Gabrielle Marotta

The 95 Theses
The Catholic Church, like many other religions, is built upon the belief of an
afterlife. In order to achieve an optimal position in this place, it is said that men and
women must repent for their sins that take place on Earth. Whether it be telling a white
lie or cheating on ones spouse, reconciliation, as it is called, provides a catholic with an
opportunity to have a direct line to God via a priest. In this sacrament, the parishioner
reveals what they have done and asks the priest to provide them with ways to rectify their
actions. Traditionally, this is achieved by amending ones actions, involving themselves in
some kind of community civil service, or most commonly through a series of prayers that
must be recited.
After this, and only this, it is said that one might become absolved of their
worldly sins; it is quite simple: genuine repentance will grant you genuine forgiveness
from God. However, not all people were interested in spending the time to follow through
with the prescribed actions of a priest. So, when the Catholic Church needed to raise
money to reconstruct Saint Peters Basilica, certain members of the faith took it into their
hands to sell indulgences that essentially functioned as get out of Hell free cards. When
parishioners showed up to repent for their sins, upon receiving instructions for their
penance, they simply informed the priest of their donation to the church and all was
forgiven. When the German priest Martin Luther caught wind of this scheme, he was
outraged. Johannes Tetzel, who originated the idea of selling indulgences, would be
publically embarrassed by Luther who posted 95 Theses on the door of a church in
Wittenberg in 1517. In this rebuking of the indulgences, Luther argued that it is not only
illegal but immoral to sell repentance for money. His argument was simple: sin is natural
to all men (meaning it is God-given to each). Therefore, the act of committing a sin and
furthermore repenting for it are up to man himself to take care of. Each person is
responsible for his/her own destiny and ones destiny in the eternal afterlife is not
something which can be bought with money.
I believe that Martin Luther was incredibly brave for doing what he did. In its
heyday, the Catholic Church was the single most powerful organization on the planet.
When they issued an edict or decree, all Catholics were expected to follow along prose
and verse. However, Luther recognized that indulgences were against every moral fiber
that was inside of him. Ones relationship with God should not be based upon material
possessions or favoritism. Rather, it is just that, a relationship: something to which both
parties must contribute. For good, honest Catholics, it is going to church, repenting for
sins and doing the work. In the end, Luther was a very respectable person for the integrity
that he presented.