Happy Reformation Day!

Though unrelated to my book reviews and all that, I wanted to share about this past Thursday, October 31, was the day that, thousands of years ago, Martin Luther began the Protestant Church and the Reformation.

You might be surprised, but history is one of my least favorite subjects. However, I think this is an important holiday because if it hadn’t happened, the world would look so different and we Christians might not have the freedom we do today.

SO WHO WAS MARTIN LUTHER?

Martin Luther grew up as a commoner with an unusually good education. But after surviving a deadly thunderstorm, he dedicated his life to God and became a monk.

Something set him apart from the other monks, though. He always felt unworthy. He didn’t understand how he could earn God’s love/salvation.

After scouring the Bible–the REAL Bible, not a monk’s interpretation of it–he found that nowhere in the scriptures did it say anything about indulgences, popes, or many of the seemingly pointless rituals that the church practiced.

HOW DID HE AFFECT THE WORLD?

There’s a lot more to the story, but eventually Martin Luther left the pope and the catholic church, and began the Protestant church. He translated the Bible into German so that all Christians could read it.

The Catholic church, pope, monks, and all their corruption retreated, even went underground for some time. However, they still exist, just like the Protestants.

Anyways, if Martin Luther had not done what he did, we probably would:

• Not be allowed to read the Bible for ourselves.
• Still be forced to buy indulgences so we would supposedly go to heaven.
• Not have a one-on-one, personal relationship with God.
• Not understand what our faith is actually about.

WHAT DO I THINK?

Thanks for asking! I think this is a very unappreciated holiday that needs to be celebrated more.

Think about it. It was the day that European Christians, after years of hardship from the catholic church, actually found out who God was. No indulgence or tithe or anything could make them good enough for heaven, but He didn’t care.

He loves us so much that he forgives us and wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to read and hear the Bible for ourselves, without a pope reciting it to us in Latin.

It’s amazing.

I, for one, am definitely celebrating it!!