Notes 5-14- video on Martin Luther

• German 1483- a time of desolation and disease. Where the plague could wipe out entire towns in days and a quarter of all children died before they were five. There was one consolation- the church and its promise of heaven.
• It made the church the most powerful institution on earth, very rich, but also corrupt and tyrannical.
• Martin Luther- The idea that we should stand up fir what we believe in, and that all people are precious- things he fought for. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_luther
• He took on the Catholic Church. He said "you are wrong, let us now come to the right." 
• Martin Luther grew up in a tiny town in Germany. 
• The church stood at the center of Luther's childhood world. 
• If you followed the church's rules and rituals, you would escape the horrors of the world. 
• It governed every aspect of human life. 
• The young Luther embraced the church, served as an alter boy and sang in the choir. 
• His father, Hans, was a copper smelter. He held fierce ambitions for his son and intended for him to become a lawyer. 
• Luther's mother was not any more sympathetic than his father. 
• He did not follow his father's ambitions. He followed it at first and went to the best schools in the area.
• He became a great musician at the University of Erfurt. 
• In 1505, Plague struck and Luther's life and plans were shattered. 
• The epidemic killed three of Luther's friends, and this glimpse of human mortality and the fear of God's wrath made a turning point in Luther's life. 
• Luther, now 23, returned to Erfurd after a visit to a family and he was caught in a massive thunderstorm. 
• No one knows exactly what happened that night, but it struck his soul. He struck a bargain with God, and vowed to become a monk. 
• It was a moment when he took charge of his own life. 
• His father was really really mad. 
• Life as a monk, life was extremely regulated. 
• Luther joined one of the most strict monasteries in the country, 
• The monks tried to imitate the sufferings of Christ. 
• He eventually left, saying that he would have killed himself if he stayed there. 
• Luther did everything 100%, so when he wanted to be a monk, he did it all. 
• He was increasingly concerned that he would not make it to heaven. 
• "God's word is too high and too hard for anyone to fulfill it."
• He was sent to Rome by his monastery thing.
• This was an important pilgrimage, because Rome was the home of the Catholic Church. 
• It took Luther and his companion two months to get to Rome. 
• He arrived in Rome just as the renaissance was reaching its height. 
• The city was a revelation to Luther. 
• He was criticized when he was there and it was a disappointment. 
• After everything he had gone through, he wondered if it was really bringing him closer to God. He broke down, questioning the teachings of the church. Rome did not reflect Christianity as he understood it. 
• His trip to Rome had only brought doubt. He still wanted to get salvation though. He spent the rest of his days in endless confession.