For Martin Luther, the Catholic monk, it was his parishioners buying indulgences, purchasing their salvation to fill Rome's coffers.
He was the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation, and his theological beliefs form the basis of Lutheranism. Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church; in particular, he disputed the view on indulgences.
It was the year 1517 when the German monk Martin Luther pinned his 95 Theses to the door of his Catholic church, denouncing the Catholic sale of indulgences — pardons for sins — and questioning papal authority. That led to his excommunication and the start of the Protestant Reformation.
Lutheranism is one of the five major strands of Protestantism. It is rooted in the teachings of the 16th-century theologian Martin Luther.
As a monk, Luther began a more thorough study of the Bible and theology, particularly Augustine and the Christian mystics. In 1507, he was ordained a priest.
Protestants are not open at all to papal primacy. According to the Evangelical view, this dogma contradicts statements in the Bible. Catholics see in the pope the successor of the Apostle Peter, the first head of their Church, who was appointed by Jesus.
Lutherans view Christ as the head of the church and have two formal holy sacraments. The Catholic church believes that good works must go hand in hand with faith in God to bring salvation. Whilst the Bible is still valued, Catholics also believe in the authority of the Pope, as head of the church, to create doctrine.
Luther began the Protestant Reformation with the publication of his Ninety-Five Theses on October 31, 1517. In this publication, he attacked the Church's sale of indulgences. He advocated a theology that rested on God's gracious activity in Jesus Christ, rather than in human works.
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched the Protestant Reformation.
Jesus Christ: The Founder of Catholicism. Jesus Christ founded the Roman Catholic Church during his earthly ministry around 30 A.D.
One issue that split Protestants and Catholics during the Reformation was disagreement over whether Christians attain salvation in heaven through faith in God alone, or through a combination of faith and good works.
Luther wanted to reform Roman Catholicism. He believed that Catholic leaders misunderstood the Bible. Luther insisted the Bible was the only source of religious authority and that messages from the pope—or from Luther himself—lacked that authority.
Luther's teaching, and that of the reformation, is often summarized in three “solas.” Sola gratia, sola fide and sola scriptura — by faith alone, by grace alone and by scripture alone.
Martin Luther (Germany)
"You should not believe your conscience and your feelings more than the Word which the Lord Who receives sinners preaches to you."
While he was sequestered in the Wartburg Castle (1521–22), Luther began to translate the New Testament from Greek and Latin into German in order to make it more accessible to all the people of the "Holy Roman Empire of the German nation".
Many people were exiled, and hundreds of dissenters were burned at the stake, earning her the nickname of "Bloody Mary". The number of people executed for their faith during the persecutions is thought to be at least 287, including 56 women. Thirty others died in prison.
Luther believed people were saved by faith alone and that this was the summary of all Christian doctrine, and that the Catholic Church of his day had got this wrong. It's often stated Catholics, by contrast to Protestants, believe a mixture of faith and works is necessary for salvation.
Lutherans believe that the person Jesus is God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, who was incarnated in the womb of his mother Mary as a human being, and since, as a person, he was "born of the Virgin Mary". Lutherans have always believed that Mary is the Theotokos, the God-bearer.
Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, Lutherans do not believe the office of the papacy as such has any divine authority or that Christians need to submit to the Pope's authority to be "true" members of the visible church. Differences remain about both the number and the nature of the sacraments.
Luther's belief in justification by faith led him to question the Catholic Church's practices of self-indulgence. He objected not only to the church's greed but to the very idea of indulgences. He did not believe the Catholic Church had the power to pardon people sins.
Based on his interpretation of the Bible, of the seven sacraments Luther accepted only the validity of baptism and the Eucharist. Considering the Lord's Supper, Luther also criticized the Roman practice of withholding the wine from the laity in the Eucharist and the doctrine of transubstantiation.
The Roman Catholic Church responded to the Protestant challenge by purging itself of the abuses and ambiguities that had opened the way to revolt and then embarked upon recovery of the schismatic branches of Western Christianity with mixed success.
While some Lutherans can and will pray the Holy Rosary that the Roman Catholic Church uses, or use Anglican Prayer Beads (which have become a sort of de facto ecumenical rosary), Lutherans have in the last few decades created their own unique sets of rosaries / prayer beads.
Catholics believe these become the body and blood of Christ; some Protestants, notably Lutherans, say Christ is present in the sacrament. Protestants are currently allowed to receive Catholic communion only in extreme circumstances, such as when they are in danger of death.
A marriage between a Catholic and a Lutheran is also considered a sacrament. In fact, the church regards all marriages between baptized Christians as sacramental, as long as there are no impediments.