Change is good?
by. Breanna E. Change is everywhere. It’s something we’ll always experience whether we like it or not. One of the greatest changes the world has faced was the Reformation of the Catholic Church. The Reformation started when heretic, Martin Luther, began voicing his disagreements with the Catholic Church. Being a monk once himself, Martin voiced and wrote about the problems in the church. These were called his Ninety-Five Theses, and many people, much to the church’s anger, began to read and agree with it. Soon, Luther was brought before the Diet Of Worms in January 1521, which was a meeting of all religious leaders and government leaders. Pope Leo X excommunicated him, and declared him a heretic. Now banned from the Catholic Church, Luther began processing his ideas even more than before. Ironic really, but many people, including German Princes, sided with Luther against the Roman Catholic Church. These followers became Lutherans, and began practicing a new more simple, religion based on love and the teachings of the bible and Jesus Christ. The Catholics, clearly not about to give up their power and control, tried to ‘’save’’ or ‘’convert’’ people back to the catholic religion. Which started the Catholic Reformation. The Catholics were worried about the sin of heresy, and believed in the punishment for non-believers. They were also concerned about the rapid decline in membership, because almost no one was investing as much time in the church |
anymore. The Catholic Church, fearful of losing their political dominance, held a Council of Trent. This council began in 1545 but met for twenty years! Afterwards, they declared that salvation came from both good works and faith. Sounds good right? Well the Church took it a step further and made stricter rules and enforcement to deal with all the corruption they saw. Declaring the Pope infallible, the Holy Inquisition was born, created to seek out heretics and other troublemakers, with one very simple system: Torture, try, and then execute the victim.
The Holy Inquisition never really did what it was created to do. Sure, the tormented we’re converted by force, but eventually, and after many councils and failed attempts, the Catholic Church had to accept the change in religion. Now we have several variations and beliefs, but it didn’t always used to be this way. Sometimes we have to fight and speak out for the change we want, and sometimes we fight against change we don’t like or think is right. But in the end, we must accept things for the way they are, or fight for something better. Change is everywhere, but it’s always our choice in how to react to it. |