Today, 31st October 2017, is allegedly the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 “theses” to the church door in Wittenberg. It’s not at all certain that he did nail them to the door, but he certainly published them and started a debate that many regard as the start of the reformation which in turn had a huge impact on the church and society as a whole.
Whether Luther intended to set in motion the events that followed is also questionable. He was a good catholic, protesting at the sale of “indulgences,” which we might describe as a sort of “get out of hell for a fee.” In 1517 the Pope offered indulgences for those who gave money to fund the rebuilding of St. Peter’s in Rome. The aggressive sale of these to poor and superstitious Germans by Johann Tetzel provoked Luther to write the 95 theses objecting to this fundraising based on the purchase of salvation.
“As soon as money in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory’s fire springs.”
The history of division in the church is well documented, with many paying with their lives for holding steadfast to their particular beliefs. Just how much this was down to Luther, as opposed to other reforming voices and movements, is a matter for debate. Today the different branches of the Christian church, by and large, sit fairly peacefully together. Sadly this is not the case for religion as a whole.