Martin Luther King Jr.


The reformation began within the Catholic Church . On Oct. 31, 1517 ,
Martin Luther a professor and a monk of theology, posted his 95 Theses on the
Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany . This theses were series that attacked the
sale of indulgences . Luther criticized what he considered other abuses in the
church . Luther taught that God justifies human beings . What Luther meant was
that God makes them righteous through His kindness to the people .


In Jan. 1521, Pope leo X excommunicated Luther and declared him a heretic .
Emperor Charles V and the members of the imperial diet ordered Luther to appear
before the diet in the Worms, Germany .In May 1521 , the emperor signed the
Edict of the Worms , a document which declared Luther to be an outlaw whom
anyone could kill without protest . Frederick the Wise protected Luther. Luther
continued to the Protestant movement until his death in 1546.

Reformation

Reformation was a religious movement of the 1500's that led to
Protestantism . This movement had an impact on social, political, and economic
life . Before the reformation , Europe had been held together by the
universalism of the Catholic Church and the claim of the Holy Roman emperor .
After the reformation Europe had several large Prostant churches and smaller
Protestant religious groups .

From the result of the Reformation ,Europe was divided btwn the Catholic
counties of the south and the Protestant countries of the north. This diversity
of religious life created a mood of religious toleration and the respect for the
importance of individual conscience . The Reformation also stimulated many
reforms within the Catholic Church .

Martin Luther believed that he can change something that he believed in .
Martin protested some of the practices in the Catholic church . He stood up for
what he wanted to change . He had enough guts to stand and protest what was
wrong . People around the world protest for what they believe in and stand up
for their rights . Our past history influence us everyday . We go through the
same things they went through .