ded that salvation must be earned. People were convinced that the final judgment was on the horizon, and fire and brimstone was preached while saints and relics venerated. Pilgrimages were thought of as a way to save one’s soul from eternal damnation. In an effort to make sure everyone at least thought about his or her soul’s status, confession to the priests were made obligatory. People had to purge themselves of all sin they had failed to confess and work off in the world, lest they be sent to purgatory. However if one bought an indulgence form the church, years could be erased form the time already earned in purgatory. The church was involved in a number of sins. They preached one thing to their people, but did exactly the opposite themselves. Some abuses of the church were:1.Immorality- Priests were supposed to be celibate. Instead they had unmarried wives which they had children with, and deceitfully called these children their nieces and nephews. 2.Simmely- They had more than one office, which they sold for great sums of money. For instance, when a priest died People were in line to take his position, and the one with the most money available got the job. It was all about money for them.3.Pluralism- They gave high positions to their so-called nieces and nephews.4.Sale of Indulgence by pardoned- The pope wanted to build St. Peters Square in Rome. To gain the money they needed they came up with Peter’s pence, and they set up meeting so that the people could buy an indulgence pardon. What this pardon did was erase years off of purgatory. This was the most offensive to Martin Luther. Ironically enough, these indulgences that Luther came to reject and despise were printed on the Gutenburg’s printing press, just like Luther’s German translation of the Bible would be a few years later. The protestant Reformation began when Martin Luther placed on the door of Whittenberg Cathedral his 95...
