What part of the 95 Theses might most improve the lives of the peasants?
Peasants were giving up all of their hard earned money to the Catholic Church because of indulgences. Luther was against indulgences and wanted them stopped; thus letting the peasants have more money and a better life.
What part of Martin Luther's theses might most improve the lives of the peasants?
Every man was his own preacher, indulgences no longer were required to enter the kingdom of heaven. Also German kings/princes got to keep money in the local economy since the Catholic church was no longer taking money from donations back to Rome.
Is it fair to say that the protestant reformation was caused by the black death?
No. it is a myth that everyone supported the reformation, many did not. In england, for example, the Reformation was brought about by Henry VIII wanting to get his hands on the wealth of the church (for the enrichment of himself and his nobles, not for the common people), and because he wanted to annul his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry Anne Boleyn. In any case, not all the land in england (or elsewhere) belonged to the church, a lot of land belonged to the nobility and the gentry, and of course the King owned a lot himself. The position of the common people in england was not improved by the Reformation, in fact it deteriorated, as the church provided a valuable welfare system for the poor people of England, they gave alms to the poor, they nursed the sick and elderly, they taught children, all of that came to an end with the Reformation. and many people resisted the changes, there was an uprising in the north against the dissolution of the monasteries, known as the Pilgrimage of Grace, which was put down with great savagery. Then later in the reign of Edward VI there was another uprising, the Prayer Book Rebellion, against the introduction of the english prayer book into churches, which was also put down. Another feature of the Reformation in england was that henry decided that the peasants had too many days off, so many of the old Saints Days (which had been holidays in medieval times) were abolished, so that the peasants had to work harder. The peasants who worked the land enjoyed a degree of independence on their own smallholdings, they were left to farm them in their own way, and lived in communities that were run by elected representatives from among the villagers themselves. This system began to beak down when the lords began enclosing the old common lands and keeping sheep, which led to a drastic increase in poverty and homelessness among the poor people. It was sheep that brought about the end of the feudal system, and it did not improve the lot of the peasantry, who increasingly found themselves working as waged labourers on someone else's land instead of working their own, that is if they could get work at all. At the end of the 16th century, with the increase in enclosures and many more dispossesed peasants, the standard of living among the poor people of England was at its lowest ever.
Is it fair to say that the protestant reformation was caused by the black death?
No. it is a myth that everyone supported the reformation, many did not. In england, for example, the Reformation was brought about by Henry VIII wanting to get his hands on the wealth of the church (for the enrichment of himself and his nobles, not for the common people), and because he wanted to annul his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry Anne Boleyn. In any case, not all the land in england (or elsewhere) belonged to the church, a lot of land belonged to the nobility and the gentry, and of course the King owned a lot himself. The position of the common people in england was not improved by the Reformation, in fact it deteriorated, as the church provided a valuable welfare system for the poor people of England, they gave alms to the poor, they nursed the sick and elderly, they taught children, all of that came to an end with the Reformation. and many people resisted the changes, there was an uprising in the north against the dissolution of the monasteries, known as the Pilgrimage of Grace, which was put down with great savagery. Then later in the reign of Edward VI there was another uprising, the Prayer Book Rebellion, against the introduction of the english prayer book into churches, which was also put down. Another feature of the Reformation in england was that henry decided that the peasants had too many days off, so many of the old Saints Days (which had been holidays in medieval times) were abolished, so that the peasants had to work harder. The peasants who worked the land enjoyed a degree of independence on their own smallholdings, they were left to farm them in their own way, and lived in communities that were run by elected representatives from among the villagers themselves. This system began to beak down when the lords began enclosing the old common lands and keeping sheep, which led to a drastic increase in poverty and homelessness among the poor people. It was sheep that brought about the end of the feudal system, and it did not improve the lot of the peasantry, who increasingly found themselves working as waged labourers on someone else's land instead of working their own, that is if they could get work at all. At the end of the 16th century, with the increase in enclosures and many more dispossesed peasants, the standard of living among the poor people of England was at its lowest ever.
Why Did Martin Luther Have Issues With The Catholic Church?
St. Augustine rectified his position with the Church. I finished a study on his 4 months ago. He met with the bishop on 3 different occasions and after their talks, St. Augustine received Reconciliation. Luther did more than rebute the Church's teachings on salvation. He "rewrote" the Bible, omitting several books and verses. The Bible is God's word and is not to be omitted or added to. And Luther spoke out against the papacy. It was Jesus that started the papacy with St. Peter and St. Paul and gave them authority over His church on earth. Luther stated that we are to go thru Jesus only for everything and the papacy was in error. So of course he was excommunicated. I have been a Catholic for 37 yrs (devoted for the past 5 yrs). I have played devil's advocate in many of our Bible study groups and now am at an understanding of the Catholic Church and have no doubts. The Church teaches the Bible and follows what St. Peter and St. Paul began and it's following through with what Jesus taught. Of course man is with error but every time the Church, the Pope, speaks out on faith and scripture, he is infallible. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit (God's Spirit) to the Church to guide it and advise it. I have had many email talks with non-Catholics that continue to say there are contradictions and every time I can show them that there isn't.