2. The Reformation Day
Mentions – 4
We are continuing our list of most important historical events that changed the world forever with the event number 2 – have you heard about Halloween that changed the course of Christianity? It was on 31 October, on All Saints’ Eve back in 1517, when German monk and theologian Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The Theses were a reaction to the overinvolvement of the Roman Catholic Church in the political life of western Europe as well as its intrigues, manipulations and increased power and wealth. The straw that broke the camel’s back were practices of Catholic Church preachers that have been selling indulgences – spiritual privileges that were supposed to let the purchasers off the hook when it comes to the sins they have committed. The Theses spread fast, and the direct result was the doctrinal separation from the Roman Catholic Church. When it comes to more far-reaching consequences of this great religious movement, we might mention the Pilgrim Fathers and their role when it comes to American beginnings, as well as the modern view of law and politics.
