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Martin Luther, An Augustinian Monk

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Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, was the monumental figure in the Reformation movement that brought the religious Holy Roman Catholic Empire down and changed the course of the western world history and culture. Unable to keep his silence on the unscriptural and corrupt practices of the Catholic Church any longer, especially on the issue of the sale of indulgences, he defiantly nailed his hand written Ninety-five Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. In retaliation, the Catholic Church excommunicated and later condemned him as heretic when Luther refused to recant his writings.
The ripple effects of the Reformation were felt every aspect of the society including education. It marked the end of The Roman Catholic Empire and opened the door to the Protestantism. Printing press which was used as a tool in spreading Luther’s Ninety –five theses now used to distribute the Bibles translated into German and Luther’s writings to public. There was a new phenomenon of open-air preaching. The Bible was adopted as the infallible Word of God all throughout Europe. Clergies were allowed to marry. On the negative side, people who had been so oppressed by the Catholic Church took vengeance on their hands raiding churches and monasteries, stoning people praying to the statue of Mary, destroying church building and altars. As the Catholic schools closed their doors, parents no longer see the need to send their children to school. Furthermore, there was a lack of

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