Why did Martin Luther and other Protestants leave the Roman Catholic Church?

Answer 1

When the monk Martin Luther began the Protestant movement in the 15th Century, the Church was corrupt. Doctrines had crept in that were unbiblical and against what Jesus taught. These included purgatory, limbo, praying to saints, the accumulation of great wealth, especially by the Pope and monasteries, the over-veneration of Mary and many other doctrines which had little historical evidence. Luther and others saw these as gross heresies. The most corrupt practice - and the one which led to Luther beginning the Reformation of the Church - was that of selling indulgences. As the Church believed in the unbiblical idea of purgatory priests sold certificates called Indulgences to unsuspecting grieving loved ones of those who had died, and, for a large sum of money, 'guaranteed' a certain number of years less in purgatory for their loved one, as the priest would pray for his or her soul. Many priests just pocketed the money and ended up very wealthy. While reading Paul's letter to the Romans, Luther realised that we are saved through faith in the Lord and not through paying our way into heaven. So he complained bitterly to the Church which then promptly excommunicated him. When the Protestant movement really took off, and millions were leaving Rome all over Europe, even the Roman Catholic Church realised that they should reform into the church we have today. However, there are still many doctrines even in the modern Roman Catholic Church that many protestants still regard as unbiblical and unChristian.

Answer: During the Middle Ages, the most powerful institutions in Europe were the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire. The empire was made up of hundreds of estates of various sizes and covered an area now occupied by Austria, the Czech Republic, eastern France, Germany, Switzerland, the Low Countries, and parts of Italy. Since the German estates comprised its major part, the empire came to be known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. Each estate was ruled semiautonomously by a prince. The emperor himself was a Roman Catholic of the Austrian Habsburg family. Therefore, with the papacy and the empire in power, Europe was firmly in Roman Catholic hands.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, however, the established order was shaken. Throughout Europe there was widespread dissatisfaction with the excesses of the Roman Catholic Church. Such religious reformers as Martin Luther and John Calvin spoke of a return to Biblical values. Luther and Calvin found widespread support, and out of this movement grew the Reformation and Protestant religions. The Reformation split the empire into three faiths-Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist.

Catholics viewed Protestants with distrust, and Protestants held their Catholic rivals in disdain. This climate led to the formation of the Protestant Union and the Catholic League in the early 17th century. Some princes of the empire joined the Union, others the League. Europe-and the empire in particular-was a powder keg of suspicion that needed just one spark to send everything up in smoke. When that spark finally came, it started a conflict that lasted for the next 30 years. Luther's words and actions helped give birth to the Reformation-a religious movement described as "the most significant revolution in the history of mankind." He thus helped to change the religious landscape of Europe and to draw the curtain on medieval times on that continent. Luther also laid the basis for a standardized written German language. His translation of the Bible remains by far the most popular in the German language.Luther's understanding of how God views sinners brought him into conflict with the Roman Catholic Church. It was then widely believed that after death, sinners had to undergo punishment for a period of time. However, it was said that this time could be shortened by indulgences granted on the pope's authority in exchange for money. Luther was indignant about the sale of indulgences. He knew that men cannot bargain with God. In the autumn of 1517, he wrote his famous 95 theses, accusing the church of financial, doctrinal, and religious abuse. Wanting to encourage a reform, not a rebellion, Luther sent copies of his theses to Archbishop Albert of Mainz and to several scholars. Many historians point to 1517 or thereabouts as the birth of the Reformation.The question of church reform was no longer a local issue. It became a widespread controversy, and Martin Luther suddenly became the most famous man in Germany.

Answer 2

One part was in the differences in beliefs. For instance, Martin Luther had a different interpretation of The Bible - he believed that salvation was in faith alone, and that good works would ensue, as opposed to the Catholic belief that salvation is through faith as well as good works. He published these beliefs as his 95 Theses on October 31, 1517, beginning Lutheranism, and hence the Protestant Reformation.

Secondly, the corruption of the Catholic Church was astounding. The Pope played politics, allowing more powerful leaders to do some things and not allowing less powerful leaders to do the same things. The Pope (as well as the officials of the Church) were above the law, and therefore did not have to pay the consequences for their actions. People wanted a religion without rampant corruption, hence Protestantism.