Essay on Was the Reformation the Ruin or Salvation of Europe

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21.12.12
History 8.2

Was the reformation the Ruin or Salvation of Europe?

The reformation was a major historical event that laid out the foundation for fairness and difference. It changed the way how the church was acting but also how people were thinking. It saved Europe from ignorance and intolerance and therefore was the salvation of Europe. This happened though various factors like the bible translation and the way how people were thinking. Lets take a closer look at how these factors played a role in the reformation.

One of the most rapid changes in the church was the ability to read and understand the Christian values noted down in the Bible and the effects of the German bible.

Martin Luther was shocked as he saw how corrupt priests fooled naive farmers who were told that “faith could only be gained through purchasing Indulgences”. This means that for example there would be no need of taking care of those who starve of hunger as long as you pay money to the church. People were completely tricked and were manipulated to thinking what the church wanted them to think. “There are many who say these words, "I believe in God the Father," but do not understand what these words mean“. As this quote from states people would not understand what they were saying and had no idea what was right and wrong.

Martin Luther wanted to end these ridiculous thoughts and translated the Bible into common languages such as German. This was by far one of the most important contributions to the Reformation. Hans Luft, a German publisher, printed the Luther Bible one hundred thousand times, which was for that time a great success. The Bible spread like a wild fire and could not be stopped. Even today the Bible has been the most translated and printed book ever.

The importance of the Bible translation was clearly not only the understanding of the Christian message, but also the unification of languages. This means that for example in Germany the Bible was a sort of “Manuel on how to talk” and which words should be used. The bible was written in one German and the people began to follow the style of the bible. Since the Bible had spread throughout the whole of Germany, the German language has been unified. This happened throughout Europe.

Therefore the Reformation was an important step in unifying Europe and the German empire.

The reformation did not only make physical changes, but also mental changes. Meaning that even the poorest of the pour would, after the reformation, have had the courage to think they could make a change. Whether or whether not they did make a change is not the point, but the
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