Is Martin Luther a Sinner or a Saint?
Saint
The Bible
Martin Luther felt very strong about the bible. He believed that the bible is the only source of truth; that the bible should be read yourself, so you can interpret and understand what it really means. Since the bible was in Latin and normally priests could only read it, he wanted it to be vernacular.
His Beliefs And 95 Theses
Martin Luther raised his voice of what he thought was corrupt in the church with his 95 theses. He still believed these even though the church and some people thought his teachings led people to hell. Martin Luther spoke for poor people who couldn't afford indulgences because he believed that only god and faith save you, not any money.
Reactions
Martin Luther started a chain reaction of beliefs. Some people now had their own ideas about the church, and many people took his teachings and adapted them to what they believed. For example, Calvin, Zwingli, and the anabaptists took some of his ideas and made their beliefs known too. Also, he influenced the Jesuits to respond to his actions by making the church look better again. The Jesuits encouraged education, business, and politics.
Martin Luther is a saint because changed the world. He stood up for what he believed and spoke for the people who couldn't. He stopped all the bad influence of the church, and inspired many people.
Sinner
Heretic
Martin Luther was a heretic: declared by the diet of Worms. He protested the churches teachings. He disliked the way the church was run. He also went against indulgences which made the church money and people sinless. His teachings led people straight to hell.
Revolt
Martin Luther made people revolt against the church because of his ideas. He made people think the church was bad with his teachings and his 95 theses. He said the church was doing many things wrong, such as selling indulgences and having a church hierarchy. The Jesuits had to fix the image of the church because of him.
The Bible
Martin Luther wanted to taint the bible by translating it into other languages other than Latin. Latin is the holy language it was written in, and it is meant to be read and spoken that way; not vernacular.
Martin Luther is a sinner because he directly went against the church with his teachings. He also doesn't want the bible in the correct language and wants to taint the whole church with his teachings. His teachings made the church look bad and made people revolt against it too.