An Angel or the Devil
by Courtney Krause
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was both a saint and a sinner in different ways. His actions, words, and personality made up what he was, and how people saw him. Open your eyes to all of the possibilities and you will see that he was not all bad.
Saint
The 95 Theses
The creation of the 95 Theses makes Luther a saint because he was pretty much making up his own religion. He still believed in God, he still believed in the religion, but he made changes so that it met his criteria. He was not trying to imply that he did not want to believe, he just wanted everyone else to believe the same things as he did.
Translation of the Latin Bible
The translation of the Latin Bible makes Luther a saint because he was changing it for the better. He translated it when he was locked away in hiding. He translated it to the German language so that it was easier for more people to read. When it was translated to to a new language, it was more accessible for people. Luther's intentions were to spread the ideas and allow more people to come to know the Bible better.
Trying to do Good
Luther was not trying to hurt the people of the church. He was really just trying to help them understand the logical way of his thinking. This makes him a saint because he was looking to teach the people new ideas and his idea of better ways. A lot of the time, his words came across as rude, and almost as if we was trying to force them into his ways. But he was really just trying to make the people better people, in his eyes. This makes him a saint also because he was following what God wants. God wants people to help others try to be the best they can be, and this was what Luther was trying to do. He wanted the people to be like him, believe what he believed, and be united.
Sinner
The 95 Theses
The creation of the 95 Theses also made Luther a sinner because it went directly against all of the teachings of the church. The church was teaching all of the people the views that they should be learning, and then Luther came and wanted people to support the total opposite. Trying to rebel against the church is a sin because there is no place for that kind of thing in the home of the Christ.
Rebelling Against God
Luther was also a saint because he was going against God's wishes. In the Bible it talks a lot about how people are to respect, be kind, and support one another. When Martin Luther was expressing how he wanted the church to change its views, he was asking the people to change their way of life. This was essentially creating corruption. Once again, God does not want people to go to war with each other.
Reforming the Church
Martin Luther was essentially trying to reform the church into what he wanted it to be. He was being selfish and uncivil by trying to have only what he wanted. He blocked out what everyone else thought, and this was a bad quality to have. His personality did poorly affect him because him being that way did not necessarily help him get support from the people of the church. They saw him as he was, and most people did not want that. of course there were people who thought the same things as Luther, and they were supportive. But not everyone wanted Luther's ideas, and he kept trying to push them upon the people.
Picture Citations
"Auburn University Libraries". Google Images. 22 Dec. 2015.
"August. 2012. Dr. K's Blog". Google Images. 22 Dec. 2015.
"John Calvin". Google Images. 22 Dec. 2015.
"Luther Nailing Writings". Google Images. 22 Dec. 2015.
"Martin Luther's 95 Theses". Google Images. 22 Dec. 2015."Rebellion". Google Images. 22 Dec. 2015.