Protestant Reformation The practices of the Catholic Church during the 16th century caused a monk named Martin Luther to question the ways of the Church. Luther observed how families suffered physically, emotionally, and economically at the hands of the Church. Luther saw no basis for the Church to blame people for their sins or prevent them from learning to read the Bible on their own. He watched as money built the Palace, but destroyed the fundamental, spiritual reasons we go to church in the first place. In an effort to change the practices of the Church, he wrote the 95 Theses. In these he expressed his point of view on the abuses of the Church. This was the beginning of a great movement that would change religious practices around the world. Martin Luther was not the only person to feel that the Church needed to reform its practices. Others who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church include John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli and even the king of England, Henry VIII. Each questioned the Church's practices uniquely based on their own beliefs. Some of them shared similar spiritual theories, others differed greatly. After translating the Bible into German, Martin Luther pioneered Lutheranism. Luther believed that one should not repent of one's sins through payments or indulgences. He believed that we simply needed to have faith in Christ and that salvation came from God. Luther also believed that priests should not be celibate. His beliefs also rejected the idea of ​​purgatory. Finally, Lutheranism did not view transubstantiation in the same way as Catholicism. Although Lutheranism held practices closer to the Catholic Church, it was its abuses of those sacraments that influenced Luther toward the Reformation. His initial intention was not to ... middle of paper ... belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he died to atone for the sins of every man. The marked difference during the reformation was eliminating the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Protestants did not have a pope or bishop at the head of their church. They were happy to have the freedom to pray and worship alone or with other Protestants. Thanks to the invention of the printing press, followers of the Roman Catholic Church now had the ability to read the Bible for themselves. They were given the opportunity to choose their religion based on educated reading, rather than ignorance on matters of faith. And while not all Protestant beliefs are entirely the same, they allow for the choice to live outside of the Church and have a spiritual life that is not measured by threats and monetary contributions for the betterment of the Catholic Church and its leaders..