A Double-Sided Coin
Martin Luther From Both Sides
Sinner!
The First (Holy?) Sin
Martin Luther was able to split a whole group first into two, and then it subdivided into even more groups! Obviously, this was going to start an uprising, and he must have known this would cause a disruption. If so, did he mean to start a war, just to prove his opinion and ideas right? Maybe. He was the cause for the split of people, and instead of more love and acceptance going around, there was even more hatred!
Seriously.
For a man who preached "Faith is the matter between an individual and God" and spread the ideas of the Bible, you would think that he would be understanding of others and their beliefs. Then he made a book, titled "The Jews and Their Lies." He told the Christian people to burn their synagogues and their homes. I don't know how anti-semitic you can get. Even Jesus was Jewish!
All About the Money
Martin Luther also led to a large decrease in money for the Church. There may have been corruption in the church but for some, knowing that their money was going to the Church made their lives better. So he was not only the cause for less money to the Catholic Church, but he was the cause for loss of spirit. The Catholic Church was built off of money but they used some of their power in a good way, such as providing education.
Not Very Different
With the idea of Lutheranism, it was supposed to be against the people with power and more about the word of God and the Bible. When Albert founded the first Lutheran state church, he was in the middle of a war and he was losing territory, so by using church assets he had some sort of military power which allowed him to end it favorably. So this brings up the topic of individual power people gained off the protestant church! People such as princes and kings saw this as a major advantage, so breaking off their ties with the Pope meant they were the ones in control now. Luther must have known this, so this power within the church, really made Luther a hypocrite.
Luther, the Bible, the Pope, Oh my!
With all these new ideas spreading, people were heavily influenced and definitely displayed some radical ideas. Young people especially were impacted, and the word of the Bible was very literal. "No graven images" gave them the idea that they could smash up churches. Then, get this, he told his followers to kill all rebels and that "Christian liberty was a spiritual concept, not meant to promote equality or freedom." I thought the point of his religion was to create a stronger tie between the people and God, this was really not about the religion anymore. This was about power.
Saint!
Between You and Me
Martin Luther preached that tie between an individual and God was what faith was really about. The corruption of the Church and the power of the power of the Pope really ended up steering away from what Christianity really is, and Martin Luther wanted to change this. Luther stood up for what he believed in and allowed new ideas to spread, giving people a new idea of what the word of the Bible was really about.
Ending the Corruption
Lutheranism was based off the idea that corruption is what lead to the separation between the word of God and the followers of Catholicism. People whom wanted to be involved with the Church (usually the rich) payed their way into the clergy. When Luther came along he changed the way this was, and you didn't have a hierarchy within the Church based on money, but your knowledge.
Helping the Poor!
Indulgences were a big part of the Catholic church and was a very big money maker. For the rich it was not terrible because they were able to pay off their sins and be "forgiven" while the poor people were stuck and thought they were going to Hell. Lutheranism changed this by making the Bible accessible to everyone. It closed the gap between the rich and the poor, and allowed for more people to be educated.
Stands up For What He Believes
In some ways, Martin Luther was very brave for doing what he did. He knew that he could die for his actions but he did it anyway because he was standing up for what he thought was right. This resonated with all the people because they saw one person doing it, then why couldn't they? This not only benefited him but the people and how they can speak their minds without being afraid the Church would hurt them (kind of).
Gave Christianity A New Meaning
There would probably be more believers in Christ after Martin Luther came along! Because there were so many options and ways of life for people to choose from now, they had the freedom to choose a religion that they truly believed in in their hearts. This not only united people into certain smaller groups but all their connections with God, and that's really what Christianity is about!
Works Cited
http://mytherapynyc.com/how-to-be-assertive-stand-up-for-yourself/
http://www.un.org/en/events/anticorruptionday/
http://wideawakechristian.blogspot.com/2015/07/indulging-in-indulgences.html
http://www.amazon.com/Jews-Their-Lies-Martin-Luther/dp/1593640242
Google Images Search. "Splitting of Two Groups"