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95 theses

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95 theses
Luther 's Theses Against the Church Martin Luther was a Theologian who was on his way to becoming a lawyer until an event that altered his life. In July 1505, Luther was caught in a terrible thunderstorm where he genuinely feared he may die. During the storm, he cried out to St. Anne, the patron saint of miners and said "Save me, St. Anne, and I 'll become a monk!". (A&E Networks 1) When he told his parents of his decision, his father was deeply disappointed in him. Luther also was driven by the wrath of God and felt as if his decision would help him gain salvation.

When Luther finally realized that the answer to spiritual salvation was not to fear God or religious dogmas, but that faith alone would bring salvation. After hearing of Pope Leo the 10th 's new round of indulgences in order to help pay for building St. Peter 's Basilica in 1517, Luther had had enough. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The theses listed many critiques of the Catholic Church, such as the corruption of the Church through the indulgences and taking money from the poor to construct buildings. Copies of the 95 theses were spread throughout Europe within two months of being nailed to the door on the Castle Church, in large thanks to the invention of the printing press.

In Luther 's 82nd these, he talks about the church 's indulgences and how immoral it is. He asks "Why does not the pope liberate everyone from purgatory for the sake of love and because of the supreme necessity of their souls?". In that, he is saying that the pope should let everyone into heaven and not have to wait in purgatory, and not have to pay an indulgence to the church. He also mentions that the money is a much perishable thing and that the building of St. Peter 's Basilica is such a minor purpose, and gets away from the ideals of the early Catholic Church which were that you should not have many possessions and give to the



Bibliography: A&E Networks. "Martin Luther Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

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