"Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen!"
- Martin Luther's "Speech at the Diet of Worms" (1521)
We take it for granted that the name “Protestant” comes from the word “protest.” But this name is a relic of a time when a “protest” against the establishment was more prominent. That establishment was then challenged by the distant thunder of revolution. It was just called the “Protestant Reformation” …
Disclosure of my own religious views: I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints …
One's opinion of this program is very likely to be influenced by their view of Luther himself. Therefore, I might as well disclose my own view here; in the interest of disclosing any factor that might be perceived as “bias.” Therefore, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We Latter-Day Saints think of ourselves as Christians, but we are nonetheless neither Catholics nor Protestants. We do, however, have our own opinions on this subject. For example, we believe that the Protestant Reformation paved the way for freedom of religion, and thus enabled our own particular religion to be established. On this issue, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints tend to agree somewhat more with the Protestants. The future Latter-Day Saint leader Thomas S. Monson also said that “Martin Luther asserted the Bible’s supremacy. His study of the scriptures led him to compare the doctrines and practices of the church with the teachings of the scriptures. Luther stood for the responsibility of the individual and the rights of the individual conscience, and this he did at the imminent risk of his life. Though threatened and persecuted, yet he declared boldly: 'Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me.' ” (Source: April 1975 General Conference) I was thus glad to see that this documentary interviewed a number of Lutheran scholars (and other Protestant scholars), and I often agreed with what they had to say. In my opinion, getting a Lutheran perspective on these matters was indispensable to such a program. But I would have also liked to hear the viewpoint of a Roman Catholic scholar as well, and this documentary does not have one. (However, this is a minor quibble for me, so I won't complain too much about this.)
Martin Luther
Martin Luther's biggest complaint against the church was against the selling of “indulgences”
Martin Luther's biggest complaint against the church might have been that it was selling “indulgences.” In Roman Catholic theology, you see, a sinful person has to spend time in “purgatory” after death, and must in this way be purified of their sins before they can go to heaven. Purgatory might be seen as a kind of temporary hell, which is not permanent. (Fellow Latter-Day Saints might call it “spirit prison.”) Furthermore, Catholics have long seen this time in purgatory as having some of the unpleasantness associated with damnation. For the Roman Catholic Church, an “indulgence” is a way to reduce the amount of punishment that one would otherwise have to undergo for their sins. It does not necessarily mean time out of purgatory, although it has long been interpreted as such by people outside of their faith. In Martin Luther's day, it was actually interpreted as time out of purgatory, even by the Catholic Church – and more specifically, by the Pope himself. It could be obtained on behalf of the dead (including family members), as well as for one's self. Martin Luther's biggest complaint against the Catholic Church was probably that it sold these indulgences for money. In fairness to Catholics, they have long since ceased this practice; and condemned it as a “heresy.” Today, Catholics no longer believe that indulgences can be obtained through acts of charity (such as financial donations), but they still believe in a form of indulgences that omits the “money” part. At this time, however, Pope Leo X was particularly active in the selling of indulgences; and made a lot of money from it. The amount of the contribution was proportioned to the donor's financial means. Martin Luther saw this practice as “corrupt,” and condemned it as such in his writings. This was one of the most important aspects of his attack on the Catholic Church at this time, and the documentary notes it in its presentation.
Pope Leo X
This documentary is, in general, very sympathetic with the Protestants depicted here
On the Protestant side, this documentary points out some of Martin Luther's warts; such as a lack of sympathy with those who revolted against secular tyranny. They also mention his Anti-Semitism, which is probably the most controversial aspect of his views today. Nonetheless, this documentary is mostly sympathetic with the Protestant movement (and with Luther in particular); which is surprising in a program made by PBS. I usually expect that PBS will be critical of any Christian religion, and this program is a fortunate exception. This documentary tended to focus on the political aspects of this revolution; and this focus definitely has its advantages. The revolution of Martin Luther had many political effects, of course; and no responsible historian can afford to ignore these effects, whatever their views on Luther and his beliefs. Since Luther appealed to the secular authorities of the German states, he converted many of them to his side. This would have massive effects on many a coming religious struggle in Europe. Nonetheless, the documentary only mentions in passing that he laid out the doctrines of a new faith; and does not go into detail about any of its new doctrines. If you're expecting to hear about the particular doctrines of Lutheranism, this is probably not the program for you. But if you're just after the political history of the Reformation, this is a fine treatment of the politics of the era; and may be the best such treatment for television. Catholics will probably be less satisfied with the treatment of their own church; but many Protestants will be apt to like this, I think. Since Martin Luther's time, many other Protestant churches have sprung up in the West; and I will not try to list them all here. Nonetheless, the Protestant Reformation seems to have started with Martin Luther; and it still owes much to his activities today.
Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms
Why was Martin Luther's revolution so successful? (There are a number of reasons … )
Historians have often asked why Martin Luther's revolution was so successful. A reason often cited is the invention of the printing press, which Luther used to great effect in spreading his ideas. The Gutenberg printing press was invented only a few decades or so before Martin Luther's birth. Another reason was the amount of money that the German states were then sending to the Vatican. Luther pointed out to Germany's secular authorities that these expenses were costly, and that they could be avoided by converting to Protestantism. Thus, Martin Luther converted many German authorities to his side with an able appeal to their pocketbooks. With them on his side, he had the political muscle to resist the attempts of the authorities to suppress him and his views. Another was the appeal of actually reading the Bible for oneself, rather than going through the intermediary of the church. Again, the printing press is part of what made this possible; because it made copies of the Bible available to the common people. And part of this was Martin Luther's writing ability, which he used to great effect in attacking the church. Luther was also a former Catholic monk (somewhat ironically), and had an intimate knowledge of the church's inner workings. This may have been part of the reason that he knew where the institution was vulnerable. He knew the sensitive nerves, and he knew which buttons to press in his readers. Thus, he converted many to his faith.
Ninety-Five Theses - Nuremberg single-page printing, 1517 (the year it was written)
Epilogue on the state of religious cooperation today, and the remembrance of history
In the days since the dawn of religious freedom in parts of the West, relations between Catholics and Protestants have since come a long way. Religious violence is no longer the norm amongst Christians today, and the two sides generally allow each other to worship as they please. It is good that they tend to get along so well now, and that the tensions and violence of prior centuries are mostly erased. Interfaith cooperation is now a widespread norm, and it embraces all Christian faiths, as well as people from other faiths (and no faith at all). Differences are set aside as people work together in common causes, and improve their communities in the process. In our examination of past times when things were otherwise, one hopes that we will not try to rekindle old hatreds or bear old grudges, but merely remember the contributions of those who came before. Catholics will remember the saints and martyrs of their faith, and I have no desire to dissuade them from doing so. On the contrary, I have some genuine respect for the Catholic heroes; and in any case, I will extend the same respect to their beliefs that I would hope to receive from them about my own. In that same spirit, I hope that they will not mind if I spend a moment remembering the Protestant heroes. Although I am not a Protestant myself, I have a great respect for the people who brought me the Bible, in a number of languages (some of which I can understand and read). I have a great respect for the people who brought me freedom to worship, in a faith that would not have been possible without the noble groundwork that they laid. I include Martin Luther among these people (as you have probably guessed); and I am glad that I learned more about him by watching this documentary. Others may disagree if they so choose; but personally, I liked this documentary; and I can recommend it to anyone interested in history.
“We owe much to the many brave martyrs and reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Huss who demanded freedom to worship and common access to the holy books.”
– M. Russell Ballard, “The Miracle of the Holy Bible” (2007)
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