Question

Why was luther deemed more of a threat to the church than the dissenting theologians that preceded him in challenging church beliefs?

Answer 1

Luther challenged the church and the pope in his 95 theses he disagreed with indulgences and the capitalist like mind that the church was taking on. He believed that the sale and preaching of indulgences to buy one’s way out of Purgatory was wrong. People should be doing good works out of the goodness In their heart, not because they have to. He believed that if the Pope was truly supposed to be God’s representative on earth, then he shouldn’t be concerned with the state and other governmental issues. The church and Pope should be concerned with only heavenly salvation not early material possessions such as money and competing architecture. Luther was a major threat to the church and has many tries like the diet of worms and the Papal’s Bull of excommunication. The theologians that preceded Luther were in agreeance with Luther, but like Luther they faces excommunication as well. At the time Excommunication meant outlaw and therefore no protection form death, or worse holy salvation.