Wittenberg, Germany – A document posted on the doors of Wittenberg Palace church today has the town - and the Church - talking.
The Disputation of Dr. Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, already being referred to as the "95 Theses" by townspeople, are a direct attack on His Holiness Pope Leo X and the Roman Catholic Church.
In the document, Dr. Luther debates the Church's newfound practice of offering indulgences for profit and its new policies on purgatory, among other topics. This practice places salvation in the hands of the rich, instead of solely in reach of the pious and faithful.
News of the 95 Theses is already circulating, and Christians are discussing what this means for the future of the church. This reporter sees a storm coming, and it's going to take a miracle to stop it.
Dr. Luther is but one man, but one man can change the world. Many hard-working, pious Catholics have been disturbed by the proclamations of the Church that salvation can be purchased, that penance does not need to be completed, that a certain amount of money can excuse you from thousands of years of purgatory. These Church-sanctioned means of extortion in order to renovate St. Peter's Basilica are putting the rich above the poor, the well-off against the needy, in the eyes of the Lord.
Dr. Luther's proclamation that these practices are reprehensible and show corruption of the Church is strong and fanatical, even bordering on seditious, but needed to be stated. His Holiness Pope Leo X is seen as God's presence on this Earth – it is difficult to question His power. Whether the Church will revise their new indulgence policies remains to be seen, but one can trust that reform of the process is inevitable. Dr. Luther has shown he is willing to take a large step toward rectifying this abhorrent situation; there is little doubt he will stop now.
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