GKE1 Task 2

Miranda Stewart
Western Governors University

A) Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Saxony, now Germany, in 1483 and died in 1546. (Martin Luther and the 95 Theses. 2013) During his 63 years of life he set in motion many changes that would take place in the world. His two most significant changes were his key role in the Protestant Revolution and the translation of the Bible into German, which later was translated into English, thus making it available for all to read. Luther was originally attending school at the University of Erfurt and training to become a lawyer when he was caught in a severe thunderstorm and, after nearly being struck by lightning, pledged that he would become a monk if he survived. Survive he did so he quit the study of law and entered an Augustinian monastery. While he stopped studying law he did not stop studying. His desire to study and learn led him to become a professor of the Bible and was eventually led to new understandings of the Catholic religion and the Bible. (Martin Luther and the 95 Theses. 2013) Luther penned his “95 Theses” in 1517 and nailed it to the door of the church that he was currently teaching at. While legend has made it something of a dramatic act of defiance, pinned to the door on a stormy night, it is much more likely that he was straightforwardly announcing his academic discussion that he was opening up. (Martin Luther and the 95 Theses. 2013) This posting, however he was intending it, hit too close to home for the Catholic Church and began changing the course of history. While the “95 Theses” sparked the Protestant Revolution, the list of 95 items were actually worded as “questioning rather than accusing” and were very “humble and academic” in tone. (Martin Luther and the 95 Theses. 2013) However, the questions were accusing the Catholic Church of inappropriate use of their power and the money of its believers. These writings were rapidly distributed around Germany and became the basis of many people questioning the Catholic Church and its leaders. Eventually, Luther became so bold as to call the Pope of the time the “Antichrist” which eventually led Luther’s excommunication from the Catholic Church in 1521. (Martin Luther and the 95 Theses. 2013) The Protestant Revolution led way for many different Christian religions as it branched throughout Europe. People such as John Calvin and King Henry VIII continued molding and changing the idea of Christianity and breaking off from the Catholic Church until it no longer wielded as much power over Europe as it once did. Luther’s translation of the New Testament into German in 1522, with the Old Testament following shortly after in 1534 (Martin Luther, n.d.) led to the Bible being available for reading by anyone who possessed that skill. This was a very large change from earlier when only the priests and those higher in the Catholic Church could read it and pass on what they wanted their congregations to hear. This changed the course of history by putting the Bible into the individual’s hands and letting them interpret what it said. Luther learned through his studies of the Bible and believed that it was intended “as a lamp to the believer’s path” (Wilson, 2007) and that as many people should have access to read it for themselves and that the individual should be able to choose their own path to salvation. The individual was given the power that previously resided with only those in power in the Catholic Church. Within a few years of this being published, lay people were coming up with their own interpretations and were writing their own devotionals and pamphlets. (Wilson, 2007) With the individual making their own discoveries they could challenge the long held belief of the castes and everyone being in their “proper” place on the totem pole. Suddenly, the peasant was on equal footing with the priest and thus, the church began losing some of its power. When the Bible was translated into English by Tyndale in 1525-1526 (Martin Luther, n.d.) it paved the way for further insights and eventually gave all of Europe’s inhabitant’s access to the Bible. One could say that Luther and his bold statements and actions led to the beginning of democracy and eventually the founding of Christianity as we know it today. While it is well documented that Luther never set out to bring down the Catholic Church, his actions did eventually lead to its fall from the ultimate power. This makes Martin Luther’s role in the Protestant Revolution and his translation of the Bible his most significant contributions.

B) Martin Luther King, Jr. brought many changes to the United States in his short life. The two biggest contributions that he made to the United States were his introduction of peaceful protestation and the great role he played in the fight against discrimination. Not just racial, but all types of discrimination. While he was just one man he brought about some of the greatest change in the 20th century. King Jr. was born January 15, 1929. He was born Michael Luther King Jr. but later changed his name to Martin. He was a pastor at a Baptist Church in Alabama, like his father and grandfather before him. He was married to Coretta Scott and they had four children.( Martin Luther King Jr. – Biographical, 1972) His father was active in the equal rights movement of his time but King Jr. really brought it to a different level. Martin Luther King Jr. was highly influenced by Mohandas Gandhi. He had pictures of Gandhi in his office and framed a lot of his ideas and philosophies from him. He was even known as the “Negro Gandhi” by many. Gandhi had developed the political strategy of non-violence in South America and it was what he had depended on to help gain India’s independence from British imperialism. (Suhail, K., 2005). King Jr. introduced this tactic in North America and began hosting non-violent protests and marches. King Jr. first described this attitude of non-violence in his book Stride Toward Freedom. In this book he described six principles. They are:
1. “Non-Violence is a way of life for courageous people.”
2. “The Beloved Community is the framework for the future.”
3. “Attack forces of evil, not persons doing evil.”
4. “Accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve the goal.”
5. “Avoid internal violence of the spirit as well of external physical violence.”
6. “The universe is on the side of justice.”
(The King Philosophy | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. (n.d.).
These six simple principles were unique to the mission of Martin Luther King Jr. and were something that had never before been seen in America’s history. With the use of these six principles and his never reacting to attacks on himself or his family with violence led him to be more readily listened to by most of the general public. His “I Have a Dream” speech would have fallen on deaf ears if he had been reacting with violence and paying his attackers back with the same level of hate instead of love.
This approach and his determination to see change in the world led him to be more successful than his predecessors and to still be known today as the greatest contribution to the civil rights movement. He led many peaceful marches, the most famous of which was the “March for Jobs and Freedom” more commonly known as the “March on Washington” where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. (About Dr. King | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, n.d.)
All of his example of peaceful protesting unfortunately still ended with King Jr. being assassinated on April 4, 1968. He was killed on the balcony of his motel room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. . (About Dr. King | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, n.d.) His death did not stop the forward motion of equality that he had begun. It only served to confirm the need for change and while there is still the need to monitor racism and the giving of equality to all people Martin Luther King Jr. was an important piece of the puzzle and still continues to be an example to all.

References

1. Martin Luther and the 95 Theses. (2013). The History Channel website. Retrieved September 23, 2013, from http://www.history.com/topics/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses.
2. Martin Luther. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2013, from http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/martin-luther.html
3. Wilson, D. (2007, May). The Luther Legacy. History Today, 57(5), 34-39.
4. Suhail, K. (2005). Prophets of violence, prophets of peace: Understanding the roots of contemporary political violence. Toronto: White Knight Publications.
5. Martin Luther King Jr. - Biographical. (1972). Retrieved 23, 2013, from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
6. The King Philosophy | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2013, from http://www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy#sub2
7. About Dr. King | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2013, from http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king