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During The Reformation Dbq Essay

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Individuals and groups of a society can promote change of the status quo. Many people took action and spoke out against issues within society during the Reformation. The Reformation was a movement in the 16th century where people called out the Roman Catholic Church on its unjust teachings. These people include John Wycliffe, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Martin Luther. The Church did not approve of this criticism and aimed to eliminate those who defied the Church. In the first document, John Wycliffe claims that the Church is contradicting itself. He claims that the Church is engaging in behavior that does not comply with what they preach. John also claims that the pope is wrongly considering himself the head of the Church. Wycliffe speaks out against …show more content…

The popes believe that the indulgences are positive because they provide an opportunity for those to have their sins forgiven. In document seven, Martin Luther criticizes the pope and the Church for their use of indulgences. Luther claims that people are falsely being forgiven for their sins with the use of money. He thinks this is teaching the false doctrine of money being more important than ethics. People should be forgiven by God, not by money, and should do so through helping the needy instead of buying the indulgences. Document eight, Pope Leo X’s response to Martin Luther, states that Martin Luther’s comments and motive is the work of the devil. He thinks Luther is a threat to the Church and orders him to stop preaching. Pope Leo X realizes that Luther is a legitimate threat and tries to undermine his credibility. In the ninth document, Luther claims that the pope’s response shows that he is the Antichrist. He claims that the pope has no real evidence to prove he is heretical. Luther is getting the attention of his followers and is showing that the corruption within the Church is no joke. Despite threats of punishment, Luther shows resilience in his pursuit for the improvement of the

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