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New Page entitled The Reformation

Catholics thought that their church was set up by Jesus’ original followers, the Apostles. The Catholic Church had been going for many years (since the death of Jesus Christ)and had come up with lots of rules for their priests to tell people how to live their lives. The Catholic Church had become rich and very powerful. One of the main causes of discontent was the subject of the Payment of Tithes to the Catholic Church.

Image of The Payment of The Tithes
Pieter Brueghel The Younger

Protestants didn’t like how rich, dishonest and powerful the Catholic Church had got. They believed you should have a simple life and pray with God yourself, not through a priest. Protestants believed that the Bible was all true and could tell you how to live.

Martin Luther was born in 1483 in Germany and became a priest. He was very concerned about the Catholic Church. The things he most disliked were “indulgences”. Indulgences were promises from a priest that you would have your sins forgiven and go straight to heaven if you died. Not everyone could get an indulgence. You had to buy them, and they weren’t cheap. Luther though that God would not allow you to buy forgiveness, instead you had to pray and ask God for it. When the church sold indulgences it made him very angry. In 1517 He got so angry about indulgences that he wrote a long list of arguments against them and nailed the list to a church door in Wittenberg in Germany. This was Luther’s protest against the Church. Many people read the list and agreed.

Some of Luther's 95 Theses The Pope has no power to let people off the punishment for their sins. Prietst are mistaken when they say that by buying indulgences a person is freed and saved from all punishments. The Pope should use the Chirches money to help the poor NOT to build rich and fine churches.