What is the Protestant Reformation?
The Protestant Reformation or simply reformation is a protest against and wanted to reform the Catholic Church.
How the Protestant Reformation began?
The reformation was started by John Wycliffe who questioned the privileged status of the clergy who had powerful role in England, then followed by Jan Hus who wants to eliminate the selling of indulgence and the concept of purgatory. But in 1517, Martin Luther, an Augustinian priest who post a Ninety-Five Theses against the abuse of the selling plenary indulgence by some clergy. After that, he left the church and spread false teachings. These theses become a symbolic start of the Protestant Reformation.
What is Plenary Indulgence?
Is a remission of the entire temporal punishment for sin. Plenary indulgence is granted under the usual conditions such as pious reading or listening to Sacred Scripture for at least half and hour, Adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist and Pious exercise of the Station of the Cross. In order to obtain the plenary indulgence, the faithful must be in the state of grace by having the Sacrament of Confession and received the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Why there is a selling of Indulgence?
During 1517, Pope Leo X authorized the sale of indulgence. One of the examples is granting indulgences for those who donate to reconstruct the St. Peter’s Basilica. This becomes a way for the corrupt clergy to make money by selling indulgence. This event make Martin Luther write and post his theses on the door of the All-Saints Church which results of many people followed Luther.
What happened to Martin Luther after he posted his theses?
Martin Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X on 1521. Then he led the Protestant Reformation and become the father of protestanism,
Why Martin Luther was excommunicated if he wants to stop the Corruption within the Church because of selling Indulgence?
Instead of pushing the abolish of Selling Indulgence, he taught heresies which is the Sola Fide (Faith Alone) and Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) which contradicts the teaching of Our Lord and the apostles which leads to his Excommunication. His teachings were spread all over Europe which results of formation of protestanism, which made people leave the Catholic Faith and build their own church such as Calvinism, Mormons, Jehovas’ witness and more.
Is Martin Luther right about the corruption of selling indulgence?
Yes, but instead making the right move by fixing the corruption within the church, he led more faithful to the false teachings and leave the only church that Christ built by building their own church.
Are there Protestants still building their own church today?
Yes, the continous of building their own church and ignores the Church of God is still happening today. Most of them are from the other Protestant Churches who has their own teachings. One of the latest Protestants today are called “Born Again Churches” which their methods are according to modernism.
Is the Church of God, the Catholic Church is dead?
No! as our Lord said when He build His Church upon St. Peter:
“And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
This means no one including the gates of hell cannot destroy the Catholic Church. Many protestants will tell you that the church is dead because it has corruption and scandals, this is one of their tactics for you to join them. Remember, one of Christ’s apostle, Judas is a greedy person and betrayed our Lord, but our Lord’s followers didn’t abandon the Church just because there’s a a problem within it.
Was the Selling of Indulgences abolished?
The selling of indulgences was abolished in 1567 by Pope St. Pius V. Unlike Martin Luther, St. Pope Pius V fixed the issues inside the Church without leaving it and without false teachings.
