WORKSHOP 12: CHRISTIANITY AND THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION INTRODUCTION WORKSHOP OVERVIEW The more I examine Christianity, the more I am struck with its universality. I see in it a religion made for all regions and all times, for all classes and all stages of society. William Ellery Channing, Unitarian minister This workshop continues the exploration of Christianity with a focus on the Protestant Reformation. Specific attention will be paid to Martin Luther, who served as catalyst for the Protestant Reformation, and John Calvin. There are 970 million Protestants in the world. Christianity is the largest religion; however, if measured separately, Protestantism would be the fourth largest religion after Islam, Catholicism, and Atheism/Agnosticism. While Unitarianism and Universalism both evolved from the opportunity the Protestant Reformation created for new religious organization and theology, our contemporary liberal faith is very different from the original dissident faiths. Youth will likely find it difficult to see the liberating effect of the Reformation when dogma and intolerance still characterized these reformers. Our distant theological ancestors, particularly the Calvinists, did not share the Unitarian Universalist view of human nature. "Total inherited depravity" has a decidedly different ring from "Inherent worth and dignity." Recognize that these smart, hardworking, brave people were trying to understand God and their world just as we are. They drew different conclusions from ours, but we may respect and relate to their courage, their refusal to follow a system that did not make sense to them, and their commitment to each other and the search for Truth. GOALS This workshop will: Continue to explore fundamental aspects of Christianity Provide a historical context for the Protestant Reformation Introduce participants to Lutheran and Calvinist theology WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE Activity Opening 10 Activity 1: Story Martin Luther and the 95 Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences 5 Activity 2: Luther Takes a Stand 15 Activity 3: Story Calvin s View 5 Activity 4: Calvinism v. Universalism 25 Activity 5: Time Line 3 Minutes WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 1
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION While the doctrine of redemptive suffering that Christ died for the sins of humankind is not meaningful to many Unitarian Universalists, it is essential to put this and other theological tenets in the context of the Protestant Reformation we are exploring. Of course, it is also true that most contemporary Protestant theologies embrace many of these tenets such as original sin and heaven and hell. Many UUs find UUism after rejecting these elements of traditional Christian theology. Perhaps you are one such "come-outer." It is important to put aside any resentment or defensiveness in examining the Christian beliefs in this workshop. Perhaps it will be helpful to reflect on the core teachings of Jesus of Nazareth whose message of love, forgiveness and generosity can still inspire us to be our best selves. Whether or not he was divine, whether or not there is a Trinity, whether any of the other teachings that have grown up around his story over two thousand years speak to you, this message endures. WORKSHOP PLAN OPENING (10 MINUTES) Description of Activity Invite youth to sit in a circle. Answer questions from the last workshop. Light the chalice with these words: We light this chalice in celebration of Unitarian Universalism and the sustaining faiths of all people of the world. May the flame represent the fire of our commitment to understand all faithful people and build bridges that connect us as one human family. Read, or share in your own words the information in Leader Resource 1: Protestant Background. Also look at the Diagram of Protestantism to better grasp the divisions that comprised the Reformation. Share that today we will focus on Martin Luther and John Calvin as two of the earliest and most profound reformers. ACTIVITY 1: Story: Martin Luther (5 min.) About Martin Luther (1483 1546): Martin Luther lived in Germany in the early 1500s. His protests against the Catholic Church initiated the Reformation movement and the eventual formation of the Lutheran Church. Luther, a miner s son, was an Augustinian friar who taught at the University of Wittenberg. He was angry that many monks and priests of the Catholic Church were frightening people into buying indulgences to ensure that they and their families would not go to hell. In this practice, priests guaranteed that sins would be forgiven or special favors would be granted if persons gave them money for the indulgences. He heard that Friar Tetzel sold indulgences for forgiveness of sins and for relatives who had died and might be suffering in WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 2
purgatory, a temporary Hell. Tetzel claimed that the money went to build the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome. Luther knew that many of those who bought Tetzel s indulgences did not have enough to eat and that most of the money never reached Rome. Finally, in the Fall of 1517, Luther determined to make his protest heard. On October 31, he walked up the hill to the church and nailed on the door where all could see three sheets of parchment covered with writing. He numbered each statement. There were 95 points in all and they came to be called the 95 Theses. Thus began the Protestant Reformation! He claimed that selling indulgences was to make money for the church. Repentance cannot be bought, he said. Repentance is a matter of the heart, and forgiveness can be granted only by God. The people were confused because the Pope had authorized the sale of indulgences and had Christ not given the Pope the keys to purgatory as well as to heaven? They had to follow the rules laid down by the Church if they were to get into heaven. Luther soon gained a large and popular following among the ruling princes of Germany. Pope Leo X, whose authority was being directly challenged by Luther, wanted to bring him to trial. However, he was afraid of Luther s popularity and so worked out a deal that Luther would stop protesting if those who argued against him were also silent. For a while there was peace. Then, in 1519, Luther accepted a challenge by the great theologian John Eck to debate his theses. Eck said that his teachings were false and erroneous, and outsmarted Luther in the debate by getting him to say that John Hus, another reformer who had been burned at the stake, was partly right. This meant that the Church Council, which had condemned Hus and was supposed to be infallible, was wrong. If you believe this, said Eck, you are to me as a heathen and a publican. This great debate led to an inevitable break with the Pope. Luther was excommunicated and his books burned. Luther was then summoned to defend himself in Worms before the Diet, the annual meeting of the princes of Germany. He was given a grand procession and a dinner in his honor. Finally, at the trial, he was asked if he would recant what he had written. He answered, If his Imperial Majesty desires a plain answer, I will give him one without horns and without teeth, and it is this: It is impossible for me to recant unless I am proved to be in the wrong by the testimony of the Scriptures or by evident reasoning; I cannot trust either the decisions of councils or Popes, for it is plain that they have not only erred, but have contradicted each other. My conscience is chained to the Word of God, and it is neither safe nor honest to act against one s conscience. God help me! Surprisingly, he was not condemned to be burned at the stake and was released. Because many of the princes openly became Protestants, the reform movement grew rapidly. Luther was never again brought to trial. He lived and worked for nearly 25 more years. People were happy to hear Luther preach his good news. His important teachings included the belief that people cannot earn salvation through good works; salvation is a gift. All one does to gain salvation is have faith. He also taught that every person is his or her own priest. Each has direct access to God. Each could read the Bible. These teachings contradicted the Roman Catholic Church, which had made religious life a matter of being faithful in prayer, attending mass, receiving the sacraments, WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 3
making confession to priests, and doing deeds of charity, all of which were regarded as good works. Luther preached his good news and composed hymns for the people to sing. During his later years, Luther became inconsistent. His early teachings helped to inspire a great peasant revolt against the treatment they received from their landlords. Luther ultimately sided with the princes, who were building his churches, and about 100,000 peasants were killed in the revolt. As a result, the Reformation came to be controlled by the ruling classes. About two-thirds of the area that had been the Holy Roman Empire became Protestant, and the religion became increasingly conservative. Lutheran churches usually have prayer books and ritualistic forms of worship services as do the Catholic and Episcopal churches. ACTIVITE 2: LUTHER TAKES A STAND (15 min.) To help participants understand what happened and the practices that Luther railed against, have youth perform the skit, Luther Takes a Stand. You will need 9 performers but can double up some roles if needed. Have signs for them to hang around their necks that indicate which role they are Pope, Bishop, and so on. After the skit, process the information with youth and answer any questions they may have. Be sure that they understand that Luther was calling for a direct relationship with the Bible and with God, something that threatened the Catholic order. ACTIVITY 3: STORY: CALVIN S VIEW (5 min.) About John Calvin (1509-1564): As a young Frenchman, John Calvin studied law to please his father, but because he was more interested in religion and the new Reformation movement, he switched to theology. In danger of being arrested for his Lutheran ideas, he fled from the University of Paris to his home in Noyon. Here, too, he spoke out so strongly in church in favor of the reforms that he caused an uproar and was thrown in jail. He was quickly released, however, and left France for Switzerland where he lived quietly studying the Bible, thinking big ideas, and writing. He finally decided to put his thoughts into a book about the nature of God, the sinful nature of humankind, the authority of the Bible as setting forth God s will, and the rules for right living. He would call it Institutes of the Christian Religion ( Institutes meant textbook.) Calvin decided to live in Geneva, Switzerland and begin a great experiment to transform Geneva into a City of God on earth. He devised a set of rules for Christians to follow. People who did not go to church on Sunday would be fined; shops could not be open on Sunday; card playing, gambling and drunkenness were all forbidden. Churches would form councils of men to spy on their neighbors and report misconduct. Homes could be entered without warning on the assumption that no one should do anything that he or she would be ashamed to have known. WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 4
Calvin began changing the character of the church services, making them plain and solemn. He had all images and art removed. He introduced congregational singing as a substitute for the gowned choirs and elaborate music of the Roman Catholic services. He forbade the use of all musical instruments in the church. Later he had the pipes of the organ in the Geneva cathedral melted down and the material used to make cups for the Communion wine. Calvin also set for himself the task of stating the beliefs that all Protestants should hold. He prepared a Catechism for the instruction of old and young, and it was taught at special gatherings during the week. Today, Calvin s rule in Geneva seems more like a reign of terror than the beginning of a City of God, but at the time, the people in Europe were accustomed to dictatorship and tough discipline. Calvin didn t do this for his own personal gain; he believed he was acting in the name of the God of righteousness. There were people in Geneva, however, who resented his stern discipline and made him the butt of their jokes whenever he walked the street. The resentment grew and finally the city council banished Calvin from the city. Calvin s banishment didn t last long, though. After two years the people of Geneva, repenting their banishment of their great leader, appealed to him to return. After long consideration, he accepted. Again he began organizing the churches. Again he made lists of what people could and could not do. They could not have their fortunes told by Gypsies, could not have images or sacred objects of any kind in church or at home, could not say that the pope was a good man. To sing lewd songs was a crime; to laugh at Calvin s sermon, to make fun of him or speak angrily to him were crimes; to dance at a wedding was a crime. All of these misdemeanors were punished by banishment, imprisonment, and in some cases, even drowning. Everybody was required to go to church; everybody was required to partake of Communion; and no one could lie in bed sick for three days without sending for a minister. Calvin should also be given credit for progressive reforms, however. He required that garbage and filth be disposed of in sewers rather than in the streets, and he made laws against lighting fires in unsafe places. He established a hospital for victims of the plague and persuaded the city council to expand a small school into one that provided education for primary grades through college. From this beginning, the famous University of Geneva grew. ACTIVITY 4: CALVINISM VS. UNIVERSALISM 25 MINUTES Share with the group, writing the bolded headlines below, the following 5 basic tenets to Calvinism: We are Inherently Depraved. The entire human race is depraved, in a state of irredeemable trespass and sin because of Adam and Eve's sin. Humans cannot save themselves. In pure Calvinism, babies are depraved at birth. Predestination. (Also known as "predestination.") Because humans are born with sin, they cannot choose to follow God. God chooses who will be saved and who will suffer eternal damnation. People's behavior does not determine their salvation; the choice was made before their birth! He Died for Me, Not You. Since God chose who will be saved, Christ died only for those destined for salvation. All other people are still damned. WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 5
Irresistible Grace. Being naturally depraved, human beings cannot follow God by choice. However, if a person is one of God's chosen, they cannot overcome or resist the power of God no matter what they may want. Saved No Matter What. Since people are inherently evil, they can only be saved if God elects them. If God has chosen someone, though, they cannot be "unsaved," no matter what they do. Ask participants what they think of John Calvin. Calvin s beliefs are very different from UU s, aren t they? Divide the class into two groups for a mock debate and give each participant a copy of Handout 1: Calvinism vs. Universalism statements. One group will be advocating for Calvinism, the other for the Universalism that was practice at the same time that Calvinism came about. While not identical to present-day Unitarian Universalism, the Universalism practiced in that era is still strikingly different than Calvinist beliefs. Give the groups 5-10 minutes to prepare for the debate. Each team will start with an Opening Statement of about 2 minutes length. Then they can debate each other for 5-7 minutes and conclude with a 2 minute closing statement. Have the teams designate a Lead Speaker for the debate but work collaboratively to develop their arguments. CALVINISM V. HISTORICAL UNIVERSALISM CALVINISM Humans are inherently sinful and depraved God arbitrarily chooses who will be saved Christ died only for the chosen People can choose to follow God only if they are already chosen The chosen cannot be damned no matter how badly they behave; those not chosen can never get to heaven no matter how well they live God's nature is unknowable Holiness and happiness have no connection HISTORIC UNIVERSALISM Humans are flawed but not inherently depraved. All should be loved, respected, and forgiven because they are loved by God God saves everyone, without exception Christ came to save everyone All people can choose to follow God through the teachings of Jesus. All people will ultimately join God in heaven. Living a "bad" life will be punished, but God is merciful and forgiving. Good works do matter. God's nature is love Holiness and happiness are inseparable ACTIVITY 5: TIME LINE (3 MINUTES) Materials for Activity Religions Time Line WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 6
Sticky notes and fine point markers World map or globe Description of Activity The time line is updated to add Protestantism. Ask participants if they remember the year Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences to the Wittenberg Church door. It was 1517. Ask participants to notice the significant length of time Christianity existed before this major branching took place. Note also how young Protestantism is compared with Catholicism only about a quarter the age. However, Protestants and Unitarian Universalists (the first Unitarian Churches being founded after King John Sigismund of Transylvania legalized religious freedom in 1568, were influenced by the Protestant Reformation) still benefit from the wealth of history, writings, and theological development of the millennium and a half of Christian development before the Protestant Reformation. (Place marker on time line.) Ask who remembers where the Protestant Reformation began. Have a volunteer locate Germany on the map. Share that there are 970 million Protestants and 1.13 billion Catholics worldwide. Together these numbers make Christianity the largest religion in the world. CLOSING (2 MINUTES) Description of Activity Invite youth to form a circle. Have everyone join hands and say together: All our bridges meet in the middle, in a Unitarian Universalist circle of faith. We are connected with all that lives. We continue with all that seek. We belong with all who love. Go in peace until we meet again. Extinguish the chalice together. LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING How did the workshop go? Which activities worked well with the group? Were the challenging subjects engaged with energy and respect? Were participants willing to share aspects of their personal lives in the group? Did the youth seem to grasp the concepts involved? How will the answers to these questions affect preparation for subsequent workshops? THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES FOR THIS LESSON. WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 7
TAKING IT HOME They have no right to exercise power over us except insofar as we may have granted it to them... We are all priests, as many of us as are Christians. Martin Luther DURING TODAY'S WORKSHOP: We continued our exploration of Christianity by acting out the birth of Protestantism with Martin Luther. We also looked at the beliefs of John Calvin and had a mock debate between Calvinism and Universalism, as it was practiced at that time. REFLECTION QUESTION Today we conducted a mock debate between Calvinist and Universalist beliefs. Some of the differences are listed below. Talk about these different beliefs and what they mean to how we live our lives. Explore why John Calvin might have held the beliefs he held. CALVINISM Humans are inherently sinful and depraved God arbitrarily chooses who will be saved Christ died only for the chosen People can choose to follow God only if they are already chosen The chosen cannot be damned no matter how badly they behave; those not chosen can never get to heaven no matter how well they live God's nature is unknowable Holiness and happiness have no connection HISTORIC UNIVERSALISM Humans are flawed but not inherently depraved. All should be loved, respected, and forgiven because they are loved by God God saves everyone, without exception Christ came to save everyone All people can choose to follow God through the teachings of Jesus. All people will ultimately join God in heaven. Living a "bad" life will be punished, but God is merciful and forgiving. Good works do matter. God's nature is love Holiness and happiness are inseparable Also, talk about what the Bible means to you. EXPLORE THE TOPICS FURTHER WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS... The Christian Bible Reference Site (at www.twopaths.com/) has Bible stories and answers to frequently asked questions. It also has puzzles to increase your biblical literacy. Christianity, like other religions, finds ways to be relevant to today's youth. Go to Creative Bible Studies (at www.creativebiblestudy.com/youth-bible-study-lessons.html) WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 8
to see how this site connects Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the video game Halo to Christianity. Look through the Yellow Pages (C) under "churches." What can you tell about the Christian composition of your city by the number of different denominations represented in the phone book? WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 9
WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION HANDOUT 1: CALVINISM VERSUS HISTORIC UNIVERSALISM CALVINISM Humans are inherently sinful and depraved God arbitrarily chooses who will be saved Christ died only for the chosen People can choose to follow God only if they are already chosen The chosen cannot be damned no matter how badly they behave; those not chosen can never get to heaven no matter how well they live God's nature is unknowable Holiness and happiness have no connection HISTORIC UNIVERSALISM Humans are flawed but not inherently depraved. All should be loved, respected, and forgiven because they are loved by God God saves everyone, without exception Christ came to save everyone All people can choose to follow God through the teachings of Jesus. All people will ultimately join God in heaven. Living a "bad" life will be punished, but God is merciful and forgiving. Good works do matter. God's nature is love Holiness and happiness are inseparable WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 10
WORKSHOP 12: LEADER RESOURCE 1: PROTESTANT BACKGROUND During the 16 th century, there was considerable unrest and antagonism toward the power of the Catholic Church and the papacy. Many disagreements over doctrine had not been resolved, even though the Church had tried to stamp out heresies or alternate interpretations. The presence of challenging theologies, including the Eastern Orthodox Church, created a restless religious climate. Several factors were converging to stir protest and revolt. A growing nationalism resulted in resistance to the authority of the Church and the papacy; the poor grew more resentful of the ostentatious wealth of the princes and the Church; and the Renaissance brought humanism. Many humanists wanted to reform religion in light of human knowledge, and humanist teaching created an intellectual climate that challenged some of the teachings of the church. It stressed learning based on the experience of the senses; study and preaching of the Bible; and the correction of ignorance, immorality, and the Church s glaring administrative abuses. Humanist scholars turned to a fresh study of basic Christian sources and challenged some of the Church s interpretations. Another development that set the stage for the Protestant Reformation was the invention of movable type and the printing press in the fifteenth century. The printing press had a profound impact on the intellectual climate of Europe. It allowed wide distribution of the Bible, translated from Latin Vulgate into the vernacular. Humanist leaders urged people to read, study, and come to their own conclusions concerning the biblical message. The Church tried to restrict lay reading of the Bible, insisting that unrestricted reading would lead to heresy. False interpretations would be made by untrained people without adequate background knowledge. The Church taught that the Bible is the supreme authority, but only as interpreted by the Church. This proper interpretation was provided in the writings of the Church Fathers, authorized teachings of the Church, and council proclamations. In opposition to the Church, humanists proclaimed the right of individual interpretation. Finally, corruption within the Church weakened its power. To support its vast empire, the Church imposed burdensome taxes on the people, many of whom were poor. There was evidence of corruption and immorality within the walls of the monasteries, and the peasants resented the clergy who, as secular officers and governmental authorities, imposed high taxes to support a lavish lifestyle. This climate of questioning and discontent gave rise to several reformation movements. Each contributed a major aspect of Protestantism as it separated from the Roman Catholic Church. The Lutheran Reformation was mainly a political and economic movement in Germany and Scandinavia. The Swiss Reformation (later called the Calvinist Reformation) of Switzerland, France, Scotland, and England, was largely intellectual and a product of humanism. Lutherans, the first Protestants, did not mean to leave the Church. They meant to affirm the message of the Bible as the sole authority for church life and Christian belief and practice, according to Frank Mead and Samual Hill. This reformation did not result in a united Protestantism, but one with WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 11
two branches: Evangelical Lutheranism led by Martin Luther and the Reformed Church led by John Calvin and others. Presbyterianism is one of the descendants of the Calvinist Reformation. Mead and Hill describe the denomination in the following way: Presbyterian refers to a church governed by presbyters (representatives). This church places great emphasis on the theology of God s sovereignty over the world and people s lives, and on people s response to God s authority and will, known through Word and Spirit. More cerebral and verbal than emotional and aesthetic, it values understanding, learning and propriety. We can approach almost any Protestant group from the historical perspective of what the reformers protested against and what particular reform it adopted. When participating in a worship service, we can deduce how these reforms shaped its present form. We can also approach these churches from a study of the New Testament. The Bible as God s Word is more central to these faiths than it is to Catholicism, which continues to emphasize church doctrine and law. The centrality of the Bible to the reforms reflects the direction of the reforms. WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 12
LUTHER TAKES A STAND POPE I am the Pope and serve as the head of the Catholic Church. I live in Rome, the center and glory of the Catholic Church. If people do not belong to the Catholic Church and follow its teachings they are heretics and they will burn forever in hell when they die. Heretics must be silenced! All kings and princes must be Catholic and be subject to the authority of the Pope. As Pope, it is I who decide what the teachings of the Church are. The Bible is the Word of God. The seminaries and monasteries educate priests about the teachings of the Church and Jesus Christ. The priests teach the people. People cannot decide what to believe for themselves. They must listen to the priests; the priests are the people s connection to God. I want to build the biggest and most elaborate church in all the world here in Rome for the honor and glory of God. But doing so is expensive and I need a lot of money. People want forgiveness for their sins. I can give them forgiveness. If they make a donation to the church, I will give them an official letter of pardon that will guarantee their salvation. They will receive God s good favor, and I can build the most magnificent Church seen! BISHOP I am a Bishop in the Catholic Church. This is a position of power and authority. Princes, kings and rulers seek my advice. I determine who will be a priest in my region. Priests who stray from the teachings of the Church must be silenced! All people in my region must be baptized and Catholic. They must attend Mass every Sunday and follow the 7 Sacraments: baptism, confirmation, holy communion, confession, marriage, holy orders, and anointing the sick. They must not eat meat on Fridays, the day Christ was crucified. They must follow all the rituals and teachings of the Church. They must come to church to confess their sins so that the priests can forgive them. If a person does not follow the 10 Commandments and the Sacraments, he has sinned and will go to Hell for everlasting damnation. However, a sinner can repent, WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 13
do penance, and his sins will be forgiven. One form of repentance and forgiveness is called an indulgence. Sinners give money to the priests; the priests then give some of the money to me and then I give some to the Pope for his building projects. I will give the sinner a letter of pardon from the Pope, guaranteeing his salvation, if he buys an indulgence. Then we will ring bells in the church and have a procession and announce how much the sinner has bought. The greater the indulgence purchased, the more bells and the longer the procession. Believing in God alone is not enough to be saved and to go to heaven. People must also do good works. The most important good work is to praise God and to give money to the Church. We need to build cathedrals to have a beautiful place to praise God. I want my cathedral to be more beautiful, taller and larger than the cathedrals of other bishops. PEASANT I am a peasant. My life is hard, as I work from sun-up to after dark. Before going to my work, I pray. At noon, I pray. And then at six o clock at night, when the church bells ring, I pray again. On Sunday I go to church and listen to the priest. He tells me how I should live my life so that I can get to heaven after I die. My soul must be saved so I am not sent to eternal damnation in Hell. The priest and my neighbors watch me to make sure that I am leading a good Catholic life. My family is poor. Sometimes my children do not have enough to eat, but they must work with me anyway. We do not go to school like the priests and the princes. We aren t good enough to pray to God ourselves. We need the priests to praise God for us, to make sure that our souls will not burn in Hell. But sometimes, I am not able to follow all the rules of the Church. Sometimes I sin. If I die with sin on my soul, I will not go to heaven. If my sins aren t too bad, I won t go to Hell either. Instead, I ll go to Purgatory, where I will burn to erase my sins and then go to Heaven. The priest says I can spend less time in Purgatory if I buy indulgences. The more indulgences I buy, the shorter time I will spend in Purgatory. The life of the soul is more important than the life of the body, so I am going to buy as many indulgences as I can. My family doesn t need to eat every day; we don t need new clothing or medicine. The life of the soul is more important. WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 14
MARTIN LUTHER I am a Catholic priest in Germany. I have studied theology for many years and have given religion much thought. I watch the bishops, the priests and the Pope. They lead lives of greed and corruption. They tax the peasants and the people and spend money for their own pleasure and for buildings and artwork. Money should not be spent on statues, paintings and buildings. They do not follow the word of God in the Bible. Only God can save people s souls. Faith, belief in the goodness and power of God, is the only thing that can take the soul to heaven. The Church says that if people buy indulgences and give money to the Church that this will save their souls. This will NOT save their souls; only faith can save them. Faith and salvation are gifts from God. Jesus died for our sins and saved us. We do not need the priests or the Pope to determine our fate. People can pray to God directly and read the Word of God in the Bible. I have translated the Bible into German so that people can read it for themselves. And I have had the Bible printed so it is available to all. Indulgences are corrupt; they cannot buy a person s way to heaven. A sinner does not need a priest to repent. Forgiveness can be given only by God. All a sinner needs to do is to confess his sins to God and to try to do better. Today I have posted my objections to the Church on the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg for all to see to protest the abuses of the Church, especially the indulgences. EDUCATED CITIZEN Did you read what Martin Luther has claimed? He said that those preachers of indulgences are in error who say that by the pope s indulgences a man is freed from every penalty and saved. He believes that every true Christian will be saved by the blessings of Christ; that God gives us forgiveness and pardon even if we don t have a letter of pardon. WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 15
PEASANT Did you hear what Martin Luther is saying? We don t have to buy indulgences to be saved!! We don t need priests to forgive our sins. We can pray to God ourselves. We don t have to pay taxes to the Church. I like what Martin Luther is saying. I m going to follow him! PEASANT #2 Did you hear what Martin Luther is saying?? He said that when we put money into the indulgences box, we aren t saved. He says that only the greed of the bishops and priests is increased. He says that we will be condemned if we believe we wil be saved with letters of pardon from the pope. PEASANT #3 Did you hear what Martin Luther is saying?? He says that Christians should be taught that he who gives to the poor does a better work than buying pardons! He says that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by and gives his money for indulgences instead only purchases the anger of God! POPE Did you hear what Martin Luther is saying??!! He is a HERETIC! His teachings are destroying our power and taking away our money. HE MUST BE STOPPED! Have Martin Luther come to me!... Martin Luther, are these your writings? Are these your teachings? Are these your beliefs? MARTIN LUTHER Yes, Pope. These are mine. I have studied and I have prayed. I believe the Church is corrupt and that it should change. My conscience is chained to the Word of God and it is neither safe nor honest to act against one s conscience. God help me. WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 16
POPE You are excommunicated! You are no longer a member of the Catholic Church. Your soul will burn forever in Hell! PRINCE Did you hear what Martin Luther is saying? I am tired of having an Italian Pope tell me how to run my country and how to live my life. I am tired of paying taxes to Rome. I like what Martin Luther is saying. It s time that Germany establish its true independence from the Church. I will follow the teachings of God and of Luther. There will be no more trials held for Lutheran heretics. I will not kill good people who the Pope says are heretics. Luther and his followers are safe here in Germany. WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 17
Diagram of Protestantism WORKSHOP 12: PROTESTANT REFORMATION Page 18