They criticized the catholic church because you had to pay taxes and money to them. This was during the french revolution.
Explanation:
There were many causes for the Reformation. The selling of indulgences was a particularly strong one. The doctrine of the merits of the saints was also heavily criticised by Luther. He was also angered by the corruption and greed he saw within the Catholic Church.
Sometimes they were punished and then killed brutally and left for everyone to see in public as an example of what would happen if they believed in anything different.