Martin Luther's Impact On Christianity

In 1517, one man unknowingly changed the whole of Christianity forever by nailing his 95 Theses to a door. This was the beginning of the much-needed Protestant Reformation that eventually resulted in hundreds of new sects of Christianity. This man accomplished this by simply standing up for what he believed in - the Bible. His name was Martin Luther, and his reforms improved the lives of European Christian’s by standing up to the corrupt Catholic church and promoting ideas that resulted in new freedoms.
The Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther was a long time coming due to how corrupt the Catholic church had become. People all over Europe were hoping, even praying for reforms as they “sought to live pious lives despite the poor example
Starting with Sixtus IV, who assumed the role of pope in 1471, popes would use their high ranking to get their relatives a good position in the papacy (Sider, “Religion”). Sixtus himself “appointed six of his nephews as cardinals and found positions in the Curia for other members of his family” (Sider n.pag.). After Sixtus, nepotism became a regular thing for popes and was one of the corrupted features of the Catholic church (Sider n.pag.). Alexander VI bribed his way into the papacy in 1492 so he could provide for his children born out of wedlock (Sider n.pag.). He even gave relatives of his mistresses positions in the papacy (such as Paul III, who was recognized by men in Rome for his relatives despite the recent decree that had forbidden such a thing (Sider n.pag.). It also was Leo X who began selling indulgences again to pay for the rebuilding of Saint Peter’s, an act that instigated the start of the Protestant Reformation (Sider n.pag.). Traditional penitential doctrine dictated that absolution for sins was given as a result of “repentance +confession+ penance + offering” (Wilson 91). An
He stood up to the Catholic church in a time when people were beginning to question its corrupt practices. In doing so he not only spread ideas that encouraged individualism - a large part of the Renaissance, but his reforms became the basis for new freedoms in centuries to come. For example, Martin Luther King Jr.’s movements were influenced by Protestant ideas, or more specifically, Martin Luther King Jr.’s namesake: Martin Luther. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very influential man and leader of the civil rights movement during the 1950’s and 60’s- a time when King and other African Americans did not have the same basic rights as other Americans. King was a co-pastor with his father at a Baptist church (one of the many forms of the protestant religion) (Hall n.pag.). His movements were based on peaceful protests (Protestant- stemming from the word “protest”) and standing up for what he thought was right. In King’s case, it was gathering up people who knew African American’s were not being treated fairly and organizing marches and other peaceful demonstrations to try and get the government to give them equal rights as everyone else in America. Luther, on the other hand, believed the church to be straying from the core values of Christianity, and so he exposed the church with his 95 Theses and began the needed reformation in Europe. Although the