The Idea of Celibacy - Paper Example

The Catholics distorted the idea of celibacy according to the Teachings of the Bible. The clergy who took oaths to live a celibacy life engaged in sexual immorality. This is against the teachings of the New Testament because Paul advises the people to live a Holy Life by either making a decision to marry the church or serving God while still in the marriage. The behavior of this clergy is against Christ's teachings and therefore misled the congregation at that time.

Also, the Catholics distorted salvation by keeping the Bible away from the congregation. When Christ died on the Cross, he gave Christians Liberty to worship and to live by his word. However, the Catholics preserved the Bible for the Popes, priests, and fathers, the only interpreters of the word of God. Also, purgatory is a creation of the Catholic Church. Salvation has no stages, and when someone dies, he either goes to Heaven or hell with no intermediary. By teaching the congregation about purgatory, the Roman Catholic Church was misleading the people.

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Lastly, the Roman Catholic Church distorted salvation by teaching that people should pray through Mary, the mother of Jesus. At the same time, it is written in the Bible that whoever prays in the name of the Son shall receive salvation, and in this case, the Son is Jesus Christ. Mary, the mother of Jesus, does not act as an intermediary between man and God because Christ dying at the Cross gave humanity salvation, if only they believed in Christ.

The film developed my understanding of the history of the Christian church. The film has broadened my knowledge of the evolution of the Protestants. I now understand why there exist so many denominations in my community. I now appreciate the origin of the Lutheran church and other Protestant patterns that is the Methodist, Seventh-day Adventist, and others. By knowing why Martin Luther King revolted against the Catholic Church, I appreciate the Christian denominations even more.

The interpretation of the Bible started with Martin Luther King, and that is why in the community, there exist pastors and Christians who read the Bible and interpret it according to their understanding and being guided by the Holy Spirit.

I have also come to know that the sins that are witnessed in the Catholic Church have always been there since the beginning. Sexual immorality such as molestation is frequent in the Catholic Church, and now I am aware that it is the celibacy oath that leads the clergyman into temptations. And by saying this, I appreciate the married clergy people who still serve the church.

Luther's action brought about religious freedom and social change. Martin Luther's work in protesting against the Catholic religion and belief brought about social and religious freedom. This is true, as it is witnessed in various accounts. By interpreting the New Testament book, into Germany; Martin Luther King liberated the People by exposing the word of God to them. From this point on, the Germans were able to read the Bible in their language and which made their belief in Christ grow.

More importantly, Martin Luther King brought the word of God to the people by giving the people the Bible to read, which was against the Catholics who only confined the Bible to the clergy. Also, Luther later brought about change in the society whereby people did not have to give money for charity as compulsory but free will.

The social change that came about with Martin Luther King's Protestant is the act of marriage within the clergy. From that time on, people who served in the church were allowed to marry, as seen when Martin Luther King married Katharina. Allowing the leaders in the church to marry gave people the freedom and helped in eliminating sexual sins that are common among the church leaders who take celibacy oaths.

Most importantly, the reformation that happened in the church during that time gave the people the leeway to choose where to worship. Initially, the only denomination that existed was The Roman Catholic Church; however, with the emergency of Protestants, people would want from which church worship. People also started questioning faith and became more active in the church activities, which helped revitalize their belief in Christ, unlike the Catholic Church, which was dictatorial in its teachings. Lastly, the reformation allowed people to get involved in the leadership of the church actively.

The film, Luther, is very insightful in unraveling the reformation in the churches that happened in the medieval ages. Martin Luther King is an icon that should be remembered for bringing this significant change in the society that brought about liberty of worship for Christians.

A person should not be limited to where and when to worship. Spirituality is a personal matter, and people should seek salvation in a way that they deem best. Understanding God is mysterious, and therefore no one should confine the Teachings of Jesus Christ to a specific denomination.

Celibacy should be a choice but not a ticket to being in leadership in the church. A person lives are more fulfilled life when he makes decisions willingly, and therefore if one chooses to lead a celibacy life, he or she should not be criticized. Also, if a person decides to serve Christ while in marriage, then there should be no criticism here too.

Bibliography

Ebert, Roger. “Luther Movie Review & Film Summary (2003): Roger Ebert.” movie review & film summary (2003) | Roger Ebert. Accessed June 17, 2020. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/luther-2003.