Martin Luther: Angel or Demon?
By Christian Zarka R4 S4
Luther: a saint
- went against indulgences which primarily used the church community to help stabilize the Vatican
- wanted to reform church out of the good of his heart and love for Catholicism
- mentioned that the pope had too much authority and was manipulating his loyal members of the church
- took power away from church by starting Protestantism
- based his thoughts and teachings on scriptures (the word of God)
- refused to apologize after writing "95 Theses"; he was sticking up for what he interpreted as the right thing
- Luther changed mass to the native language
- understood the necessity of education for all people
- Catholic church eliminated the selling of indulgences partly because of Luther's valid points
- Peace of Augsburg let princes of regions decided the religion in the land
- A hero to Germans; portrayed in art as "German Hercules"
Saint
This picture is of Pope Leo X, who used indulgences for money. People went along with the pope's abuse of power because the pope was Christi on earth. Luther established a new religion which took power away from the pope. Pope Leo X was the central point in the corruption of the church, and Luther's beliefs made people question him. In turn, Pope Leo X lost power either due to distrust or people changing religion.
Saint
This picture shows Luther's books that he is posting up for all to see his views on religion. Martin Luther wrote the 95 Theses and other works mainly to inform that indulgences are not right. Luther recognized the church was taking advantage over its loyal members strictly for financial support. Luther talks about the wrong in selling indulgences out of the goodness of his heart to reform the church. His intent was not to break off into a new religion.
Saint
This shows when Luther does not recant his thoughts and writings toward the church and the papacy. Luther did not apologize for his books because his statements were solely based on scriptures (the word of God). For example, there is no justification in the Bible for the pope to remit sins. Luther stood up for what he believed in to try to help the church's political instability. Despite his harshness, Luther was simply trying to better the church for the Catholic people.
Luther: a sinner
- claimed good works did not get a person to heaven
- disrupted and broke the unity of the Christian church
- "a heretic and an outlaw of the empire"-Edict of Worms
- wrote, published, and sold controversial books going against the Catholic church
- did not apologize for his harsh insults against the church
- excommunicated from the Catholic church
- opposed peasant's revolt against the feudal nobility
- could not hold the Protestant religion together; branched into small parts
- Peace of Augsburg let princes decide the religion for the people they governed
- got angry at other religions branching out and tried to stop freedom of religion
- writings influenced spread of anti-Semitism
- referred to the papacy as the devil
Sinner
This picture shows the Edict of Worms. Martin Luther is being called a heretic and an outlaw to the empire for going against the church's authority. He criticized the church and the papacy in his many books. The church views him as a criminal for his harsh words towards the papacy.
Sinner
This shows The Peace of Augsburg which was a law made following Luther's establishment of Protestantism. The prince of a region would decide which religion his people would follow. Because of the disunity in the church, the people now had no freedom of religion. Their leader picked to follow Luther or the papacy; not each person. Essentially, Luther converted people that not necessarily wanted to convert.
Sinner
The picture shows many sects and words that describe the religion of Christianity. Luther started a new religion Protestantism which ended the Christian unity. Now, the church split up, and Protestantism turned into many denominations. This disagreement in religion caused war to break out between these groups. Luther's initial contribution to start a new religion caused many deaths and hate.
Works Cited
Harmony, Halley. What Is the Difference between Catholics and Protestants?Digital
image. WordPress. The Gateway Theme, 23 July 2013. Web. 22 Dec. 2015.
Martin Luther—the Historical Reformation. Digital image. Peace Lutheran Church. Peace
Journey, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2015.
Pope Leo X. Digital image. NNDB. Soylent Communications, 2014. Web. 22 Dec. 2015.
Prahlow, Jacob J. How I View Martin Luther. Digital image. Pursuing Veritas. N.p., 3 Nov.
2015. Web. 22 Dec. 2015.
The Peace of Augsburg. Digital image. Epic World History. Blogger, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2015.
The Reformation - Diet of Worms. Digital image. Kids Corner. Concordia News Website, 15
Feb. 2006. Web. 22 Dec. 2015.