• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contributors
  • Work With Us
  • CONTACT US
  • Blog
  • Our Sponsors

CaliforniaGermans

All Things German In California

  • Life in California
    • German Food -Bakeries|Markets|Delis
    • Restaurants – German|Austrian|Swiss
    • German Schools- Kindergarten|PreSchools|GradeSchools|
    • German Clubs & Community
    • German Traditions in CA
    • CA For Kids
    • Tips & Guidelines
    • German Cooking & Baking
    • Events & More
    • KONSULATE
  • Education
    • German Schools SoCal
    • German Schools NorCal
    • Kindergruppen
  • Travel
    • Travel
    • Travel CA
  • Expat Stories
    • XPAT Spotlight
  • Lese-Ecke
  • JOB BOARD
  • Forum

Lutheranism

Halloween, Martin Luther and the Reformation

October 31, 2017 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

Today it’s all about Halloween. At least if you live here in the United States. In Germany, October  31 has been declared a national holiday this year, and that not because of Halloween.

Let’s talk about Martin Luther, the scholar, priest, and unifier.

Germany Celebrates 500 Years of The Reformation 

500 years ago, Martin Luther, a priest and scholar went to a church in Wittenberg to nail his 95 theses on to its doors. That act started a religious revolution and led to the formation of a new religious structure within Christendom: Protestantism. The Reformation was born.

Today Germany and churches around the globe commemorate Martin Luther and this significant event that brought about Protestantism and its many subgroups, like Lutheranism, Baptism, Anglicanism, Methodism and more.

But, What do We Really Know About Martin Luther?

Luther – The Priest who Started the Reformation

Martin Luther hadn’t planned for all this to happen. In fact, all he wanted was to find a way to draw attention to some teachings and practices of the Catholic Church he didn’t agree with. Despite attempts and requests to debate this with church leaders, they chose to ignore him. Luther had to find a different way to make himself heard and found a very effective one. He nailed his 95 theses to the doors of the castle church of Wittenberg. At least, so the legend goes. It is disputed if this actually happened, especially since Luther just wanted to change some grievances and not cause a religious revolution.

Luther – The Scholar, Speaking Out for Free Education for All

Luther, the revolutionary, the priest who started a new religion within Christianity. That’s how many of us know him best. But, did you know that Luther was also a revolutionary in regards to education? In a way, we can thank him for free public education, which is very much still policy in present day Germany. He not only supported that education should be free for all and not a privilege of the rich elite, but also pioneered in making education available for girls!

Luther – The Linguist and Uniter

By translating the Bible from Latin into German, Martin Luther united a people under the umbrella of one common German language. Before the days of the Bible written in German, the German language consisted of many varieties of dialects. Luther, fluent in both, the northern and southern German dialects, wanted all the German people to understand the teachings of the Bible. By taking all dialects into account he created a German language that was understandable to everyone. Credit Luther for the first standardized German, if you will!

Image: Pixabay.com


.

Filed Under: Culture, German History, Germany in the News, News Tagged With: 500 years Reformation, Germany, Luther, Lutheranism, Martin Luther, Protestantism, Reformation

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us Online

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Join us on Facebook

Join us on Facebook

Featured Sponsors

Notice

Please note that CaliforniaGermans is not affiliated with the California Staatszeitung. Thank you!

Featured Post –

GASA Summer Camp June 2023 - CaliforniaGermans

German Immersion Summer Camp for Kids is Back!

Plan for the Summer. It's Camp Time! It's only January, but guess what? It's never too early to … [Read More...] about German Immersion Summer Camp for Kids is Back!

Featured Posts – Travel

Traveling in Times of Covid-19: Regulations & more

Are you unsure if you can travel to Germany this summer? What about your … [Read More...] about Traveling in Times of Covid-19: Regulations & more

  • Travel As a Dual Citizen. Do You Know Which Passport to Use When?

More Posts from this Category

Advertisements

Global College Advisers Logo

Follow us on Twitter

My Tweets

RSS DW-Top News Germany

  • German police search Argentine 'dirty war' suspect's home
    Authorities in Berlin were looking for evidence tying the former military leader to the murder of government critics during Argentina's dictatorship.
  • Germany debates tougher deportation rules
    A deadly knife attack on a German regional train has triggered a debate on deportation laws and their application: The suspect, a Palestinian, was living in Germany despite his criminal record.

Footer

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

important links

Privacy

Terms & Disclosure

Copyright

©2009-2023 CaliforniaGermans. All Rights Reserved

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Privacy Policy

Categories

Archives

Work with Us

RSS Links

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Newsletter

Follow Us

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · Log in

 

Loading Comments...