Answer: It challenged Catholic traditions, forcing people to reassess the Catholic religion.
Context and further detail:
The Protestant Reformation is noted as beginning with Martin Luther's posting of what are commonly called "The 95 Theses." The official title of Luther's document, which he put forth on October 31, 1517, as theses for debate, was: Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences. Indulgences were papers issued by the authority of the pope that granted the person obtaining them the removal of penance owed in regard to their sins. Luther objected not only to the fact that these papers were being peddled for money, but questioned many of the doctrinal foundations behind the use of indulgences.
As Luther continued his reform efforts, he protested not only indulgences, but the revering of relics, prayers to saints, the authority of the pope, and more. Many of the long-standing Catholic Church traditions were challenged. Other reformers, such as Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, also became part of the Protestant Reformation activity.
Luther and the other Protestant reformers proclaimed salvation as a gift of God's grace, rather than something earned by human efforts. The Roman Catholic Church spoke of God's grace also, but as an enabling power that helped human beings do the works required for obtaining salvation. The reformers still preached that we should do good works, but said those works were a fruit of being saved rather than a source of salvation.
The Protestant Reformation was a European movement that emerged in the 16th century at the behest of monarchs who wanted to limit or negate the divine authority of the Roman Catholic Church over their rule. Instead, they wanted to project their rule as directly chosen by God as His representative on Earth, instead of ruling by the mandate of the Roman Catholic Church. The expression of political freedom by the monarchs had a deep impact on the religious lives of their subjects. The Protestant movement was extremely popular among the middle class and the peasants, as it gave them access to religious scriptures and the expression of religious freedom, meaning, they would not have to pay expensive taxes to the Church for the purpose of salvation. Religion thus became more personalized and became a basic right of humanity.
Further Explanation-
Protestantism emerged as several branches and took many forms, that were named after the scholars who contributed their respective principles to the movement. The most common forms of Protestantism that emerged were Lutheranism and Calvinism, after Martin Luther and John Calvin. Lutheran beliefs were based on the fact that the Bible held the word of God, and only the Bible had the authority to govern the lives of the people. This rejected the authority of the Pope, and the Roman Catholic Church in their spiritual role as the protector of mankind, and also rejected their monopoly in granting atonement of sins for the human soul. Lutheranism rejected elaborate rituals and stressed on the importance of living by the word of God, and believed that the holy scriptures should be accessible to all. He believed that good deeds would lead the soul to salvation. Calvinism, on the other hand, was more radical and propagated for partial atonement, which meant that Jesus did not die to save all of mankind from Sin. He also stressed on the importance of leading an ascetic life, according to Christian principles, which would bestow God’s irreversible Grace on them.
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Answer Details-
Grade- High School.
Chapter- The Reformation in Europe.
Subject- History.
Keywords-
Monarchs, divine rule, Roman Catholic church, access of the middle class, the atonement of sins, salvation, asceticism.
