Luther Reaction Paper

        Many people during the Protestant Reformation believed that Martin Luther was the reason that there was a Reformation. The Protestant Reformation occurred to end corruption within the church, and to stop the sale of indulgences. People saw Martin Luther as the man who started the Reformation, but however, other factors contributed to the beginning of this movement. The Reformation was not all bad; the Crown showed a lack of interest to the situation, but the Gutenburg press was also a major influence during the time.

        By the 15th century, the church was becoming more corrupt and was straying away from the original Christianity. This caused many people to question the authority of the church. Martin Luther started to criticize the recent practices of selling indulgences, the remission of temporal punishment due to a previously forgiven sin. This controversy spread widely and touched on many of the doctrines and devotional practices of the Catholic Church. To much surprise, the Crown showed little interest when Martin Luther broke away from the church. At the time, the Church was based more to the south, while Luther, more to the north. “The Catholic Church was faced with its perennial problem, how to keep its international character although threatened by national feeling and provincial attachments (Fenton 106).” The Reformation eventually spread all over Europe. In northern countries, there was a strong sense of nationalism, while Germany was more unsatisfied.

        On a technological level, the Protestant Reformation brought about the new invention of the printing press that was extremely significant. It proved the means for a rapid dissemination of new ideas. Many argue that without the Protestant Reformation, there would never had been a printing press. Besides, this invention influenced others by being able to make more copies of the Bible. In addition, the Bible was able to be translated into other languages so others could read. “Without the method of spreading ideas, the Lutheran doctrines could not have been disseminated so rapidly, and, if support had not quickly manifested itself, the emperor and Church might have succeeded in suppressing the movement (Fenton104).” The printing press also allowed Martin Luther’s 5 Theses to be produced at such a quick speed. The Germans were involved with the printing of pamphlets. With this skill, Luther was able to “respond quickly to his opponents because pamphlets could be produced expeditiously (Waugh n. pag).” His ideas would have been rejected by the church if it weren’t for the rapid succession.