Luther vs. Calvin essays

Luther vs. Calvin essays During the second half of the sixteenth century, a series of religious reformations broke out in Central Europe. Many people began to have different views on the Holy Roman Catholic Church, especially on the subjects of political authority and social order. Two important leaders of this time rose to show their beliefs within Gods society and world, and they guided the way for others. These two men were Martin Luther and John Calvin. Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. He was raised on an above average education, but instead of studying law, Luther became a priest in 1507 for the Holy Roman Catholic Church. But some time within those years of Holy service, Luther found himself getting angry with the traditional ways of thinking. His questions challenged the structure of the church and its moral values. With the sales of indulgences, along with other problems of the Catholic Church, Luther was set off to lead a reform of his own. One of Luthers main concerns was political authority. Could the church councils make mistakes? He felt that what the Roman Catholic Church said and did was no always so holy. The sales of indulgences were acts of showing what is more important to the authorities of the church: money or forgiveness. He argued that Gods love was not a prize or reward, but a only a gift that could be accepted. Luther believed that one did not need a priest to pray to, and that they could pray on their own. He favored a national, rather than Roman, control of church finances. Luther encourage permission for the clergy to marry, and he called for a simplified mass. His ideals of social order became known to a person as one, and that one would be able to follow God in their own way, and that the church should be governed by its people, not a high office. John Calvin was born into a strong hearted family in 1509. With his received benefices at such a young age, he was a...