Martin Luther, commonly associated with the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, was actually not the first person to rebel against the Catholic Church. His actions were not only influenced by the Church's overt corruption, but also by the earlier efforts of Jan Hus (also known as John Hus). When dealing with religion, individuals should take more responsibility for solving problems affecting their communities because such efforts may lead to a global and national reformation. By taking more responsibility for one's community, more reformations on larger scales may follow, as demonstrated by Jan Hus and Martin Luther.
Jan Hus, a reformer preceding the Protestant Reformation, saw corruption in the Catholic Church, so he protested against the Church. At Hus' time, the Catholic Church held power over almost everyone, as Europe was dominated by Catholicism. Hus disagreed with much of the Church's practices. At the time, only priests were allowed to partake of wine representing the blood of Christ during Communion. Hus believed that denial from Communion is an affront to the faithful. As a result of such corruption, Jan Hus began to preach against the Catholic doctrines and the Catholic Church itself. Hus saw the corruption within the Church and so he takes responsibility to reform the Church. Although he preached against the Church, Jan Hus always declared himself a faithful Catholic. Jan Hus was ultimately burned at the stake for heresy, and his death incited major attempts to break away from the Church. Most importantly, Hus' preachings and death influenced Martin Luther, a pivotal figure in the Protestant Revolution which affected most of Europe.
Martin Luther also saw corruption in the Church and believed that he has the responsibility to confront the Church. The Catholic Church at Luther's time was powerful and rich, although it did not have as much political power as it did before.
