Research Paper On Lutheranism

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Recommended: The Development of Lutheranism

Lutheranism There are many religions in the world, and an example is Lutheranism. Lutheranism is a denomination of Protestantism, which is a sect of Christianity. Many of the Lutheran beliefs and practices parallel with other Protestant and Roman Catholic observances; however, Lutheranism has some divergent views that make it a separate religion. Lutheranism was founded in the early sixteenth century by Martin Luther (Hay 184). Martin Luther was a German monk and was recognized as a Roman Catholic priest in 1507 (Hay 184). He also earned his doctorate degree in theology during 1512 at the University of Wittenburg (Brown 65). Indulgences were documents that relieved people of sin (Hay 184). Martin Luther observed as the Roman Catholic priests After the Ninety-five Theses was published, he posted it on the entrance of the Wittenburg Castle (Hay 184). Luther’s refusal to recant his words against the Roman Catholic Church prompted his dismissal from the Church by Pope Leo X (Brown 65). Today, Lutheranism is practiced by people from all around the world (“Member Churches” 1). Some countries that host Lutheran churches include Botswana, Chile, Estonia, France, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Venezuela (“Member Churches” 2-3). Immigrants from Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark have brought Lutheranism to the United States (Hay 185). They established the Lutheran Church in the United States during 1962 (Brown 67). One major belief of Lutheranism is salvation by faith alone (Hay 184). The only way Lutherans can be saved from their sins is by having trust in their faith instead of in their actions (Hay 184). This eliminated the sale of indulgences because Lutherans cannot rely on their actions to free them from their In order to carry out his vision and make it a reality, he demanded for services to be held in common languages, like German (Hay 185). He also translated the Latin Bible to German so that the Germans could read it for themselves and uphold Lutheran beliefs (Hay 185). Another belief of the Lutherans is that Christian authority comes from the bible alone (Hay 184). Instead of listening to priests, Lutherans must read the bible to understand God’s will. The Lutherans also believe that each person is held accountable for their own salvation and interpretation of the Bible (Hay 184). This also aided in the extermination of indulgences because Lutherans believe that nobody can grant another person’s

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