history essay martin luther – Flashcards

The action of Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses was an important event in history. Martin Luther was monk who had new ideas about God. The 95 Thesis established new theologies and challenged the Catholic Church's teachings. Martin Luther posted hid theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church on 31st of October, 1517.

Several causes of this action included Martin Luther's own changing theological perspective, the wrongful selling of indulgences, and the way the Catholic Church conducted funds for the re-building of St Peters Basilica. This action also had many consequences. Martin Luther was trialed and excommunicated, it sparked the German Peasant war and it began the Protestantism faith.

Firstly, this action was caused by Martin Luther's own changing theological perspective. Whilst studying at Wittenberg, Luther found life as a mink very difficult. He couldn't understand his relationship with God and felt that every attempt to prove his worthiness seemed to fail. Why would God create humans with sin, only to punish them for it? He felt God had abandoned him and became furious with God and himself. These feelings of anger and confusion compelled him to read deeper into scripture. He read Matthew 11:29-30, "For I am gentle and humble and you shall have rest for your lives. The burden I ask you to accept is easy; the load I ask you to carry is light". This taught Luther that you didn't have to bear your sins alone. God frees you from your guilt and doesn't want you to hold onto it. However this was not what the church was implying which caused Luther to post the 95 theses. This was a cause because it made Luther want to establish key principles that he and others could actually understand and live by. It was also a cause because it made Luther want to demolish the Church's tradition of bearing the guilt of sins, which he could achieve through the theses.

Another cause was the wrongful selling of indulgences. Indulgences were slips of paper people bought to free themselves and others from sin. When people paid money, the Church leaders would grant their loved ones time off purgatory. Again through scripture, Martin Luther realized this was wrong. Ephesians 2:8, "Salvation is granted from grace through faith, and that is not from yourself, it is God's gift". Martin Luther now knew that the Church's actions were corrupt. This was a cause because Luther needed people to know God didn't endorse these payments. The Church's teachings were wrong an people shouldn't fell obliged to take part in them.