Martin Luther's War With The Roman-Catholic Church

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“Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg… [Works, 29]” wrote Martin Luther, a 16th century theologian and philosopher. The Roman-Catholic church was corrupt as ever, it seemed their power stretched beyond religion, and into politics and even economy. Pope Julius was responsible for funding the construction of the St. Peters Basilica, he did so by selling, and signing, indulgences. Martin Luther, exasperated by the actions of Roman Catholics, would start a war with the church. Luther would start by publishing his 95 theses to the Castle Church in Wattenberg on October 31st, 1517 [Khan, “Ren-“]. The printing press would allow Luther’s words to spread throughout Germany, and much of Western Europe, from this a new age of ideals would be born; as would many variations of Christianity. …show more content…

The Pope’s words were the closest in describing the will of god, he was considered the most prominent religious figure. Religion was a significant part of everyday life in Europe as it was seen as the only path to salvation, therefore, people played equally into the hands of the church. For both the rich and the poor, the ultimate goal was to achieve salvation; to earn their spot in heaven. Minimizing time in Purgatory, and assuring that both you and your loved ones could be together in the afterlife were both paramount. Due to the centralization of the church, and power of the Pope, a totalitarian presence was established, which made it easy for religious figures within the church to become corrupt. Even at the local level, priests would develop substantial power, their words were often considered law [Wilde,

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