Message and Contribution of Martin Luther - Essay Example

?Christianity Christianity Essay Compare and contrast the background, message, and contribution of Martin Luther, Ignatius of Loyola, and Our Ladyof Guadalupe. In a final paragraph, indicate with which view(s) you agree or disagree, and why. A comparative illustration of the background, message and contribution of Martin Luther, Ignatius of Loyola, and Our Lady of Guadalupe is presented herewith initially in tabular form for clarity of structure: DESCRIPTION LUTHER IGNACIUS OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE Background: Birthdate Nov. 30, 1483 Oct. 23, 1491 1531 year of apparitions through Juan Diego Birthplace Eisleben, Saxony Loyola, Guipuzcoa, Spain Educ. Attain. Master of Arts, Read books on lives Univ. of Erfurt of saints and of Christ; Doctorate in Theology Language , grammar, Univ. of Wittenburg literature, philosophy and theology Died 18 Feb. 1546 July 31, 1556 (Religion Facts, 1) (Famous People, 1) Message salvation is a free gift absolute self-abnegation, “love and compassion, from God; the Bible is the obedience to Pope and universal promise of only true source of superiors (ibid.) help and protection to Divine message all mankind” (Our (Religion Facts, 1) Lady, 1) Contribution Protestant Reformation Spiritual Exercises, conversion to Chris- Translated to English the Jesuit Constitution and tianity, miracles, cures, King James Bible; Jesuit Schools, interventions, millions Lutheran teachings and Society of pay homage to her (Our (Religion Facts, 1) Jesus (ibid.) Lady, 1) From the tabular form, one can deduce that the earliest account of significant event happened during the birth of Luther in 1483, only eight years prior to the birth of Ignacius in 1491. The apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531 happened within 25 years prior to Ignacius death, which means that during the apparitions, Ignacius was still very much alive and just finished his writing of one of his most significant contributions, the “Spiritual Exercises, a simple 200-page set of meditations, prayers and various other mental exercises” (Famous People, par. 16). Their birth similarly occurred prior to the 16th century. Luther was born in Saxony while Ignacius was born in Spain. The date of death was only 10 years apart, where Luther died in 1546 while Ignacius died on 1556. Both Luther and Ignacius studied theology. Although the messages were diverse, where Luther focused on transforming the belief in the Catholic faith that God’s punishment could be redeemed by money and that salvation earned through good deeds (Religion Facts, 1); while Ingacious, due to his similar orientation in the priesthood, was actively involved in “teaching catechism to children, directing adults in the Spiritual Exercises, and working among the poor and in hospitals” (Famous People, par. 14). There is disparsity in their commitment where Ignacius focused on uplifting the conditions of the poor through whatever means they were capable during their times. Luther, on the other hand, was focused on reorienting the belief in the Catholic Church that previously stressed on “on purgatory, hell, angels, demons, sin, judgment and the saints. Jesus was depicted as an unapproachable, terrifying judge, but believers knew they could call upon the Blessed Virgin and other saints to intercede on their behalf” (Religion Facts, par. 2). Likewise, the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe centered also in according universal assistance and protection of all mankind (Our Lady, 1). Their contributions range from movements and formation of organizations that paved the way for increased awareness of the need for reformation of the true meaning of salvation, enhanced awareness of the word of God through the Bible (Luther); and through the organization dedicated to the commitments and endeavors of the Holy Father (Society of Jesus) and the set of prayers needed to remain steadfast in faith (Ignacius). Our Lady of Guadalupe’s apparition has set the time for miracles to happen through cures and interventions that converted nonbelievers. As indicated, “yearly, between 18 - 20 million pilgrims visit the Basilica, making it Christianity's most visited sanctuary” (Our Lady, 1). Personally, one agrees with the views of Martin Luther, who transforming the lives of people through correcting the true meaning of salvation and bringing awareness on the Divine revelations through teachings in the Bible. I was so surprised that the first teachings of Roman Catholicism focused more on inciting fear to constituents making them more averse to learn of God’s great mercy and love for mankind. Through Luther’s teachings, the eyes of the world are opened to the true meaning of Christianity and true repentance of sin is necessary for one’s salvation. This inspiration made me realize that by being proactive in my Christian duties, as revealed in the Bible, I could be more committed to transform the lives of those who are at a disadvantage (the sinners, the poor, the old, the marginalized citizens), one can truly do something – even by simply helping a next door neighbor, with kind words, with surplus resources I could freely give, or by maintaining a determined stance to be an active member of society committed to transform the live of another, one day at a time, with whatever simple means I could. Christianity Essay #2 Compare and contrast the background, message, and contribution of Dorothy Day, Oscar Romero, and Martin Luther King, Jr. In a final paragraph, indicate with which view(s) you agree or disagree, and why. Using a parallel method, a comparative illustration of the background, message and contribution of Martin Luther, Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero is presented herewith, in tabular form for clarity of structure: DESCRIPTION LUTHER KING DAY ROMERO Background: Birthdate Jan. 15, 1929 Nov. 8, 1897 Aug. 15, 1917 Birthplace Atlanta, Georgia Brooklyn Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador Educ. Attain. B.A., Morehouse Univ. Univ. of Illinois Theological Studies, Rome B.D., Crozer Theological Seminary Ph.D. Boston Univ. Died Apr. 4, 1968 Nov. 29, 1980 Mar. 24, 1980 (Infoplease, 1) (Ency. Of World (Caritas Europa, 1) Biography, 1) Message equality, initiation of social justice alleviation of injustice, Civil rights, deep concern and peace through defend poverty, to be the to alleviate poverty radical social reform voice of the voiceless (Caritas, 2) Contribution Instigated the passing of founder of Catholic nonviolent struggle for The Civil Rights Act of Worker Movement justice where his teachings 1964; started the Poor and writer of several resulted in conversions to People’s Campaign (TCI, 9) books (ibid.) the Catholic faith and manifest Jesus’ life through his example The lives of these famous people are similar in terms of their strong commitment in their message for social reform to ensure equality and justice to prevail. All born in the early 20th century, 1929 (King), 1897 (Day) and also 1917 (Romero), these people have promoted the ideals of true Christians through commitment for change and transformation, despite disparities in their places of birth: Georgia (King), Brooklyn (Day) and El Salvador (Romero). Both King and Day have actively fought for civil rights and were imprisoned during their campaigns they have been known to actively promote. On the other hand, Romero, a priest who later became Bishop, openly fought injustice through preaching during masses where the gospel taught to defend human life (Oscar Romero, 2). The background information of King and Romero revealed studies in theology where their theoretical foundations for future campaigns against injustice were firmly entrenched. Although the three share predominantly the same message, Day, the sole female among them, fought the same travails despite her disparity in gender. Their contributions to society were crucial in terms of touching and inspiring many on nonviolent ways to promote equality, justice and human rights, consistent with the teachings of the Catholic faith. Due to the unrest instigated to people in power at their time of existence, both King and Romero were assassinated at the midst of their campaigns. As revealed in the discourse on Oscar Romero, his “most significant contribution was his consistent, daring proclamation of the truth” (Oscar, 9). Both Day and Romero have been evaluated by the Vatican for beatification and canonization to sainthood (Encyclopedia, 1; Oscar Romero, par. 3). I agree with the views of Romero in actively promoting justice through nonviolent means. Some people could perceive the method employed by Romero as controversial given that as a priest, he was not expected to meddle with political affairs. However, as Romero averred “I am trying to be faithful to the word that God bids me to preach, to the message that cannot change, which tells both sides the good they do and the injustices they commit” (Oscar, 10). As the word of God emphasized loving one’s neighbor as thy self (Mark 12: 31), all people must commit to eradicate social injustice by promoting the golden rule. Through the ethics of reciprocity, one should not commit injustice to another – as one would not like any injustice to be imposed on oneself. I stand by this conviction, as I learned from the life and teaching of Oscar Romero, Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. I would definitely envision applying the morals from their life experiences in ordinary everyday life by according equal opportunities and rights to everyone I meet and have the privilege to transform their lives for the better. Works Cited Caritas Europa. Biography of Bishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero. N.d. Web. 20 May 2011. < http://www.caritas-europa.org/module/FileLib/BiographyOscarRomero.pdf> Encyclopedia of World Biography. Dorothy Day. 2006. Web. 20 May 2011. < http://www.bookrags.com/biography/dorothy-day/< Infoplease. Martin Luther King, Jr., Biography. 2011. Web. 20 May 2011. < http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkbiospot.html> Famous People. St. Ignacius of Loyola. N.d. Web. 20 May 2011. “Mark 12:31.” Biblos. 2011. Web. 20 May 2011. < http://bible.cc/mark/12-31.htm> "Martin Luther King - Biography". Nobelprize.org. n.d. Web. 20 May 2011. Oscar Romero. N.d. Web. 20 May 2011. Oscar Romero. N.d. Web. 20 May 2011. Our Lady of Guadalupe. N.d. Web. 20 May 2011. Religion Facts. Biography of Martin Luther. 2011. Web. 21 May 2011. Teacher’s Curriculum Institute. Celebrating the Life and Contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. n.d. Web. 20 May 2011. < http://info.teachtci.com/resources/ha/MLK.pdf> Read More