Martin Luther and the Beginning of the Protestant Reformation

Today we began our study of the Protestant Reformation.

The students read about Martin Luther's dramatic decision to criticize the Catholic Church by posting his Ninety Five Theses on the door of his church in Germany. The students had a host of intriguing questions:

Zach: Why did Martin Luther start a separate branch of Christianity, rather than just starting a whole new religion?

Cooper: Since the time of the Protestant Reformation, has the Catholic Church changed very much?

Maeve: Why did the leaders of the Catholic Church care so much whether some people wanted to believe different things about Christianity?

Amanda: Did Martin Luther like all the publicity and attention?

Jeremy, Lillian and Nick: Were the Ninety Five Theses immediately taken off the church door, or were they allowed to remain on the door for awhile?

Becca: If you'd been living during the 1500's, would you have helped Martin Luther hide from the Emperor?  Why or why not?

Caroline: If there weren't so many different religions, would people's lives be different?

Halle: What characteristics do people look for in a pope?