The Renaissance April, 1400 | Page 9

Martin Luther

by Katie Murphy

Martin Luther’s ideas and actions were those of different thinking and different ways. He supported those who had the most power, and in those days that was the way to go. Even though the Renaissance period started before he was born, he is one of the most well-known people from that time period. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. He had very strong opinions about who should be in power and what should happen to those who were disloyal.

One of his beliefs was that the only way you could be saved is by what you believe in, or what you have faith in. Say you are in debit with someone that you owe a lot of money to. If you believe in God, then God will come and save you. Maybe not from the debit that you are in, but he will watch over you and make sure that you get what you deserve, but also show you that he cares about you at the same time. He thought that what you believe in is what keeps you strong.

Something else that he believed in is what I call Ultimate Power. He thought that anyone that tried to overthrow the Prince, that they should be put to death. He didn’t care who they were, he didn’t care that maybe they had a family. They had tried to overthrow the one person that had Ultimate Power over everyone, and they should be punished for it. He had no problem with rebels being killed for what they believed in.

He also thought that the church should support what the Prince was doing. Sometimes the churches faith didn’t agree with what the Prince was going to do. Martin thought that the Prince knew what he was doing and that whatever he was doing was what is best for the people that the Prince was ruling over. He looked up to the Prince as someone that knew everything, knew what was best for everyone, and that they world would be a better place if he (the Prince) decided everything.

Thinking this way was dangerous, but could also be in his favor. He would be in trouble with those that were against the Prince. They would see him as a traitor, and they could attempt to take his life. On the other hand if he supported the Prince, he could get protection from the rebels, he could probably get out of things that were frowned upon because he was a supporter of the Prince.

You really have to think about what each side has to offer in each situation. The pros and cons of each situation could ultimately decide which side you take. Make sure you know what you are capable of and make sure you know what everyone on your side is capable of. You don’t want to make arguments out of little things and you sure as heck do not want to start something big when it is really nothing to worry about. The last important thing that you need to consider is what are you willing to give up for your cause. It could be our life, your friends life, or your daughters. Whose would it be?