Was Martin Luther Repulsing God - Essay Example

“Luther” the Movie The film is mostly about Luther, a young man who leaves a chance to go and study law and wentto become a monk. He later on went ahead and defied Rome and let to the formation of the Protestant movement. He want Christians to be free, a thing that is highly challenged by the pope and other clergy as they have taken advantage of religion to instill fear into believers and thus continue to benefit from them by extortion. Martin’s teachings are like an eye opener to the Germans and they start the rebellion against the pope and the religion. Was Martin Luther Repulsing God? From the statement; "I live in terror of judgment, have you ever dared to think that God is not just threatening us with the fires of hell.” Martin can be viewed to be repulsing God. When you compare this to “The Recital of the Deceased Egyptian” Martin will be seen as repulsing God because the situation is so strict and that makes it almost impossible for one not to sin. "I have not repulsed the God in his manifestations, I am pure, I am pure, I am pure," is a complex statement for any human being. But Luther tries to live and attain these abnormal standards and that is the main reason he has to live in a Hinduism way of life. He has to live and be fully devoted to God as it is the primary goal. Martin is also obliged to follow the ways of salvation which are clearly shown throughout the movie. The first way is that of good works and is seen when Martin gives back the money the money that had been paid for indulgences to the mother of the girl that could not walk. He tells her that paying indulgences is not the right way to get to God. The way of salvation through knowledge is seen when Martin becomes a preacher and decides to teach differently. When Martin translates the Bible into German language, he was portraying the way of devotion. This was crucial as he was dedicated to letting the people making sure that people had a chance to understand religion by reading the Bible and know what they were getting into. When Martin teaches a young girl how to learn to walk again he was practicing the physical discipline way (Chaffee 36). It is hard to imagine any social being that is pure. Though Martin is seen as a hero by many people who believe that he was a reformer and the greatest one that the religion has ever had, some people see him as one who wrestled with God. In the beginning, we see a tormented Luther that is willing to become a monk if only he is saved d by the heavens from a thunderstorm. We see him wishing there were no God and longed to a God that he that is merciful and one that will love him and then he can love back. Martin thinks that God is angry with him and it takes the Father to convince and make Luther understand that it is him who is angry with God (Chaffee 24). Martin is seen to be putting very high standards for himself. This is in line with what the Hindus do and it shows that the world is complicated. Luther set his standards in a different way and this was interpreted in a relationship that showed how one was pure and devoted towards God. Luther chose to guide people and especially the youth rules of the Hindu. He believed in the each person having active living and possesses great spiritual power and cleverness (Chaffee 19). Faith in God Alone In Rome, Luther found people who only had faith in themselves. They used to have homage that was a sign of respect for people that they honored. The replaced the priests with princes, warlords and the rich people. These people were painted in paintings and this was to show some sign of honor. The painter was also included to show how important they were. They used to have feasts to celebrate the homage that they believed in. Homage was of the important people like one with the pope and cardinals. Later on buying of indulgences was introduced. It was believed that time that one spent in purgatory was less depending on the amount you paid for indulgences (Chaffee 69). Martin had faith and believed that God was merciful to all people. He believed that God had pity for mankind and thus took on the human form. God gave his only son for death on the cross to save us and through Him we have direct access to the gates of paradise. Martin believes that faith is given to any person that is in the right state and place to receive it. Salvation is not accorded or given as payment for some good deeds or because of practicing the sacrament. Anyone who submitted to God and had faith in their deliverance is entitled to salvation. This supersedes the homage as it did not disadvantage those that do not have money. It was seen that some people that could not pay for indulgences were held ransom. Leaders were not devoted to the faithful (Chaffee 32). Fear and Religion Throughout the film, the significant importance of life on the earth was to avoid hell and do things to warrant their admittance to heaven. People are afraid of burning in hell for eternity. People are dedicated to trying to get a ticket to heaven. True faith in the religion is thus at times dictated by fear. In the film, we see people who rush to buy indulgences so as to reduce their time in purgatory. People want to get into the religion so as to save themselves from some fears in life or after death. Hell is referred as the hot place and people buy and pay indulgence so as to keep off this place. Others believe that doing so saves the dead that are in purgatory. Other people believe in gazing of sacred relics (Chaffee 45). Ones personal conscious is essential and affects the true faith in a religion. Luther chose to believe and fight for what he felt was right. He was forced to recant his teaching and writing but says that it is what his conscious tell him is right and thus could not recant it. True faith in a religion has got its base in the conscious of a person (Chaffee 78). Was Martin Tearing the World Apart or Not? Some of the people were against Luther and his teachings. However, the literate and the students those were in college with him supported his teachings. The religious leaders and the hierarchy take on hard lines against Luther and his messages. He is openly opposed to indulgences and he was thus significantly fought by the leaders. The Germans thus have to make a choice either for or against Luther. This meant that they had to be for or against the pope. However the difference that is seen, Luther is not trying to tear the world and the church apart but is fighting a battle for the poor and oppressed. He wants people to read the gospel and interpolate it for themselves and not by the priests. It is upon the people to make a decision of what they want depending on their understanding of the gospel. He wants people to make a sound decision depending on their conscious (Chaffee 94). What Martin Unleashed in Germany. In his teachings and writing, Marti uses the patriotic words “The German Nation” and called the people “Dear Germans." These were seen in most of his writings to the clergy. Martin proclaimed freedom for the Christians. He introduced the universal priesthood where every Christian who is baptized is also a priest of God and is equally responsible for the church. Martin cleared all things that differentiated the priests from other Christians. The priests were allowed to marry, dress like any other person and even allowed women to be priests. Mass was celebrated in German and not in Latin as before. The confession was not abolished, but it was no longer a sacrament or a compulsory. He also did away with other sacraments like wedding, last life rites and confirmations. Martin believes that what is against conscious in not safe nor is it right and thus will not recant his writings and teachings (Chaffee 76). Conclusion The movie has succeeded to show how Luther was able to provide a chance for a break that was so much needed by the Germans. The morale that he offered to the people for breaking loose is a great one that, even when Luthers life is in danger and he does not lead the rebellion, the movement is spirited. He feels that going to ask the people to stop would only make him unpopular. Works Cited Chaffee, John. The Philosophers Way: A Text with Readings : Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. Read More