Martin Luther example essay topic

Martin Luther grew up in a time when there was basically one religion to look upon. Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany. He was raised Catholic by his family that was held together by his father, Hans. Hans was a miner, and he worked his way up to the middle class by leasing mines and furnaces. With the money that he earned, he bought his family a house, and he became a well-respected citizen of their new hometown, Mansfeld.

At seven years old, Martin began his schooling to fill his father's dream of becoming a lawyer. At school, he learned the basics and was taught Latin. The students were not only to learn how to speak Latin, but they also had to speak the language at all times. At age thirteen, a new school boarded young Luther. He was sent thirty miles north to the city of Magdeburg.

His time spent there was short. The year that he attended the school, he learned of his ambition to serve God. Luther spoke fondly of the Brothers at the school. They showed Luther what it was like to witness God's power.

Martin finished off his boarding school years at St. George's School, located in Eisenach. Luther had many great memories of St. George's, including one of his teachers, Johann Trebonius. Luther enjoyed Trebonius' teachings because of the equality that was displayed between the students and the teacher. St. George's also gave Luther the ability to see what a life of the religious order was like. In 1501, Martin left Eisenach, but his schooling was not complete. Hans Luther sent his son to the University of Erfurt to maintain the dream of him becoming a lawyer.

By 1505, Luther had completed the Bachelor's program and received his Master's degree. He was on his way to becoming the lawyer that his father had always dreamed of, until June 1505. On his way back to the University after visiting his family, Martin was caught in a thunderstorm, and a flash of lightning hit him. In the open field where he laid, he promised God he would join a religious order. When Martin's friends heard of his promise, they were shocked. His father was angered that he had spent a large amount of money to send his son to school, and his son was not going to be able to support the family.

Incidentally, he would be one of the most influential people in history. As a friar, Martin went to theology school in Wittenburg. He earned the title of doctor of theology, and he was later hired as a professor at the school. With his knowledge of the early church, Luther now questioned many of the church's actions. Priests would be paid to conduct masses to pray for the dead whom were between the presence of Heaven and Hell. Martin found it unnecessary to crawl up the stairs of Scala Santa, saying the Lord's Prayer at each step, to save one's soul.

The most disturbing practice of the church was the granting of indulgences. Priests would give a piece of paper called an indulgence to anyone who could afford the price. The indulgence stated that one is pardoned for the sins committed in his or her life. This was wrong according to the Christian faith.

To be forgiven, the only way to be forgiven is to ask forgiveness from God. Martin did not allow the church to proceed with their actions. Luther was infuriated with the idea of indulgences, so he did what was common of the time, and he nailed a list of ninety-five theses against indulgences and pilgrimages. The people of Germany were glad to see that someone was finally taking charge of the situation. Luther wrote many books and pamphlets on his views; some people decided to burn the literature.

The church did not like what they say Martin doing; therefore he was excommunicated. After Luther was excommunicated from the church, ecclesiastical authorities wanted the Royal Diet to decide what to do with Mr. Luther, so the authorities called the Diet of Worms. The event was held in the city of Worms near the Rhine. The Diet gave Luther a chance to recant what he wrote in his publications, but he refused. Luther was outlawed in the Holy Roman Empire, and there was a ban on anyone to give shelter to Luther. Luther was given shelter at the Wartburg Castle, where he was treated with class.

There, he translated the Bible into German to make the scripture available to any reading person. He completed his translation in 1534. In 1529, Luther organized the Lutheran church, which was entirely separate from the old church of Catholicism. In June 1525, Martin Luther married Catherine von Bora. Martin married Catherine in order for her to escape from her convent, but they soon fell deeply in love.

She gave birth to three boys and three girls; in addition, they brought in four orphans. On February 18, 1546, Martin Luther died of a heart attack in Eisleben, Germany. Work Cited Cowie, Leonard W. Martin Luther Leader of the Reformation. New York: Fredrick A. Praeger, 1969. Eby, Fredrick Early Protestant Educators. New York: AMS Press, 1971.

Todd, John M. Reformation. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1971.