Martin Luther

Martin Luther was an incredibly influential man in many ways.  He was culturally, politically, and religiously influential, and he made an incredible impact on German-speaking lands.  He was determined to make an impact, and did not give up even when the circumstances seemed impossible. 

To begin, Martin Luther made a large impact culturally.  When Luther first began his reformation, the church and the government were essentially one.  Not only did the church make many of the political decisions, they also determined who would go to heaven or hell.  They abused their power, telling people that only those who gave a substantial amount of money to the church, or did something in favor of the church would make it to heaven.  Martin Luther changed the way that people viewed the church and created some separation between the government and the church.  He made people see that the church did not determine whether they went to heaven or hell, but how they acted in their lives, and what was in their hearts did.  He gave the people a voice and created a revolution.  He even gave people access to their own bibles when he later transcribed the bible so that other Germans could read it.  All of these things gave people the ability to make their own judgments on what was right and wrong, and that was very different than these people had ever known before.

Similarly, Martin Luther made some very daring political changes.  The separation eventually created between church and government was obviously the most drastic change he was a part of.  However, he made some smaller, but strong political transformations in other ways.  For example, Martin Luther made what could be considered the first political cartoons.  He outwardly confronted and questioned the government, something no one else dared to do.  He gave people a chance to fight against the Holy Roman Empire and become the countries they are today.  It is possible that none of that would have happened if Martin Luther did not get the ball rolling with his 95 theses. 

            Martin Luther additionally made some very incredible alterations to religion, and that is what he is most known and remembered for.  Through his studies of the written word, Martin Luther came to the realization that people are not required to jump through all of the hoops that the church had created to make it into heaven.  He then created his own version of what he believed was the right way to be a Christian.  This turned into the Lutheran denomination.   Luther had created the first break away from the Catholic Church.  In addition, when he transcribed the bible, he made it accessible to those who were never able to read it before.  He even added pictures for the illiterate.  This allowed people to read and decide for themselves what the best way to follow and glorify God was.  This was certainly a new and radical idea in the religious world.

            All of these things made Martin Luther a hugely influential figure in the German-speaking lands.  However, he did even more than that for these people.  He wrote other books and spoke out to others about how they were being mistreated and tricked by the Holy Roman Empire.  He gave them their voice by being the first one to speak out.  He started a revolt against the church so that these people could be free to follow God in their own way.  He continued on without fail even when he was punished and excommunicated.  He believed that although he was being chastised now, future generations would be able to look back upon what he had done and continue to make things right.  Martin Luther made a huge difference in a wide variety of ways.

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Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the church doors for everyone to see.  These theses were a list of the things that Luther thought to be the correct way to follow God's word, as well as things he thought were wrong about the Catholic Church.  This was a major event that caused a huge uproar in the community and was the start of his reformation.  

The bible had once only been available to those who spoke its language and were literate enough to read it.  Martin Luther changed that when he transcribed the bible into the German language.  He additionally added pictures so that illiterate people could understand it as well.  This was a major change in the way religion was practiced.

The church was, as expected, very upset by the ruckus that Martin Luther was causing in the community.  They attempted to get rid of him by excommunicating him from the church, which meant that he was destined for hell.  However, Martin Luther chose to ignore their excommunication and made a point out of it.  He burned the papal ball that symbolized his excommunication to show everyone that he would no longer be under the control of the church.

Citations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni l gupkGAWO

http://www.the-highway.com/95THESES.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Bible

http://www.123rf.com/photo_17228408_martin-luther-burns-the-papal-bull-ordering-his-excommunciation-from-the-roman-catholic-church-origi.html