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The Reformation was an era of political, social, and religious unrest and many changes were made during this period. Peoples eyes were opened to a lot of the practices and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, which before no one seemed to have thought about in a negative manner. The readings of the German, Martin Luther and Frenchman, John Calvin influenced many people to have questions about their church, its teachings and why one should believe in the theology of what they have been raised with. These two writers were undoubtedly, the main contributer's in starting such a large religious revolution of turmoil and separation throughout Europe.
They have changed society and the way people practice the Christian religion today. Although these two religious writers protested the corrupt, man-made rules and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, they surprisingly did not meet on the same level spiritually. They did not share the same beliefs about God and God s will for mankind and how to be saved so as to go to heaven, also known as salvation. Because of their contrasting views against the Catholic Church, they produced new denominations of Christianity called Calvinism and Lutherinism. Many other variations were to follow in the future.
Only a few years after Martin Luther was an ordained priest in 1507, did he begin raising questions about what was being practiced. He dealt with the structure of the church and to what exactly its moral values were. There were too many rules and ways to get to heaven in the Catholic church which were to him, completely contrivances of man and not God s Biblical plan for salvation. Martin Luther knew that these rules were not of sound doctrine. He produced a list of new list of laws so-to-speak, called the ninety-five theses, which brought question to the Catholic Apocryphal teachings and practices.
Amongst these ninety-five theses which were nailed to the outside church door in Wittenberg were the list of indulgences. Indulgences were worldly deeds of good and payments made to the church in order to save your soul from a place of suffering called purgatory. One could die and be in purgatory according to a priest and if you were a relative, you could simply make your specific donation and buy him out of his suffering to go to heaven. The whole idea was a corrupt scheme to Luther and Gods power seemed absent from the church. It was more looked upon as a business scheme to him and furthermore, it was completely contradiction to Biblical scripture. Luther s core beliefs and writings expressed that receiving God s love and acceptance will not be found with the amount of money you have given or the number of good deeds you have done.
He said that salvation was a free gift waiting to be accepted and that in no means one had to earn. The grace of God and one drawing himself near through prayer was all one needed to be saved. Luther also believed that one did not need to be an ordained priest of the Catholic Church in order to have his / her prayers heard by God. Through this change of events that occurred, the shaping of political matters were in process. King Charles the V agreed that he would consult with the diet of his empire on major foreign affairs and domestic problems that faced their well being. This action, in turn helped buy time for the Reformation because it prevented one ruler from overthrowing the German empire completely.
The use of pamphlets containing Luthers writings spread throughout the country and made the Reformation jump forward dramatically. Political movements formed because of the literature that was given to priests and princes. Because of such changes of faith with the people, the Roman Catholic Church lost much of its power due to this and was desperately seeking a retaliation against the Protestants. Protestant cities and towns were popping up and spread throughout the countryside and much later, throughout the world because of his translation of the Bible from Greek to German. On top of his translation, he took one step further to spread the word of God so that all could understand in a clear, simple, layman's Bible called the Small Catechism of 1529. The Frenchman, John Calvin was a large influence in the Protestant Reformation as well as Luther.
He, just like Luther, brought about another denomination of Christianity and make many people think about what they believed. He was a protestant reformer as well and felt compelled to deviate from the church. He became a reformer because he was introduced to the teachings of Luther while studying in Paris. Calvin's teachings were not similar to Luthers though. His theology, which was called Calvinism, stated that man is totally unable to save himself with his own good deed and worldly things that he did for God.
One was not in control of his destiny. According to Luther, you were destined for Heaven if you believed in God and lived by his commandments. Salvation was a matter of Gods own choosing. Simply stated, if God wanted you to have salvation, then you did, and nothing else could change that. If one chose to live his life for God, then there was no way for them to fail or be rejected by God until they died. Calvinism taught also that Jesus died only for the people whom God has already chosen.
Limited atonement, which this was called, was one of Calvin's most controversial doctrines that he was know for. It was difficult for those of the predominantly Catholic background to fully accept his Limited Atonement doctrine. Calvin also taught of Predestination, which is the idea that your entire life is already planned for you. He made changes to the church, which developed a pattern of church government, which today is known as Presbyterianism.
New rights toward women were also contributions that both Calvin and Luther gave to society. Women and marriage according to these men was very highly respected. Luther said how, government would virtually disappear and that, men could not do without women. Calvin s feelings towards his wife were that she was, one of the best companions of his life. (KOT 380) Their contributions toward women in society were uplifting. Calvin and Luther helped in the advancement of women to what is seen today because of their reform. They urged women to learn to read, thus expanding their education of the Bible and social-political issues as well.
In conclusion, because of the writings of these two men, an imprint of the Reformation is still seen today. France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the South of Germany, Austria, Hungary and Poland have continued to be mostly Catholic. The Protestant effects of the writings of Luther and Calvin can be seen in Scandinavia, Great Britain, and Northern Germany. Their effects on the world have been dramatic and today, many other Christian denominations exist due in large part to the influential, strong opposition to the Roman Catholic Church. 339
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