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Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation

 

            Martin Luther was at the head of one of the most influential and lasting religious movements in all of history. The Protestant Reformation had long term effects on the modern religions that shaped government and politics for hundreds of years to come. At the head of the original movement against the Roman Catholic Church and its practices was a German monk named Martin Luther. He influenced political leaders with his strong aversion to particular politically-fueled practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He pointed out their irrationalities and used his ideas to organize a more modern sect of Christianity that followed three major themes, and eventually inspired alternate sub-denominations of Christianity, and decentralized Christianity's influence on government and their peoples.
             Martin Luther was born in 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony in Germany to a family of miners. Martin's early childhood has been described as abusive and belittling. As he grew older and matured, he began to focus on his academics in order to avoid confrontation with his volatile family. As educational scholars would go into the priesthood, Martin's devotion to education and his faith also led him on this path. After finishing his primary and secondary schooling, he entered the monastery in Wittenberg in 1505. As a devout man of God and being known for his ill-tempered, aggressive personality, Martin became slightly disenfranchised with the Catholic Church, pointing out its flaws and his personal disagreements. With becoming a monk, Martin was more exposed to the everyday practices of the Church and saw in more detail just how certain aspects of the Church were too focused on money and power, rather than being concerned with the salvation of its congregation. As Martin quickly became depressed and angrier, one of his fellow brothers decided to have him sent to The Vatican for a religious retreat in order to build more faith with God and the Church.


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