Comparing and Contrasting two World Famous Politic Essay Example

how he believed the Church should carry itself.

Throughout his life, Martin Luther had limited faith in God, both before and during his involvement with the Church. His beliefs were based on personal experiences with God, which often involved feelings of abandonment. Consequently, Luther engaged in self-punishment such as starvation to purify himself from perceived impurities in the eyes of God. He believed that true faith cleanses the soul and inspires love and worship for God, leading to a desire for purification in all aspects of life (Luther, 22). This perspective influenced Luther's view on the relationship between man and God.

Despite his conflicts with God, Luther remained dedicated to helping others find their own peace with Him by spreading his interpretation of the Bible. Experiencing corruption within the Catholic Church further motivated Luther to support oppressed individuals facing struggles involving the Church. To achieve this goal, he preached a new understanding of God's message that emphasized justification and salvation through accepting His grace by faith in His Word rather than through works or adherence to laws.

Luther stressed attributing all glory to God because He saves us through His mercy and grace when we believe rather than our own righteousness (Luther, 26). In Luther's belief system, having faith in God and establishing a personal connection with Him should be sufficient for salvation.He disagreed with the Church's practice of using individuals' donations or religious involvement to condemn them to Hell, viewing it as an unfair method of exerting control over people and enforcing their own beliefs.

Luther advocated for the people's right to select their own pastors, as a means to counteract corruption in the church. This concept was

embraced by the free cities, who viewed it as an opportunity to evade taxes and assert their authority over the church. The nobles also saw Luther's perspectives and religious teachings as a method of restraining the church's influence within their territories. Similarly, the individual towns, feeling besieged by the church's dominance, believed that it wielded excessive control over them.

Machiavelli and Luther held contrasting views on individuals, the state, and God. In his work The Prince, Machiavelli emphasized the importance of an individual's word as their most crucial attribute. He asserted that princes who achieved great accomplishments often did so through manipulation and breaking promises. Machiavelli regarded individuals in a negative light, perceiving them as either indolent or deceitful. Furthermore, he acknowledged that those who attained power through skill faced difficulties in obtaining and maintaining it. These concepts were influenced by medieval Christian tradition which acknowledged human frailty and moral decay. Nevertheless, this did not imply that government was superfluous; rather, it was believed that government should regulate personal liberties to prevent further vulnerability and corruption.

Machiavelli believes that rulers must possess both strength and slyness in order to succeed. Merely being strong is not enough to avoid the traps set by enemies; cunningness is also required. This is especially important for new princes who are tested during war, as their intelligence determines whether they can win without significant losses. The composition of armies used by a prince includes their own people, mercenaries, auxiliaries, or a mix of troops. However, Machiavelli finds mercenaries and auxiliaries useless and dangerous. Relying on them will never achieve stability or security because they are disunited, ambitious, undisciplined, and disloyal. Despite their

bravery among friends, they become cowards when faced with enemies (Machiavelli 41-42). Therefore new princes face the dilemma of going into battle with unreliable mercenaries and auxiliaries or risking losing conquered land to enemies.

In The Prince's beginning, Machiavelli introduces two types of government: monarchies and republics. He aims to convince readers that having a prince is more advantageous than having a republic in terms of governance.He asserts that the value of a prince's associates, rather than the qualities possessed by the prince himself, determines the desirability of this type of government. Many readers believed The Prince to be a satirical critique of rulers like Caesar Borgia. However, this belief was disproven when an uncovered letter from Machiavelli revealed his intention for writing The Prince - to gain favor with the ruling Medici family in Florence. Both Luther and Machiavelli shed light on their respective worlds through The Prince and Christian Liberty. These two books enlightened their generations, whether through political standing or sparking the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation. The roles played by God, the individual, and the state were crucial during the Renaissance and remain integral parts of everyday life. This is why Luther and Machiavelli believed it was essential to expose injustices caused by these three influential factors in people's lives. Through their teachings and writings, they expressed their political and religious viewpoints while garnering support for change. Both Luther and Machiavelli became icons in religion and politics - altering governments and reshaping the world itself. As eloquently stated by Luther: "A man does not live solely for himself in this mortal body; instead he lives for all men on earth... he lives

only for others." (Luther, 27)

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