Martin Luther to the Christian nobility of the German nation actually questions why the religious clergy are superior to the common man. In this Luther is actually inciting the Protestant Reformation. Not only does this line of thought represent the changing of the Western mind, but it sets the stage for the 18th century Age of Enlightenment later on, influencing history forever. The Protestant Reformation shows how ordinary people over time became more frustrated with imbalances of rights and freedoms within religious freedom. At the beginning of the sixteenth century these people begin to act on their own. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A major improvement in the history of religion that had significant consequences on Western civilization was the Protestant Reformation. To understand the historical context we need to go back to 1517. Luther proclaimed: “Once again it is intolerable that in canon law so much importance is given to the freedom, life and property of the clergy, as if the laity were not also such spiritual and as good as they are,” he essentially protests against what he perceives as immorality and wrong education in the Church, but this change he initiated has had broader social and social ramifications. The Protestant Reformation led to this revolutionary belief that ordinary people would have a political voice and ultimately accelerated the development of democracy, capitalism, and philosophy, among others. Later Luther quotes Saint Paul: “Everything that canon law has said to the contrary is a pure invention of Roman presumption. Because this is what St. Paul says to all Christians: Romans 13:1, 4: "Let every soul be subjected to the higher powers"; By using St. Paul's quote against him, he is able to expose the faulty logic that the clergy are subject to the same higher powers as ordinary citizens but for some reason maintain a higher power during their time here on earth. Together with the Protestant Reformation there was also the Counter-Reformation, also called the Catholic Reformation. Roman Catholic efforts conducted in the 16th and early 17th centuries both against the Protestant Reformation and towards internal restoration; this Counter-Reformation took place around the same time as the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther was born into a world dominated by the Christian faith, which exercises religious dominion over all the countries of Europe. Luther, the church's hope for redemption is overwhelming: caught in the storm, terrified by the prospect of imminent death, he vows to become a monk. With insight, he turns to religion, attaching its practice of granting Indulgences to the known 95 Theses. Martin Luther almost single-handedly caused this Protestant Reformation with his 95 Theses. In his 51st thesis he explains: "Christians must be taught that the Pope would and should want to donate with his own money, even if he had to sell St. Peter's Basilica", Martin Luther is clearly making fun, but being completely serious at the same time. He is pointing out that the power of the church is immense and that they have such precious objects but they don't contribute as much as the people who struggle every day to get ahead. Likewise, in his speech to the nation, he laments very similar themes throughout. One quote in particular “Why are your life and body, your property and honor so free, and mine not? We are all equal Christians, and we have baptism, faith, the Spirit and all things the same." By asking these simple questions, he manages to shock society about their apparent inequalities and the attention of the clergy by directly denouncing them. Luther sees that.