Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation is, in essence, a process that is played out on a personal scale among millions of individual of varying religious traditions and beliefs. The basic argument centers around the ability of man to speak directly to God and to understand the word of the prophets directly from the the accumulated or canonized text, VERSUS relying on the clergy/brahmin/religious leaders to interpret convey and serve as the sole arbitrar of God's word, on Earth... Luther believed the former over the latter, and this belief was the essence that lead to The Protestant Reformation. The impetus for Luther stating his views, was the sale of indulgences, which promised God's grace whereas following God's will, was an iffy strategy for those seeking to go heavenward.
The points of the 95 Thesis are important, because in all religions, there is an underlying process of coming to know God, follow his will, and gain entry into a place of sanctity and truth, be it in an afterworld, or in a present all-knowingness. Throughout the world, regardless of Religion or practice, the ability of individual humans to understand and know God, has been a used, abused and misused power that has, ironically, served as a major impetus for many of the world's greatest conflicts, as well as destruction of peoples, cultures, societies and histories. Luther aim was to refocus the Church on the business of instructing humans in God's will.
And now I present to you, my simplified understanding of The Protestant Reformation in 500 words or less.
Jesus was a Jew and a prophet
He preached the word of God
He had 12 apostles
He preached that by faith and following him and eating of his flesh and blood, one could come to know the Word of God, be cleansed of sin and God would forgive our sins and the believers would ascend to Heaven
Jesus was crucified for his beliefs and his word was spread by the apostles
The organized religion of Christianity and Church of Christ was founded by Peter, the first "Pope", who was one of Christ's 12 apostles
Corruption was most likely evident from the very beginning (as with any organization)
By the 10th century, the Papacy had reached his high point in corruption that continued up until the Protestant Reformation
By the 1400's it was well known that the Papacy was for sale to the highest bidder
Several families, including the Borgia's, the Medici's were in political control of the Vatican
It was not uncommon for the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops and Priests to have mistresses and children, and to indulge in sexual, financial and all manner of worldly excess
Key to Martin Luther, Indulgences were for sale
King's paid the Pope for the right to govern and rule
Bribes were paid to the Pope and the Vatican to bless any number of adventures
The Pope was in effect, the head of Europe
Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany
He was supposed to become a lawyer
At age 21 he became an Augustinian monk
Although he did penance he felt that he always fell short of God's despite confessing obsessively
A conflict arose in him due to his striving to fulfill his obligation for penance and the open sale of "indulgences"
Luther searched and studied the bible to attempt to remedy these discrepancies
He found that there was no justification
What he did find in his bible study, was that it was man's faith in God and doing his word, as in the bible, which constituted true penance and also served as the basis of salvation
Luther continued to study the bible "religiously" and found a number of contradictions
On October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to a church door
He wished to spark a debate within the Church that would lead to a closer alignment between the bible and the Church
He also desired that the Church work to make the word of God understandable to all men
This effort lead to The Protestant Reformation
Europe entered a period of religious upheavel
The effects of the reformation were a decentralization of religious power from Rome and a decrease in the flow of money to Rome, as well as an increase in autonomy to local churches
Church services began to be delivered in the native tongue of the populace, rather than in Latin
My favorite 10 of the 95 points in the Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences [Oct. 31, 1517]
1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.
4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.
37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon.
43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons;
45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God.
62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.
75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated the Mother of God -- this is madness.
82. To wit: "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial."
94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell.
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