1. How did the Reformation change Europe?

2. Changing attitudes toward the Catholic Church
People began to question the behaviour of the clergy and see a difference between the Catholic Church and Christianity
These doubts about the Church grew so strong that it split the Christians into two groups: Catholic and Protestant

3. Need for change
The Church was very wealthy but it spent most of it money on itself
Some believed that the Church was ignoring Jesus’ message that giving money away was important to being a good Christian.

4. Indulgences
To finance its building projects, the Church sold “Indulgences”
After death, a sinner’s soul can go to purgatory – a place where the soul would suffer to make up for sins before going to heaven.
BUT the church offered a solution: it would sell you a formal document called an indulgence that would allow you to skip purgatory and go straight to heaven like a get out of jail free card

5. Reformers
Most Christians didn’t want the Church to break up, they just wanted to reform it
Reformers who criticized the Church’s policies, but not its fundamental teachings were generally left in peace
People who DID openly criticize the Church’s teachings were considered sinful and called heretics (many were arrested and punished)

6. Protestants
Unfortunately, the reformers were not able to convince the Church to change its ways
Ordinary people and rulers began to resent the high taxes and political power of the Church
Many people decided to seek a whole new way of being Christian in a whole new Christian Church

7. Luther Starts the Reformation
Martin Luther: German priest and teacher shocked by the corruption in Rome
Oct. 31, 1517 – Luther nailed a list of grievances to the door of the church in Wittenberg called the “Ninety-Five Theses”
They were immediately copied, printed and spread throughout Germany
This was a radical step since Luther was a Church official himself (he could be arrested and punished)

8. The 95 Theses
What was he saying?
Why is it important?
St. Peter’s Basillica
“Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full [forgiveness] of [sin] and guilt, even without [indulgences]”
”Why does not the pope whose wealth is today greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than the money of poor believers?”

9. Luther’s Beliefs
Luther read in the Bible that faith in God was all that was needed for a person to be saved and go to heaven
However, Luther did not believe that people could save themselves since he believed in predestination (God had already decided fate)
He also attacked the Catholic rule that priests should not marry
Luther married a former nun and had lots of children

10. Catholic Church Responds to Luther
Although his views about reaching heaven were not heresy, his views on predestination and priests marrying were
Pope Leo X expressed his disapproval and threatened Luther with excommunication
Luther responded by burning a copy of this official order
The pope then officially excommunicated Luther and put him on trial, but Luther escaped execution
Animated History of Luther

11. Technology & Literacy Supports the Reformation
Catholic Church would not allow the Bible to be translated from Latin so people were dependent on the Church for biblical information and guidance
Luther believed the Bible – not the Church – should be every Christian’s guide so he translated it into other languages
The ability to read and write was now necessary for people to reach heaven so being literate became a goal for both rich and poor
The combination of increased literacy and the availability of printed Bibles spread the ideas of Protestants across Europe

12. The Legacy of the Reformation
After the split, Protestants had no official beliefs and no established traditions. Religious beliefs were up to interpretation and many variations of Protestants developed
After Luther’s break from the Church, other Protestant movements appeared.
John Calvin set up a church-run Protestant government in Geneva, Switzerland. Calvin’s ideas were extreme.
Laws forbade dancing, card playing, gambling and singing “indecent” songs. Calvinism spread rapidly to England, France, Scotland, and northern Europe.
Reformation Review