Christian can say to you, “God forgives you of your sins, in the name,” and if you accept it with a confident faith then you would be surely forgiven. During this time, indulgences were being used by the Roman Catholic church to raise funds for building projects. The church defended themselves saying that it is charity work and is used to build more churches. Martin Luther was greatly against the selling of indulgences. He argued that if the church could really remove suffering from purgatory, then they should remove the suffering immediately for free. The thought of selling forgiveness for money seemed absurd to Martin Luther. The selling of indulgences is what caused Luther to write the “95 Theses” questioning the Roman Catholic church. Martin Luther challenged the church by challenging its teachings. He started by attacking their teachings on the nature of penance. He questioned how someone couldn’t receive

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