Luther Was Both a Revolutionary and a Conservative - Paper Example

Introduction

Martin Luther was born was in Germany in the year 1483.He was a normal child who went ahead to become a catholic monk. The Catholic Church was the main church then and so the church influenced the political, social and the economic life of people in the larger Europe. Luther despite being a catholic monk was a revolutionary and so he went ahead and wrote articles that were against the teaching s of the Catholic Church which included the 95 thesis. His articles were read far and wide ton the extent the peasant used his teachings to rise against the political situation they were in then. Luther's articles influenced reforms and caused many rebellions against the Catholic Church. Looking at his activities during his life time and reading his 95 thesis, it is clear that Luther was a revolutionary but still a conservative in his religious believes. His teachings led to protestant movements within the Catholic Church which caused division within the Catholic Church (Bainton 30).

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Thesis Statement

Martin Luther was both a revolutionary and a conservative based on how he responded to the social and political questions of the day. His impact in the political and social changes experienced in Europe then cannot be underestimated.

Luther questioned the doctrines of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church during his time controlled the political, social and religious spaces of people in Europe. In the 15th century there were attempts to introduce change in the Catholic Church but that was not possible. The Catholic Church resisted change and it was the writing as and teachings of Luther that 16th century came to be the year of change. He wrote the 95 thesis which impacted negatively on the Catholic Church which influenced the political, social and religious spaces (Luther 277). Luther's writings advocated for change and it led to him being condemned by the pope. Luther in his teachings interpreted and manipulated the bible contrary to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. This was revolutionary as no one had attempted to do so in a very widespread way like Luther. He was influenced by the revolutionary minds like William Occum who was a 13th century dissident (Berman 133). Luther was not always aggressive in nature, he made himself appear like a conservative and a very obedient monk to his seniors in the Roman Catholic Church. Luther was born in an age where being a revolutionary was not appreciated by those in leadership and positions of power but he had the will power to both advocate for change and at the same time maintain a conservative behavior. He was a man who retained what he wanted in his thinking and opposed what he disliked with an independent mind (Berman 102).

Luther was against the political system in his country but was however not supportive of dissidents who were majorly peasants influenced by his teachings. He wrote against the princes who held leadership and influential positions that were always drunk with alcohol and corrupt in general. Not many had dared question the system of leadership influenced by the Catholic Church and which the rulers could do anything without care for the peasants but Luther did. His writings against the rulers of the time were treasonable in nature but he did not mind (Smith 62). This confirms that Luther was a revolutionary. In his conservative nature, Luther was against peasant who used his teachings to revolt. He did not support violence against any one including the bourgeoisies he wrote strongly against. He advocated for transparency in leadership .A political system in which the rulers could be answerable to the people and not being corrupt at the expense of the peasants (Berman 89). Luther was radical in advocating for transparency and against princes who abused power but was not supportive of peasant who used violence and killed those perceived to be exploiters. He addressed social issues in the best way he could. In this front, he was both a revolutionist and a conservative (Rittgers et al., 34).

Luther supported family and advocated for marriage of the catholic priests. This was against the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church whose priests were not allowed to get married. His conservative nature did not allow him to fight religion as advanced by the Catholic Church but his revolutionary nature made him revolt against the influence on the church on the social issue of marriage (Berman 103). He argued the catholic priests to get married and encouraged parents to get their daughters out of convents. This was against the Catholic Church doctrines. His 95 thesis were a clear indication that he was radical on how he wanted religion practiced which encourage protestant movements. Luther eventually got married in his 40s and believed God would take care of his marriage. He encouraged former monks too to get married (Fussner 99). The Catholic Church did not support marriage for the monks and church preachers. Luther went against this and supported marriage and family life while still believing in the God and biblical teachings introduced to him by the Catholic Church (Luther 52).

Conclusion

Luther was a great historical figure that led to great revolution in Europe in the history of Catholic Church and the social issues affecting people. Revolution and conservativeness is a challenging mix for one person to have but Luther was both, a revolutionary and a conservative. Luther's 95 thesis caused political and religious storm in Europe. The protestant churches resulted from Luther's work and revolution against the Catholic Church and were guided by his conservative religious teachings. Luther was truly a revolutionary and a conservative in his time.

Works Cited

Bainton, Roland Herbert. Here I stand: A life of Martin Luther. Abingdon Press, 2013.

Berman, Harold Joseph. Law and revolution, II: The impact of the protestant Reformations on the Western legal tradition. Harvard University Press, 2009.

Fussner, Frank Smith. The Historical Revolution (Routledge Revivals): English Historical Writing and Thought 1580-1640. Routledge, 2010.

Luther, Martin. "Ninety-five theses." 120 banned (2011): 277.

Luther, Martin. Martin Luther's basic theological writings. Fortress Press, 2012.

Rittgers, Ronald K., and Ronald K. Rittgers. The Reformation of the Keys: Confession, Conscience, and Authority in Sixteenth-Century Germany. Harvard University Press, 2009.

Smith, Perserved. Life and Letters of Martin Lu Cb: Life & Martin Luther. Routledge, 2012.