Martin Luther's 95 Theses Analysis

Martin Luther argued that indulgences could not allow a Christian to be saved from punishment in his “95 Theses.” An indulgence was a lessening of a soul would have to spend in purgatory. People of the Middle Ages paid for these in order to go to Heaven, and this did not make sense to Martin Luther. He then read and interpreted the Bible and found nothing about paying indulgences. His twenty-first thesis states, “Thus those preachers of indulgences are in error who say that by the indulgences of the Pope a man is freed

As a young man Luther struggled with his conscious and finding peace with God. During some very difficult years while living in the monastery he would discover that the more he tried to do for God, the more he became aware of his own sinfulness. However, he would get the opportunity to study the Bible as a professor of Biblical Theology at the University of Wittenberg. It was there, while studying the bible over several years, that he would conclude that there was nothing he could do to obtain Salvation through the rules of monastic life, works of men, or by anything other than the Scriptures alone by Grace through Faith alone. He now understood saving faith based on the promises of God found in the Word of God. The free Grace of God for sinners was the revived message that Luther and the Reformers stressed to anyone who would listen. Luther made it clear that it was a falsehood to believe that only the the pope may interpret scripture, but rather the whole community should be able to interpret scripture. A message that was welcomed and readily accepted by

By looking at his word choice, Luther was not trying to expose the church or start a war. Rather, he was attempting to open scholarly debate and discussion to help improve the church and show them their wrongs. The 95 Theses was an attempt to reform the church. Reformation is based on the word “Reform” meaning” Make changes in (something, especially an institution or practice) in order to improve it(oxford)”. He wanted to help the church; to improve it and make it better. Luther’s theses were misinterpreted by the church. Because they did not understand, Luther was forced to take a

Martin Luther was critical of indulgences because according to the text, "[it] was currently being preached near Wittenberg to help raise funds for the rebuilding of Saint Peter’s in Rome." (pg. 327) People were going out of their way to pay for these so-called "golden ticket ' to heaven and the Church profiting from it all.

Luther wrote about his ideas because he saw several faults in how the church was run. He didn't do anything for personal gain, but rather for the good of Christians as he thought the churches had taken away the bases of Christianity. For example, they started selling letter of indulgences, which is something he disagreed on majorly as it is never mentioned in the bible. Luther didn't think it was right that the church could judge you and grant you forgiveness if you paid them, and he thought the only one who could judge anyone was God himself. According to Luther, God didn't care about any letter of indulgences, only your actions.

Martin Luther was a monk in the early 1500s, some of his most historical impacts consisted of the writing of his 95 theses, his excommunication from the Catholic Church, and when he founded the Lutheran Church. What most people do not know is that Martin’s father wanted him to become a lawyer and took Martin’s joining into the church as an act of rebellion (Biography.com). Martin Luther was only 34 when he made his first big contribution to history, which was writing his 95 Theses. The reason Luther wrote this document in 1517 was because he did not agree with the Catholic Church selling indulgences. Indulgences are a payment people would make to the Church instead of serving their penance, and their sins would be forgiven.

The reformation encompassed a period where individuals contended with religions due to the individual’s interpretation. Ones interpretation of the scripture during the reformation had the capability to revolutionize churches as with Martin Luther’s own interpretation of the scripture. During the time of Martin Luther, the Catholic Church exploited the paranoia of its followers with the selling of indulgences. “Indulgences began as monetary gifts of charity as an expression of gratitude in exchange for forgiveness .” As time progressed the church began to sell indulgencies for those wishing to spend less time in purgatory. The low point for indulgences occurred when the church issued them for the dead. As illustrated, the living and the dead

While facing a life threatening situation, Luther vowed to become a monk if he was to survive, and he went through with his promise (“About Martin…”). After entering the monastery and studying theology, however, Luther began realizing the problems and corruption he saw in the Church. More specifically, he began to realize these ideas when he began his first lectures on the Psalms in 1513 (Whitford). Through his lecturing and disparity to find the truth, Luther came to the realization that it would not be the Church that guarantees his eternal life, but instead his own faith (“About Martin…”). As the staff at history.com, a well-known academic website, states, already during this time there were some theologians and scholars that had begun questioning the practices of the Catholic Church and its morality.

After Martin Luther grew of more knowledge of knowing about what paying indulgences meant he went on to writing a letter to his church hoping to get rid of this problem.In the letter Martin Luther wrote about ninety-five theses which was ninety-five things Martin Luther thought was wrong with the church.One of the things Martin Luther critizied the church about was the power of the pope, Luther said that the pope could not forgive the sinner for God only the pope could awnser for himself.Luther went on to say

At this time, Christians were buying indulgences from the Roman Catholic Church as a way to “pay off” their sins. Luther denounces this practice immediately in his works. Theses 17 states, “Those who believe that they can be secure in their salvation through indulgence letters will be eternally damned along with their teachers.” I cannot imagine Luther’s frustration in watching devout Christians spend money they did not have to purchase a paper he perceived to be meaningless. Luther brings up multiple times that those who spend their money on indulgences as opposed to using it for charitable deeds, such as feeding the poor, is committing a sin. I interpret this as buying indulgences is a way to “plead” with God for one’s forgiveness, but going out and spending your time and money on God’s chosen people is a way to grow in

A long history of corruption caused people to view the Catholic Church as a for-profit organization rather than God’s voice on Earth. By the Renaissance, the Catholic Church had already lost much of its power over secular rulers but still held leverage over the masses. This authority naturally paved the way for corruption. The most outrageous form of corruption practiced by the Church was the sale of indulgences. An indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment still due for a sin that has been sacramentally absolved. One of the ways the Church would generate income was by selling them. The notion started off innocently enough; it stemmed from the idea that punishment for crimes could be converted to payments of money, in essence, a fine (Simon 35). However, it soon spiraled out of control as the Church used indulgences simply to gain money, as when Pope Leo X needed money for the construction of St. Peter’s basilica (Duiker and Spielvogel 429). People began to view salvation as something that could be bought; they could go out and sin on Saturday night, then simply pay for it monetarily Sunday morning. To encourage people to buy more indulgences, the Church even claimed that indulgences could be bought on behalf of those already dead and in purgatory (Sporre 378). This blatant victimization was what spurred Martin Luther to write his Ninety-Five Theses,

According to Merriam Webster, racism is a belief that race is the primary determination of human traits and capacities that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, this novel is set during the Great Depression. A African American man named Tom Robinson was accused of rape. The victim according to the town of Macomb is Mayella Ewell. Atticus takes the case but at the cost of being criticized by the town of Maycomb, AL. A central theme in TKAM is racial prejudice shown in the trial, Calpurnia’s church and by the social ladder.

Romans belonged to an ancient culture where both religion and law took place. However, religion played much higher role in their life. Hannibal is the text that can easily prove that the religion but not the law was in favor for Roman culture. The reason why Romans should honor Romulus is that he founded Rome. However, by the will of heaven, his code was incommensurate with Romans’ greatness: “If it be true, as no one doubts, that the Roman people excelled all other nations in warlike merit…”.

Martin Luther's contribution to the Church could easily be dismissed because he is well known as anti-Semitic. In truth, he was, as most people are, more complicated than this. Luther is a wonderful example of the Grace of God using imperfect people. Luther is history's best proponent of justification by grace, yet some of his views did not always reflect God's love. God has not changed, He still chooses the average person to advance His kingdom. And why shouldn't He, we are all He's got!

Vincent Van Gogh was one of the most noteworthy and influential figures in the history of art, producing great paintings in his time by expressing his emotions such as Starry Night, which has captured the hearts of millions. He was a unique and unusual man and had led a troubled life. Van Gogh once said that he had put his heart and soul into his artworks and had lost his mind in the process.