Protestant Reformation Dbq Analysis

From the time Christianity began to the time of the Protestant Reformation, for about a millennium and a half, there was only one sect of Christianity: Catholicism. After the Protestant Reformation, however, different Christian denominations sprang up in many parts of Europe. The Protestant Reformation’s beginning is most commonly associated with Martin Luther’s beliefs and his protest of the wrongdoings of the Catholic Church. Before the Reformation, the Catholic Church was more interested in raising funds for its leaders and keeping political ties healthy rather than the spiritual enhancement of the Christian people. There were problems with Catholic leadership years before during the Babylonian Captivity and the Great Schism, in which there
John Tetzel, a friar during the Protestant Reformation, stated in one of his sermons that if one buys an indulgence, it would bring his “divine and mortal soul safe and sound into the land of paradise,” (Document 2). Tetzel was one of the more powerful and well-known advocates of indulgences; it can be deducted that, because of his prestige in the Catholic Church, Tetzel’s opinion on the sale of indulgences is representative of that of most, if not all, Catholic leaders. Martin Luther, in his 95 Theses, strongly opposes this idea, believing that “those preachers of indulgences are in error who say that by the indulgences of the Pope a man is freed and saved from all punishments,” (Document 3). At the time the Church had several architectural projects they wanted to complete, including St. Peter’s Plaza in Rome. To fund projects like St. Peter’s Plaza, the Church needed money. Many clergy members also stole the indulgence money from the Church and used it to benefit themselves. The Church knew the intelligence behind the sale of indulgences. If Catholic leaders told Christians that purchasing indulgences or making donations to the Roman Catholic Church would help either themselves or a deceased love one get out of purgatory and into heaven by forgiving their sins, then the funds to build extravagant churches and facilities would quickly be raised. This idea
“We must resist the lust of the flesh,” wrote John Calvin (Document 6). Calvin was leading an entire religion and sought to correct the corruption of the Catholic Church. In writing this statement, he set an example to all of the Calvinists in Europe; he made sure that everyone knew it was immoral for religious people to act worldly and promiscuously, such as the Catholic priests had been doing. His position as the founder of Calvinism made his opinion on this issue widely known and widely accepted, which further spread the awareness of the corruption of the Catholic clergy. “You blind bishops and mad priests and monks… lead a life of splendor and pride, until the poor common folk can bear it no longer,” (Document 5). In this statement, Martin Luther is accusing the clergy of using their powers as church leaders to benefit themselves financially rather than using profits to give back to the people. Because Martin Luther was the figurehead of the Protestant Reformation, a statement like this would weigh heavily on the public’s hearts and draw massive amounts of attention. In making this statement, Luther would help Christians realize that the problems of the Catholic Church are not solely caused by the main leaders, such as the Pope, but are also caused by the unjust actions of the friars and priests in the small towns and villages. This statement brought to light the reality of the injustices