The Protestant Reformation : The Path To The Protestant Reformation

The protestant reformation was a significant turning point during the 16th century that completely revolutionized the Roman Catholic Church. The “reformation” was launched in 1517 when a German monk by the name of Martin Luther posted his “95 Theses” on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg. The main ideas of this publication was that selling and buying indulgences was wrong and that the pope has no power over purgatory. These 95 revolutionary opinions formed the basis for the protestant reformation which revolutionized western civilization over the next three centuries. Although most people believe these reforms only affected religion, the reformation also impacted political life. Politics played an enormous role in the reformation due to the fact that political rulers wanted to extend their power and control using the church. Throughout the course of the protestant reformation, political authorities such as Emperor Charles V and Henry

The Protestant Reformation was initiated when reforms challenged the pope and the Catholic Church. The reformers encouraged the power and politics be given to those reading and preaching the bible. They also wanted to purify the church and believed the bible and not tradition was the sole source of authority. One of the biggest contributions to this reform was the use of the printing press to spread the word. I always knew religion and "church" held significant power and wealth, but I was unaware of how much control religion had over countries, almost as if it was its own country without borders.

The Reformation had an impact on Europe by allowing its citizens to have the ability to learn the Bible on their own, as well as, enabling government to free itself from Catholic rule. The Protestant Reformation was a movement against the unruly ways of the Catholic Church and the ways that they were abusing the people under their influence. According to Luther, he wanted the Catholic Church to change their ways and freeze all actions that obtained money for abolishment of sins (Luther, 2011). Martin Luther also saw, after a visit to Rome, that the clergy had too much power and should relinquish some of that power to help the people.

The Protestant Reformation period took place from the 1500s to the 1600s. This reformation was a change in the Roman Catholic Church. It happened due to some priests' and believers' opinions that contradicted a few of the Catholic Church's ideals and practices. It separated the former Catholic religion into branches; including Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Calvinism, and Anabaptism, each branch having different, although very similar, beliefs. Lutheranism, for example, is very different from Calvinism. These newly created branches changed Church unity forever and they have survived and grown for centuries.

There are many similarities between Pippins Escape and Hurricane Katrina, but there are also a lot of differences. In Pippin’s Escape, it is a story about a cat who is stuck in the attic and has lost its owner, and is now dreaded in water. Hurricane Katrina was not about a cat who had lost its owner and was dreaded in the water. One similarity between the two was that it was a terrifying event. It was terrifying for people and animals as well.

Between the years of 1517-1648 is said to be the one of the greatest turning points in European History. That was due to the Protestant Reformation. This was considered the 16th Century religious, political, intellectual, and cultural change that caused break up in European Catholic Church. That set in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in modern era. The Protestant Reformation created the different Protestant denominations we know today. Had it not been for the reformation our eyes may not have ever been opened to the new faith based beliefs developed by the reformers.

The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformation in western and central Europe officially began in 1517 with Martin Luther and his 95 Theses. This was a debate over the Christian religion. At the time there was a difference in power. Roman Catholicism stands with the Pope as central and appointed by God. Luther’s arguments referred to a direct relationship with God and using the local vernacular to speak to the people. Luther’s arguments remove the absolute power from the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church in general. The revenue from the taxes paid to the Church would be reduced with Luther’s ideas, in part because of

Views on religion usually range from deep impression on the matter to almost no opinion at all. However during the 16th century, religion was an extreme part of society and the public, especially during the Protestant Reformation. This reformation was a Christian fluctuation that took place in the 16th Century and was not only a religious movement, but a political, cultural and social development was well . Growing discomfort was a major origin due to a wide range of people becoming unhappy with ways of the church. Likewise, sermon confusion was established as another cause because people discovered that some priests were mistranslating sermons for their own greed. Finally, many important people, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, rose

The protestant reformation happened at the moment that it did because the Catholic Church was very a powerful force in Europe. It controlled people lives both spiritually and temporally. The church had so much power that it maintained political control over a large portion of Italy. The fact that the church held so much control over countries and governments became a point of contention among European countries such as the Holy Roman Empire, Italian city-states outside of Rome, England, France and Spain. The power of the rulers of these areas had greatly increased in the 14th century and they were eager to take the chances offered by a Reformation to weaken the grip of the Catholic Church in Europe and also to develop their own powers across the European continent. For quite some time the Catholic Church had been an institution rampant with internal struggles. Such as the Avignon Papacy from 1309 to 1377 when seven popes opted to live in Avignon, France and not reside in Rome which was and is the traditional home of the Papacy. The Pope and other high ranking church officials often lived opulent lifestyles rather than a more austere lifestyle that should befit a spiritual leader. Many church leaders and Popes maintained political powers. They led armies, waged wars and made many political decisions. Church offices were sold, and many Popes and bishops practiced nepotism to fill church offices. With all of these worldly issues for the Pope

            Historians can agree that Christians were growing impatient with the Roman Catholic church and wanted change from within the religion. Citizens of the time did not agree with many of the actions of the church and found them absurd. Many reformers of the time saw that priests neglected their duties of the church, and took their power to another level. Popes and members of the clergy lived very expensive life styles, and the church would have very ornate and elaborate paintings which would cost a fortune.  To pay for these fees, the church increased the prices of marriages and baptisms and promoted indulgences, which was a payment demolishing your sins granting people “Tickets to Heaven”. The official spark of the Protestant Revolution was when Martin Luther plastered his 95 Thesis on the door of the Roman

In 1527, King Henry VIII of England filed for divorce from his wife, Catherine. As insignificant as this event may seem, it actually marked the beginning of a religious and political reform from the corrupted Roman Catholic Church: the English Reformation. The English Reformation wasn’t the only movement that led to the separation from the Catholic Church, though. The Protestant Reformation, starting only ten years before the English Reformation did, first recognized the corruption of the Catholic Church. The English Reformation noticed the corruptions of the Catholic Church, but was more focused on creating new political and religious authority. Both of these reformations relate to one another greatly, but are still considered to be individual movements. Papal authority was stripped during these reformations, and all of Europe lived differently afterwards. While Catholicism still existed after the reformations and is still practiced today, many new religions exist today as an effect of the reformations. The political power that the Church held diminished and was replaced by the English state. Both the Protestant Reformation and English Reformation impacted the political power and religion of the Catholic Church and all of Europe. Without these movements, Christian religion would not be what it is today.

The intent of this paper is to evaluate the distinct character and quality of the expressions of the Protestant Reformation. This paper will discuss Lutheran Reformation, The Anabaptist, and The English Puritans as well as the Catholic Reformation also known as the Counter Reformation. It is the hope that after the reader has had the opportunity to view each of the characteristics and the expressions of each of the reformation the reader will have a better understanding of each and will be able to articulate the differences of each.

The Protestant Reformation was a pivotal time of European history that occurred during the 16th century. The Protestant Reformation was comprised of people called “reformers” that challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice (“The Reformation”). The Protestant Reformation was revolutionary due to the fact that the reformers preached against everything the Catholic Church had been teaching. Some famous reformers are John Calvin and Martin Luther. However, Martin Luther-- to some--- is named the most successful and influential reformer of the 16th century. Martin Luther was tremendously effective and influential due to how resourceful he was, and his teachings spread across Europe swiftly.

To begin, the Protestant Reformation began in reaction to the Catholic Church’s rather corrupt practices. Prior to the Reformation, the only major Christian denomination in Western Europe at the time was Catholicism, headed by the Pope in Rome. Through many acts of violence such as the formation of the Spanish Inquisition and the slaughter of the Cathars, amongst others, Europe’s Monarchs had wiped out and suppressed any form of religious competition. With the Catholic Church holding a tight stranglehold over Europe, Catholicism was the only option. This allowed

The Catholic Reformation was the response of the Protestant movement in the sixteenth century. By the sixteenth century, many people lost the trust for the Catholic Church because it was corrupt. Popes and Cardinals became involved in politics and were more like kings than spiritual leaders and Nepotism was rampant. This loss of trust led people to moved on into other branches of Christianity which includes, Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Anabaptism. Catholic Church’s realized it needed to re-establish itself, thus beginning the Catholic Reformation. The Catholic Reformation was successful because it triggered the start of The Society of Jesus and The Council of Trent which helped resolve the church’s corruption through education,