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Why did Martin Luther object to the state of the Catholic Church?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
A:
There were few periods in the long history of the Catholic Church when corruption was more openly present than during the Renaissance period. The sale of indulgences was becoming a prime source of personal income for popes, cardinals and bishops, as were the sale of ecclesiastical offices and the imposition of many corrupt fees and charges.
In 1514, Albrecht of Brandenburg had been raised to the archdiocese of Mainz, but since he intended not to surrender his previous diocese of Magdeburg, and was also under the canonical age to be a bishop, the pope was able to insist on a considerable fee. He agreed in return that 50 per cent of the monies raised from the preaching of the indulgence in Albrecht's two dioceses could be set against this sum. This shoddy deal, made more offensive by the vigour and lack of sophistication with which the indulgence was preached around Magdeburg by the Dominican friar Tetzel, spurred Luther to action.
Catholic AnswerMartin Luther objections to the state of the Catholic Church were primarily through ignorance. Attached at the link below is a list of Martin Luther's 95 Theses. A casual glance through all 95 Theses reveals a startling ignorance in Martin Luther. Many of his requests are actually (and were at that time) perfectly valid Catholic theology. Others were totally off the wall, and made no sense. Martin Luther, unbeknownst to himself, was a primary illustration of the problem in the Church at that time - abysmal education of the clergy. This was the first problem that the Council of Trent addressed. At the second link is a list of the 95 Theses to which the Pope objected. Reading through the entire 95 Theses is quite enlightening as the theses to which the Pope did NOT object are actually quite offensive to modern protestants!Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago.
Catholic AnswerMartin Luther strongly objected to the Catholic Church, because the Catholic Church speaks with the voice of Jesus Christ and preaches morality. Martin Luther broke all of his vows, lived in outrageous sin, and didn't like being told that God would disapprove of him, so he made his own morality and his own Church to preach it. Unfortunately for Martin Luther, God is no fool, and will always have the last word.Add your answer:
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What were the indulgences and why did Martin Luther object to them?
Indulgences were what the church was selling, it was forgiveness.. people had to pay the church to be forgiven. Martin Luther objected to them because he belived that the church was wrong and that the bible had the last word, because it was the word of god. He belived that if someone was really sorry they would be forgiven.
What policy did Martin Luther object of the Catholic Church which prompted him to write and post his Ninety-Five Theses?
His cause of posting the 95 theses was because of the selling of indulgences. Indulgences was a thing that would take you directly to heaven even though you did a bad thing. Did this help:D
When was the reformation of the church?
The reformation did not have a particular date or year...in a way it happened gradually...Martin Luther was the trigger and kind of pushed the refomation to finalisation. If you had to put on a year on it...it would be in 1517! Thanks! :) The reformation did not have a particular date or year...in a way it happened gradually...Martin Luther was the trigger and kind of pushed the refomation to finalisation. If you had to put on a year on it...it would be in 1517! Thanks! :)
What are four complaints people had about the Catholic Church before the Reformation?
A:Simony Often involving the sale of church offices and of indulgences, this precipitated the Reformation.Nepotism This involved granting church positions to the illegitimate children of bishops, cardinals and popes.Sexual abuse, especially solicitation in the confessional and child abuse. Brundage ('Law, Sex and Christian Society', cited by Doyle, Sipe and Wall in 'Sex, Priests and Secret Codes', says that "the sexual habits of the Roman Catholic clergy, according to reformers, were a sewer of iniquity, a scandal to the laity, and a threat of damnation to the clergy themselves."Catholic AnswerThe two main abuses that led to the protestant revolt (known as the reformation to protestants and secular scholars) were: 1) "the odious greed for money manifested by the Roman Curia", and 2) the appalling ignorance of the clergy, even those teaching the clergy. Pope Leo X was the perfect example of the former and Martin Luther the perfect example of the later..from the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Pope Leo XThe most important occurrence of Leo's pontificate and that of gravest consequence to the Church was the Reformation, which began in 1517. We cannot enter into a minute account of this movement, the remote cause of which lay in the religious, political, and social conditions of Germany. It is certain, however, that the seeds of discontent amid which Luther threw his firebrand had been germinating for centuries. The immediate cause was bound up with the odious greed for money displayed by the Roman Curia, and shows how far short all efforts at reform had hitherto fallen. Albert of Brandenburg, already Archbishop of Magdeburg, received in addition the Archbishopric of Mainz and the Bishopric of Hallerstadt, but in return was obliged to collect 10,000 ducats, which he was taxed over and above the usual confirmation fees. To indemnify him, and to make it possible to discharge these obligations Rome permitted him to have preached in his territory the plenary indulgence promised all those who contributed to the new St. Peter's; he was allowed to keep one half the returns, a transaction which brought dishonour on all concerned in it. Added to this, abuses occurred during the preaching of the Indulgence. The money contributions, a mere accessory, were frequently the chief object, and the "Indulgences for the Dead" became a vehicle of inadmissible teachings. That Leo X, in the most serious of all the crises which threatened the Church, should fail to prove the proper guide for her, is clear enough from what has been related above. He recognized neither the gravity of the situation nor the underlying causes of the revolt. Vigorous measures of reform might have proved an efficacious antidote, but the pope was deeply entangled in political affairs and allowed the imperial election to overshadow the revolt of Luther; moreover, he gave himself up unrestrainedly to his pleasures and failed to grasp fully the duties of his high office.
What were Luther's three main ideas?
Martin Luther believed that Christians are saved by grace through faith in God, and that grace alone., not by the selling or buying of indulgences, not by doing good works, and certainly not through the viewing or touching of ancient relics. This belief greatly contradicted the beliefs of the Catholic Church and their practices of selling indulgences, and collecting money from the people to view relics. Although Martin Luther was the first leader to openly depart from the Roman Catholic church, he did not originally set out to start his own church. Rather, Luther was a committed church man who sought discussion and change in the church. As a monk, Luther struggled to understand his relationship to God, and felt unworthy of God's attention. His eventual conclusion was that he was not worthy of approaching God. Thus, any understanding and especially salvation was not deserved or earned in any way, but was purely a gift of grace from God. "... all that the Pope decrees and does I will receive on condition that I first test it by the Holy Scriptures." Martin Luther (1520) in Snyder, p. 41 This led him to make several critiques of the Roman Catholic church, which included: * Luther emphasized the doctrine of justification by grace through faith. This emphasis on "faith alone" was a significant shift in perspective. In particular, it undercut the selling of "indulgences," artifacts sold by the church as symbols of religious devotion. By criticizing this practice Luther challenged an important source of revenue for the church. * Pushed by the church hierarchy and backed by some of the German nobility, Luther rejected the authority of the Pope. He suggested that the Bible alone should be the guide for Christian life, and that German Christians did not need to listen (or pay taxes!) to the Pope in Italy. * Luther also disagreed with the idea that priests were needed to approach God on behalf of the people. Rather, he proposed a priesthood of all believers, saying that people could communicate with God directly. * Luther insisted that the church should use the common language of the people, and not Latin as was the practice in the Roman Catholic tradition. As a result, Luther led Mass in German and even translated the entire Bible into this European language. As you can see, Luther's conclusions had profound religious, political, and economic implications. It is hardly surprising that the Pope and the Roman Catholic church responded as they did. These issues provide important background for the beliefs and difficulties of the early Anabaptists. Luther believed that ordinary citizens did not have a right to overturn their own government, however just the cause. So Luther sided with the German princes in using force against an uprising of the peasants in 1525. Luther even wrote a tract against what he called, "The Murderous and Thieving Hordes of Peasants." He urged using unrestrained violence in putting the peasants down. If the peasant is in open rebellion, then he is outside the law of God, for rebellion is not simply murder, but it is like a great fire which attacks and lays waste a whole land. Thus, rebellion brings with it a land full of murder and bloodshed, makes widows and orphans, and turns everything upside down. Therefore let everyone who can, smite, slay, and stab, secretly or openly, remembering that nothing can be more poisonous, hurtful or devilish than a rebel. It is just as when one must kill a mad dog. If you don't strike him, he will strike you. These times are so extraordinary that a prince can win heaven more easily by bloodshed than by prayer. Luther believed that the German princes should use their power against the Jewish minority living in Germany. He urged his German allies to drive Jewish people from their homes, burn their synagogues and books, and institute total segregation in the land. Luther is quoted favorably by just about everyone in professing Christianity. Evangelicals and Fundamentalists often refer to him as a champion of "Justification By Faith ALONE." However, that is only half the story. It is absolutely amazing that very few seem to realize that Luther in fact believed that we are saved by "faith alone through baptism." However, you can't have it both ways at the same time -- "Faith Alone" and "Faith through Baptism." The addition of "through baptism" in effect contradicts "faith alone." In reality, Luther did not hold to JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE! If he had really held to this, he would have rejected the doctrine of "baptismal regeneration." He did not! In fact, Luther called for the death of those (Anabaptists) who outspokenly believed in JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE and practiced BELIEVER'S BAPTISM. To get away from a gospel of works salvation, Luther referred to baptism as "God's Work" and not a work that man does. However, the OBJECT of Luther's faith was not Christ ALONE, but CHRIST plus BAPTISM. That is ANOTHER GOSPEL!!! "He always [the Christian] has enough to do to believe firmly what Baptism promises and brings -- victory over death and the devil, forgiveness of sin, God's grace, the entire Christ, and the Holy Spirit with his gifts. In short the blessings of Baptism are so boundless ... Now here in Baptism there is brought free to every man's door just such a priceless medicine which swallows up death and saves the lives of all men. To appreciate and use Baptism aright, we must draw strength and comfort from it when our sins or conscience oppress us, and we must retort, "But I am baptized! And if I am baptized, I have the promise that I shall be saved and have eternal life, both in soul and body." ... No greater jewel, therefore, can adorn our body and soul than Baptism, for through it we obtain perfect holiness and salvation, which no other kind of life and no work on earth can acquire" (pp. 85-86). (Bold added.) Luther believed that through baptism one becomes a Christian. And, thus, it resulted in salvation on the basis of "faith alone." Communion was for maintenance. Luther taught that through communion, one received forgiveness of sins that threatened one's relationship with Christ and strength for Christian living: Martin Luther's major departures from Roman Catholic doctrine were based on these beliefs: · Baptism - Although Luther retained that Baptism was necessary for spiritual regeneration, no specific form was stipulated. Today Lutherans practice both infant baptism and baptism of believing adults. · Individual Access to God - Luther believed that each individual has the right to reach God through Scripture with responsibility to God alone. It is not necessary for a priest to mediate. · The Lord's Supper - Luther also retained the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, but the doctrine of transubstantiation was rejected. · Sacraments - Luther believed the sacraments were valid only as aids to faith. · Salvation by Faith - Luther maintained that salvation comes through faith alone; not by works and sacraments. · Salvation For All - Luther believed that salvation is available to all humans through the redeeming work of Christ. · Scripture - Luther believed the Scriptures contained the one necessary guide to truth. · Worship - As to the manner of worship, Luther chose to retain altars and vestments and prepare an order of liturgical service, but with the understanding that no church was bound to follow any set order. As a result, there is today no uniform liturgy belonging to all branches of the Lutheran body. However, an important place is given to preaching and congregational singing. Martin Luther believed deeply in the reality and power of Satan and his demons. From the time of the Plague, through wars, famines and civil wars, there had been no guarantee against the onset of disaster. A high level of death-consciousness was fertile soil for the Reformation, and offers insight into Luther's persistent concern about salvation. For it was the terror of death that sent him into an Augustinian monastery. Luther believed that there could be no short cuts to this and that God could not be fooled by sinners pretending that they were repentant. Luther's main complaint against the Catholic Church was that it was supporting a system that left sinners in sin - and this was the institution that was meant to save lost souls !!
What were the indulgences and why did Martin Luther object to them?
Indulgences were what the church was selling, it was forgiveness.. people had to pay the church to be forgiven. Martin Luther objected to them because he belived that the church was wrong and that the bible had the last word, because it was the word of god. He belived that if someone was really sorry they would be forgiven.
What policy did Martin Luther object of the Catholic Church which prompted him to write and post his Ninety-Five Theses?
His cause of posting the 95 theses was because of the selling of indulgences. Indulgences was a thing that would take you directly to heaven even though you did a bad thing. Did this help:D
Why did Luther object to certain teachings in the Roman Catholic Church?
During that time, Luther thought the Catholic Church had become corrupt. He didn't so much object to the teachings as much as the practices themselves. He attempted to bring the church back to what it was, but the church rejected his ideas and he was ex-communicated.Roman Catholic AnswerLuther was an extremely disturbed individual who left his Order without obtaining permission, broke all of his solemn vows which he had taken with knowledge of the consequences of such an action. At first he didn't so much object to any teachings of the Church as to a) what he perceived as teachings (and this is problematic as the Augustianians are known for their education in St. Augustine's teaching and Luther was apparently quite ignorant of more than one of his teachings) and b) the teachings of a few individuals who were preaching in Germany which was not approved by the Church. In other words, he was objecting to practices of a few isolated individuals who, themselves, were not following Catholic teaching. Later on in life, Luther objected to any teachings which contradicted the way in which he, himself, wanted to live - read "in sin" so he came up with his own brand of Christianity as a way to save himself while not following Christ and His teachings.
Why did Martin Luther object to the selling of indulgences?
If someone had been selling indulgences for money then Martin Luther might have had a good case as indulgences can not be purchased, although they have always been issued for any of the three works of penance which include prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. On the latter, indulgences had always been granted for almsgiving, but from the latest information we have about the time period, although there were some abuses, it would appear that most of the problem was of Martin Luther's own making. I personally suspect that he was just looking for any reason to throw over the Church, his 95 Theses which included his objections to indulgences really make no sense given even a cursory (unbiased) knowledge of Catholic history and belief. Click on link attached below.Catholic Encyclopedia on Martin Luther
What were the 3 main problems Martin Luther had with Catholicism Be able to explain them?
Despite the report that Martin Luther was a theology professor, it would seem that his main problem with Catholicism was that he didn't understand it - at all. At the link below are the "95 Theses" that he posted for discussion: his "problems with the Catholic Church" at that time. If you read through them you will quickly realize that Marti Luther did not have a good grasp of Catholic theology. Many of the things which protestants object to these days were not even on Luther's radar, so to speak. The other thing that is outstanding about the 95 Theses is that the author is obviously a Catholic who is trying to correct what he sees as errors in his Church. Later in life Martin Luther left the Church and started his own Church. At that time, he had far more problems with the Church than he listed in his 95 Theses. One of the more famous was his issue over the sale of indulgences. And yet, modern research has been unable to determine that there ever was any sale of indulgences. Indulgences could always be gained by any of the three works of penance: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Because of the stink that Martin Luther raised, and his misunderstanding of what was going on, we can no longer obtain an indulgence for almsgiving, only for prayer and fasting. Finally, Martin Luther was an Augustianian Friar, as such he had made life-long solemn vows to chastity, poverty, and obedience. He definitely had problems with all of these. He left his Order without even attempting to obtain permission, and proceeded to violate every single one of his solemn vows with abandon. I can certainly explain all of these actions: they boil down to one simple fact: sin. Martin Luther was unable to deal with his sin (if you read his history, it becomes crystal clear where his problems came from in his childhood) and instead of turning to Christ and depending on His grace, Martin Luther made up his own Church where it was not necessary to try and not sin. He himself wrote that he could get drunk, complete adultery numerous times, sin and sin greatly and God would save him. His problems finally come down to dealing with reality and with God's call to holiness.
Why did some Catholics not like the idea of indulgences?
Actually, it never bothered Catholics because it never happened. Indulgences were available for any of the corporal works of mercy, the three primary ones being prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It bothered the heretics, beginning with Martin Luther, because they did not understand indulgences, nor did they understand almsgiving.
What does kchs mean after priest's name?
"KCHS" stands for "Knight Commander of the Holy Sepulchre," an honor bestowed upon members of the Catholic Church who have made significant contributions in their service to the church.
What is the Catholic Church's stand on profit-motive?
The Church supports free enterprise and profits as long as the "profit motive" is not disordered. The Catechism of the Catholic Church in section 2424 teaches that the profit, in and of itself, is not a bad thing; however, when it becomes an object that enslaves a man and leads to the idolizing of money, then it is a problem.
What is the catholic church stand on profit motive?
The Church supports free enterprise and profits as long as the "profit motive" is not disordered. The Catechism of the Catholic Church in section 2424 teaches that the profit, in and of itself, is not a bad thing; however, when it becomes an object that enslaves a man and leads to the idolizing of money, then it is a problem.
What is catholic church stand on profit motive?
The Church supports free enterprise and profits as long as the "profit motive" is not disordered. The Catechism of the Catholic Church in section 2424 teaches that the profit, in and of itself, is not a bad thing; however, when it becomes an object that enslaves a man and leads to the idolizing of money, then it is a problem.
When was the reformation of the church?
The reformation did not have a particular date or year...in a way it happened gradually...Martin Luther was the trigger and kind of pushed the refomation to finalisation. If you had to put on a year on it...it would be in 1517! Thanks! :) The reformation did not have a particular date or year...in a way it happened gradually...Martin Luther was the trigger and kind of pushed the refomation to finalisation. If you had to put on a year on it...it would be in 1517! Thanks! :)
Why did people begin to protest against the Catholic Church?
Various reasons: corruption, injustice, hypocrisy, oppressive ruling. They felt that the Church was corrupt, power-hungry, and had too much control over peoples' lives. They didn't like the fact that the Church had power over everything, including the rulers of countries.
