Luthers Rebellion

The Reformation of the church was a movement begun by Martin Luther due to dissatisfaction with Catholic practices, that challenged papal authority, took new forms of religious traditions, and focused more of the original texts of the Bible in the sixteenth century. Criticism of the church’s worst practices arose as the papacy abused their power, and Christians became reform minded.   The spread of these new reformed ideas was helped by the invention of the printing press during the Renaissance.  
In medieval times people were taught that the only way they could get to heaven was if the Roman Catholic Church let them, giving the church total control.   However, the leadership of the papacy declined as popes became more temporally preoccupied during the Renaissance.   Renaissance popes failed to provide spiritual leadership as they focused their concerns on finances.   High church officials grew wealthy through practices of nepotism, or through the profits of pluralism, in which church officials held multiple offices.   Due to pluralism these secular- minded priests ignored their duties and paid subordinates to run their office, known as absenteeism.   One complaint of absenteeism was the failure to assure the people of their salvation.   This caused the salvation process to become mechanical.   The people were guaranteed salvation through the purchase of indulgences, which were sold to reduce ones time in purgatory, making the church even more wealthy.   Others sought salvation through Modern Devotion, which followed the teachings of Jesus.   As the people began to seek assurance of salvation the clergy’s inability to provide it was exposed.  
  The Catholic Church was morally corrupt.   Monasteries were in a state of decline as they led lives of greed and became deficient in spiritual interests.   There was a call for reform in church and society.   Religion had become entangled with the social, economic, and political forces of the period.   Several movements arose that...