World Religions

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World Religions Report

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Is Lutheran new? What is Lutheran? Where did Lutheran originate from?

Lutheran religion may not be brand new but it is one of the newer forms of Christianity,

and the name Lutheran came from Martin Luther who was originally from Germany. That

seemed simple, questions then the answer, right. Well, it would not be reasonable to assume that

that was all there was to know about the Lutheran Religion. As one will see these questions lead

to more than a simple answer, there is a need for clarification.

Lutherans have only been around since the mid-1500 when Martin Luther broke from the

Catholic Church, and although this religion has been around for 500 plus years at the time this

would have probably been considered a modern day cult. The Lutheran church of today is an

ever evolving faith, they differ from the older ones by adapting to the changing population and

allowing certain "rules" to be bent, and for instance, Pastors not only marry but have been

divorced. Certain moral obligations are not looked upon with such disregard.

I have chosen the Lutheran religion to research, interview, and review because I thought

it was interesting how the Lutheran faith is view as a new religion even though most would have

considered it an old religion like the Catholic faith. I found a local Lutheran Church: St. John's

Lutheran Church, Contact: Pastor Mark Johnson, 148 South Chestnut Street, Belle Plaine, MN

56011.

Interview Summary

This is a summary of my interview with Pastor Mark Johnson, but before I get started on

the responses from Pastor Mark (he said I could call him Pastor Mark); I have to admit I was a

little bit intimidated by going to a church to interview a Pastor. First of all I was nervous in

saying “Pastor”; I did not want to make it sound like I was talking to Pastor Mark in farm terms.

Now time for the interview – I went to the church and to my amazement it did not seem old, dark
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and smelly like one might imagined, which helped ease some of the butterflies in my stomach. I

waited in the front office of the church (an office in a church, go figure) and a mid-40ish looking

man approached me, I figure this gentleman would be taking me to see the Pastor Mark, but to

my surprise it was Pastor Mark. I could not believe my eyes, where was the half bald and gray

haired old man in a robe with ear hair and glasses? There where no glass (I found out later

Pastor Mark had laser eye surgery), a full head of hair and younger than what I was expecting

and no hair in his ears. We then chatted for a bit, I admitted to Pastor Mark, he was not what I

had pictured. I kind of described what I was expecting and he laughed, Pastor Mark said that I

was not the only one who thinks of the church in that way. I have to admit, I was please with our

conversation and excited to communicate his responses in this paper.

1. What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion?

Christmas (the birth of Christ) and Easter (his resurrection from the dead) stand

out as the main holidays.

2. How has religion shaped your life?

It has provided me with my identity and worth in life (as a child of God) and,

from that, given to me a central purpose in life (to love God, myself and others).

3. What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?

Integrating the worship we have on Sundays with how we interact in our lives and

with others each day of the week.

4. What are some major differences between Catholic religion and Lutheran religion?

The most significant likeness is we both worship the Triune God (Father, Son,

and Holy Spirit). Differences include the number and meanings of the

Sacraments and the institution of the Papacy.

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5. Do Lutheran’s have-use a rosary, holey water, wine, and confessionals?

We do not use a rosaries and holy water. We do use wine in Holy Communion

and, we do have a rite of confession as part of our corporate worship services.

6. What is the meaning of the bread of Christ if different from Catholic religion?

Roman Catholics have a doctrine of transubstantiation for the elements of the

Eucharist where the bread and wine, in the words of institution, become the literal

body and blood of Christ. Lutherans subscribe to a doctrine called

consubstantiation where the bread and wine remain as bread and wine but where

Christ is truly present in, with and under the elements.

7. Does the Lutheran religion have classes for first communion?

Yes, they do. Classes are generally held for fifth graders and their parents (at least

in this congregation).

8. What is the Lutheran religion view on marriage?

I would like to take some exception to the word “religion” for “Lutheran”.

Frankly, Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, etc. are all the same religion (i.e. all

worship Father, Son Holy Spirit), although they are different “denominations” of

the same religion. If one is are talking about something other non-Trinitarian like,

say, Islam, now pone is speaking about another religion. But anyway, marriage is

not a sacrament in the Lutheran church but, it is considered a holy estate between

a man and a woman who, with their vows, join themselves to one another for life

as husband and wife.

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9. How has the Lutheran religion evolved over time?

Lutheranism began as a reform movement within the Roman Catholic Church by

Martin Luther (a former Roman Catholic monk and church professor).

Eventually, the reform movement broke away from the Roman Catholic Church.

Their pretest against certain doctrines the church was teaching them branded them

as “Protestants”. From Germany, where Martin Luther lived, the movement

spread outward (perhaps most notably to the Scandinavian countries) and, from

there, eventually, to America.

10. Do think there are any misconceptions of the Lutheran religion and if so, what are they?

In actuality, we do not have that many potlucks!

I found in my research of the Lutheran religion there was a great deal about Protestant

and Protestant reformation. In fact almost everything I found joined the two together. I

establish that in order to give a person the most information about the Lutheran religion, I

need to give the history of the Lutheran – Protestant characteristic of these religions because

they are so closely tied together as a changing religion.

Lutheran - Protestant Reformation

Introduction

Today nearly 70 million Christians belong to Lutheran churches worldwide. The world's

59 million Lutherans belong to 250 different independent Lutheran churches around the world.

Not surprisingly, the largest numbers of Lutherans are to be found in Germany, the place where

the Lutheran tradition began during the early part of the 16th century.

For most Europeans in the middle ages, the Roman Catholic Church was the center of life

the most unifying influence. The Protestant Reformation was the product of several key factors,
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and the many contributions of Martin Luther. Over the next 50 years Protestantism rise was very

swift, as it quickly separated itself from the Roman Catholic Church. However, the Catholic

Church in the Counter Reformation soon challenged its presence. Thus, the formation of the

Protestant Church changed history forever splintering the Catholic Church. The origin of the

Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century powerfully impacted the Catholic Church, and

society.

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was the result of a combination of factors. Early in the

sixteenth century, many abuses crept into the Catholic Church deteriorating it. Clergy were

greedy, and dishonest. Religious leaders also offered a "poor example stealing money from the

poor to enrich themselves" ("Protestant Reformation"). This behavior compelled people to

demand a reform in the church. Another, major causes of the Protestant Reformation were

indulgences. Indulgences were introduced by Pope Leo X in the 1500s. An indulgence was the,

"remission of temporal punishment still due for a sin that had been sacrament ally absolved"

("Protestant Reformation"). In other words a Christian could be pardoned from their sins when

they received the sacrament of Penance; nevertheless, they still deserved a punishment.

Therefore, a money donation to the church helped sinners eliminate this punishment.

Unfortunately, preachers began to stress payment more than repentance, creating the impression

that an indulgence guaranteed access to heaven ("Protestant Reformation"). These false

testaments corrupted the truth, and the idea. Hence, the corruption in the Catholic Church was

the chief factor in the origin of the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther

Radical Beliefs
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Martin Luther founded the movement of the Protestant Church with his radical beliefs.

Martin struggled with the notion of God, and sin (Hooker). He believed that he as a human was

corrupt because he had inherited original sin along with the entire human race (Hooker). He also

felt unworthy of God but despite that he still wanted to attain salvation (Hooker). For these

reasons, he posed the question "how could sinful, helpless humans be saved from the power of

sin?" (Hooker). He answered that question stating that God's love was forgiving, and

compassionate, and therefore faith in God alone lead to salvation. He also decided that the gift of

grace was granted through faith not good deeds (Hooker). With these beliefs Luther challenged

the Catholic Church when he published his 95 theses. In the theses he attacked such issues as:

"the indulgences, and abuses in the church and, he discussed his new theology about salvation

(Hooker). Martin Luther never expected to divide the church with his ideas he merely wanted to

arise a debate. Nevertheless, in his theses he challenged the Pope's authority when he questioned

the indulgences, which were imposed by him. Martin Luther suggested that the Bible alone

should be the guide to Christian life (Hooker). This suggestion started the battle between Martin

Luther, and the Catholic Church. Although Luther initially only hoped to reform the Catholic

Church his actions, and beliefs split Christianity in half instead.

Ideology

Martin Luther's ideology, and attacks on Rome escalated into the eventual rise of

Lutheranism, and the beginning of a new division in Christianity. Martin Luther's hardstand

against the Catholic Church was rapidly published across Germany. His ideas were contagious

quickly changing from a university debate to a dispute within a church. In 1518 Luther was

summoned to Rome to explain his allegations against the Church. In 1519 Luther denied the

Popes infallibility stating that the, "scriptures alone" held authority. Furthermore, Luther
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challenged many other aspects of Christianity. He denied the traditional teachings of the church,

by attacking the beliefs that individuals for example the pope or priest had higher spiritual

power. He reduced the sacraments to two, Baptism, and the Eucharist. In addition he concluded

that although Christ was present within the Eucharist, the bread and wine did not transform into

his flesh, and blood. In 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Church.

Protestantism soared to popularity, as the justification of faith set free its members from the

bondage of sin, and strengthen their relationship with God. Protestantism spoke to people's

"deepest religious yearnings". Therefore, Protestantism was very popular as well as powerful as

it spread rapidly.

Reforming of the Catholic Church

Coerced by the growth of Protestantism the Catholic Church sought to revitalize itself. In

1534, Paul III became Pope providing the church with the leadership to organize a reform against

Protestantism (Vignazia 4). He encouraged religious orders like the Jesuits to promote

Christianity. The Jesuits were a group of man who had taken vows of poverty, chastity and

obedience. Their aim was to, "fight for God under the banner of the cross to serve only the Lord,

and the Roman Pontiff, His vicar on cur" (Vignazia 4).

"The Jesuits were the best prepared order for defending the doctrines of the Roman

Catholic Church, and spreading its teachings" (Vignazia 4). However, Pope Paul's most

traumatic, and significant act was the Council of Trent, its purpose was to examine the Church's

doctrine, and reform it. The Council of Trent was an attempt at pleasing the Protestants and

persuading them to return to Christianity. Although, the attempt failed it strengthen the Catholic

Church.

Several developments emerged from the council:

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1) In the doctrine the Pope sustained his position as the supreme figure in the Catholic Church

(Vignazia 5).

2) The Catholic doctrine was clearly defined (Vignazia 5).

3) "The [Council of Trent] armed the church with two chief weapons: doctrinal clarity and

ecclesiastical discipline, with which it waged the war of the Counter- Reformation over the next

two centuries" (Vignazia 5).

4) The doctrine reunited Christians

5) The council affirmed that the, "scriptures had to be understood within the tradition of the

church" (Vignazia 5).

6) The Council gave Christianity an, "essential element of direction" (Vignazia 5).

"The Council of Trent did mark a turning point in the history of the Catholic Church, it

gave Catholics a certainty about their own beliefs, and practices that had previously been

lacking. The Church's foundation was strengthened, to give it a firm base on which the spiritual

life of the Catholic world could be reconstructed" (Vignazia 5).

Hence, the Catholic Church responded to the growing threat of Protestantism through the

introduction of various religious orders and redefining its fundamental beliefs therefore

realigning the religion.

Relates to Today's Society

Protestantism which was largely adopted by the people of North Western Europe and

held to the beliefs that the individual person was the valid interpreter of the Bible led to a wide

variety of Protestant sects. This fragmentation of Protestantism was further extended by disputes
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within the sect over "how to worship?" (Gottfried). This fragmentation of the sect in turn also led

to a more liberal leadership of the church. This leadership led the Social Gospel movement,

which encouraged freer interpretation of the theological doctrines and emphasizes church

responsibility for social justice (Gottfried). The Protestantism Church was a partner in the

leadership of the United State's civil rights movement; it was a strong voice for women's rights

and a guardian for the unborn (antiabortion). The Protestantism Church was a crusader for labors

reform in the Americans and is not an advocate for environmental responsibility (Gottfried).

Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, yet until then it had been read in Latin,

which was not understood by ordinary people. Today, the Bible is translated into the languages

of the community. Hymns, which were sacred songs that worship God, were originally sung in

Greek or Latin. Though, since the Reformation hymns are mostly sung in the language of the

area. Nowadays, there are branches of the Church of England, also known as the Anglican or

Episcopalian Church that are found in many countries of the world. When, Elizabeth was

crowned queen, she established the Church of England, a compromise between Protestantism

and Catholicism. As a result, the Protestant Reformation has greatly impacted our society today

as a whole.

Conclusion

Christianity and Protestantism clash mightily, because of their differences. Beginning in

the sixteenth century Protestantism's power greatly influenced the course of the Catholic Church

eventually changing its direction. Protestantism rose from Christianity's flaws and abuses in the

1500s, at the hand of Martin Luther. Martin Luther's confidence in his convictions, allowed him

to take a stand against his opposition, and publish his beliefs responding to the problems of the

time. Protestantism's rise was immediate, spreading across the face of Europe, and into the pages
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of history books. However, the Protestantism rise was also the source of the Counter

Reformation by Christianity, which wedged a war against the new church. Therefore, the passage

of Protestantism shifted the core of Christianity, changing history forever.

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References

Apologetics Index, copyright 1996-2006, website:

http://www.apologeticsindex.org/p11.html

Gottfried, Paul, VDARE.COM, website:

http://www.vdare.com/gottfried/decay_Protestantism.htm

History Learning site, historylearningsite.co.uk, © 2000-2007, website:

http://historylearningsite.co.uk/2078.htm

Hooker, Richard, The Internet Modern History Sourcebook, website:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook02.html

Vignazia, Franco, Way of the Cross-, Chap. 4 and 5, Shakopee Public Library

Fisher, Mary Pat, Living Religions, sixth edition, copyright 2005 by Pearson Education,

Inc.

Pastor Mark Johnson, St. John's Lutheran Church, Belle Plaine, Minnesota

Sheeha, Thomas, The First Coming: How the Kingdom of God Became Christianity

(1986—electronic edition 2000) website:

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/thomas_sheehan/firstcoming/i.html