Martin Luther Movie Analysis free essay sample

He consistently followed through with his word which made him very credible and a leader that the people respected. During this time in the 16th century, upper clergy had become like secular rulers instead of religious authority. The church owned massive amounts of land and was part of the feudal system. Immorality had become rife in the higher clergy with simony (pay-offs) and non-celibacy becoming the norm. According to Catholic theology at the time, if one sinned you could repent and be given the sacrament of penance. While the blame for the sin is gone the sin is not erased and you must still be punished for it through temporal punishment on earth or in purgatory. You can, however, lessen the amount of punishment by performing acts of merits. You can also be spiritually assigned merit by the church via its treasury of merit. This is typically done through prayers. The transfer of merit is an indulgence. We will write a custom essay sample on Martin Luther Movie Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In Luther’s time indulgences were horribly being abused. Johann Ttzel, a Dominican friar, was given authority by the Pope to sell indulgences in order to build St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Luther witnessed Johann selling indulgences and the words Johann used to sell them were deplorable, telling people that they wouldn’t go to heaven without them or their loved ones would be saddled with their sins when they died if they didn’t pay. Basically, Johann said whatever it took to induce fear in people to make them pay (Thomasson, 2003). This part of the movie is a great example of Chapter 9 in Principle-Centered Leadership. Covey states that â€Å"At one level, followers follow out of fear-they are afraid of what might happen to them if they don’t do what they are asked to do (Covey 1992). Covey goes on to describe how this Coercive Power is just getting along by going along and that loyalty is just lip service. The Pope, Cardinal, Bishops and the Friar are all great examples of how in this type of power, commitment is superficial and their energies can quickly turn to sabotage and destruction when no one is looking or when the threat is no longer present (Covey, 1992) These actions of the church leadership spurn Luther to post his famous 95 theses (criticisms about the church) on the door to the Wittenberg chapel. The 95 theses argued against the way indulgences were being used for profit and how they were being presented as a way of being able to buy your way into heaven. The Theses were copied and sent off to a printer who promptly made copies and then they were distributed everywhere. The people were becoming empowered and supporting Luther, even royalty and high political and religious figures. This began the Protestant Reformation. I highly respect Martin Luther and his courage to confront a very powerful organization, the Church. He threatened the very livelihood of high-ranking clergy and the very foundation of political power of this time. As a woman raised by my father and four older brothers (no mother) I tend to think more like a man than a woman. I have had many entanglements in my life because I felt like I was entitled to the same things as men and the world wasn’t always ready for my attitude, especially in male-dominated environments. I know I would have done the same thing as Martin Luther even though my death would have been eminent early on. Martin Luther was kidnapped and saved from murder when this whole Reformation began, but I’m not sure I would have had the cheering squad he did. If I would have seen what Martin Luther had I would have done the same. I often brought up biblical contradictions at ACU aggravating my theology professors to no end. I just wanted real answers, not a pat answer so I would go away and not ask any more. I attended and left four Bible Colleges/Universities in my undergrad because I was continually looking for answers and no one had the patience or fortitude to spend time exploring those answers with me. My dedication and diligence to the truth is comparable. References Covey, S. R. (1992). Principle-centered leadership. (p. 101=102). New York: Free Press. Thomasson, C. (Writer) (2003). Luther [Web]. Retrieved from http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=xc6Ci_V23oE