Protestant Reformation Essay Sample

Before the Reformation, there was blind faith in the Catholic church. Its preachings were considered law. This is because the members of the Church were the only people who could read Latin, the language of the Church at the time. Thus, they preached the word of God according to what benefited them. However, with the invention of the printing press, the Bible was no longer an object of mystery that only elite members of society could understand. Therefore, people were able to form their own interpretations of God’s teachings. People were able to think beyond what they had previously been taught. The Church no longer had all of the answers. That responsibility fell on the members themselves for the first time. As the decades, and later centuries, passed, critical thinking became paramount to religion as it never had before. 

With the widespread publication of reformers’ teachings such as Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, new sects of Christianity were formed. Each one was able to read and discuss their interpretations of the word of God. It is absolutely fascinating how so many groups of people could all have different opinions about what the same words and scriptures mean. The practice of communion, originating from the last supper, is an example of this occurrence. Catholics believe that after a ceremony preformed during mass, bread and wine are turned into the body and blood of Christ. However, Protestants see bread and wine as a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice. Quakers don’t take communion at all because they believe there are other ways Christians can live a holy life. The freedom to make religion, specifically Christianity, “religions” is one of the most compelling aspects of the Reformation. Knowing that none of this would have been possible without the mass translations of the Bible is almost unthinkable. The very idea of every person in the modern world being forced to practice a religion with a God only a select few understand is simply not possible given the technology available to mankind today.

A lesson that can be taken from the thinkers of the Reformation is to think beyond the status quo, and how people should never stop questioning the world around them. If every aspect of life was set in stone, there would be no growth or improvement to society. This is exactly why religious reform is so important to history. It allowed us to become free thinkers in not only religion, but beyond our own universe.