The Story of Martin Luther - History's most important reformer

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THE STORY OF MARTIN LUTHER"Hier stehe. Ich kann nicht anders."The moment Martin Luther said those words has been one of the greatest moments in the modern history of man. Refusing to admit guilt for what had repeatedly published over the prior four years, Luther, a German monk, was directly challenging the authority of Western Christendom and the man believed by Catholics to be the human representative of God on Earth: the Pop, more specifically Pope Leo X. Luther was doing just what his ancestors, the Goths, had done centuries before: challenging the power of Rome. But in the 16th century, Rome was not a simple of Roman Authority, but of Christ and Christianity. Luther's word and actions would change the course of history.

In order to finance wars and entice young men to fight, the church began selling "indulgences" around the time of the Crusades. The concept behind an indulgence, a simple sealed letter, was straightforward: Anyone purchasing an indulgence would receive "complete absolute and remission of all sins," and "preferential treatment for future sins".

Although the idea or purchasing salvation was appealing to nearly everyone, some questioned the promise the indulgence made and the use of the money raised. Those concerns and doubts increased as pope began spend more money on art, extravagant churches (such as St. Peters in Rome) and what many thought were unnecessary luxuries. The position of pope was not universally worshiped. Antipapal feeling was high, especially in Germany, a country whose reputation in Western Europe was bolstered by the discovery of movable type by Johann Gutenberg in Mainz and by the tremendously powerful Fugger Bank. The abuses by the clergy deeply distressed some leading philosophers, like Erasmus, the Humanist. Even church leaders were critical of their own. One about describe the behaviour...