The Corruptness of the Church and the Reformation.

During the 1300's the church became very corrupt. This was because

the clergy wanted to benefit by the selling of the indulgences. This caused

the Protestant reformation to arise. Because of the Protestant

Reformation many challenges were confronted by the church. A great

religious order was caused all around Europe.

By the end of the Middle Ages the church became very corrupt. It

became a serious problem. Priest and nuns although taking vows of

chastity still sexual relationships. Popes including Innocent VII and

Alexander VI fathered and raised children. another problem was that

many clergy members were illiterate and hardly knew how to perform basic

religious services. One reason for this was that the church was selling

positions in the clergy. They didn't even have to anything about the

position they had. Many clergy members used their positions to lead to

lives of luxury instead of being servants of God.

Disputatio pro declaratione virtutis indulgentiaru...

English: Print shows Luther burning papal bull of ...

Martin Luther, commemorated on February 18 Evangel...

Another example of the

corruption was that people began charging people to see holy relics. For

instance, Frederick I had a collection of 17,000 relics and charged to see

them. From the money he collected he built a cathedral, a castle and a

university. Frederick I was one of the many that did this. This earned

them a lot of money. Many people would pay to see the relics to show a

way of repenting of one's sins. The most profitable corrupt practice was

the selling of indulgences. Indulgences were certificates issued by the pope

and were known for canceling so, me or all punishments for a sin. Other

corrupt churchmen introduced the idea that indulgences could be

purchased for a family member that had died or whose salvation may be in

doubt. Many clergy members thought that salvation consisted on the

amount of indulgences bought. People began to feel...