Martin Luther's Impact On The Protestant Reformation

Today there are over 40,000 Christian denominations throughout the world, such as Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist. But how did all of these different forms of Christianity come to be? Considering the peaceful coexistence of all of these denominations today, it is difficult to believe that about a thousand years ago the Roman Catholic Church was the only form of Christianity allowed in Western Europe. Martin Luther had the greatest impact on the Protestant Reformation due to challenging the Pope and creating the 95 Theses. Outrage due to a series of unethical events by the Catholic Church led to the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was an attempt to purify the Catholic Church and make the bible the sole source of spiritual authority. Reformers objected to the Catholic leaderships’ practices that included selling religious positions and offering of forgiveness for sins in exchange for money. Popes were accused of wasting money for their own personal benefits and living immoral lives. The Protestant Reformation began in 1517 and shaped Christianity
Luther became a priest at the young age of 23. At age 29 while studying the bible, Luther came to the understanding that God judges man on their faith alone, and that people had to interpret the bible for themselves (Parnell). In 1517, Pope Leo X was on a mission to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In order to pay for the construction, Leo began offering indulgences in exchange for donations. Martin Luther began to notice people in poverty saving up all of their money to buy an indulgence to save a loved one who has died. Luther was in shock by what the church was doing and went to the bible for answers. Luther saw no scripture that gave the Church the right to sell passes to heaven, so he began to compose what is known today as the 95 Theses