Martin Luther

            Martin Luther is responsible for making an influential and lasting impression on Western Civilization and Christianity. His contributions to the Reformation are still seen and respected today. .
             In my opinion, Martin Luther is the man that sparked the Protestant Reformation. His thoughts and actions were those responsible for shaping religion and churches as we know them today. According to Perry, "Luther started a rebellion against the church's authority that in less than one decade shattered the religious unity of Christendom." .
             In simpler terms, Luther's rebellion began to destroy the idea of a region being led or ruled by a papacy. .
             Martin Luther Luther's reformation began as the result of his disagreement with common church practices. Luther felt as though he would not receive salvation through the sacraments, as the church had taught. While the Church believed that a Christian could reach salvation through good works, Luther believed that Christianity and salvation ran deeper. In Perry's words:.
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             Practicing such good works as prayers, fastings, pilgrimages, and participation in the Mass and the other sacraments had never brought Luther peace of mind. He concluded that no amount of good works, however necessary for maintaining the Christian community, would bring salvation. Through reading the Bible and through faith alone, the Christian could find the meaning of earthly existence. .
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             I agree with these views on salvation and church practices. My opinions on faith and religion are very similar to those of Luther. I agree that one can not reach salvation based solely on the sacraments, but that an unyielding faith in the Lord must be present, and that that takes precedence over everything else. I feel as though without Luther's attempts to reform the church, and the spreading of his preaching, Christianity as we know it today would probably exist in a much more corrupt form.
             In my opinion, history didn't make Luther; but instead, Luther made history.