Lutheranism vs Catholicism
In 1521 Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. Over the next decade he established his own church which his people commonly called Lutheranism.
Several Princes of Germany were quick to adopt the new denomination as it meant the Catholic Church and Pope had little power in their states. German nobility realised that if they got rid of the Catholic monasteries and clergy they could source income from the new land.
The idea Luther based his church upon was that eternal life (salvation) can be achieved through faith alone. He taught that the this eternal life is God’s ‘free gift’ to all people. This means the followers of Lutheranism put a greater emphasis on growing in faith and developing their relationship with God than trying to ‘serve’ the Church as a path to salvation.
The Catholic Church teaches that salvation can be gained through both faith and good works. Lutheranism teaches that it can only be gained through faith. This is the core difference and resulted from Luther’s criticism of indulgences.
Catholic’s give great importance to charitable work’s which demonstrate their faith where the Lutheran’s believed it isn't a necessary component in achieving eternal life. Today, the Catholic Church is the largest social justice community in the world.
The Catholic Church believes in seven central rituals or sacraments. These are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. Lutherans still believe in these practises but only acknowledge The Eucharist and Baptism as Holy Sacraments. The Catholic Church gives it’s followers a strong guidance in all aspects of their life. In contrast Luther gave just two sacraments for his followers that focus solely on their faith.
Catholics acknowledge both the Bible and Catholic Tradition as their authorities. Lutheranism recognises only the Bible as authority for both faith and life. They put significant emphasis on the scripture and contemporary interpretations. Luther felt that the Catholic Church had began to stray from the key Christian values and intention of the original Church. In his denomination, the people felt that they were back to practising the core beliefs and becoming closer to God rather than providing for the church.
Several Princes of Germany were quick to adopt the new denomination as it meant the Catholic Church and Pope had little power in their states. German nobility realised that if they got rid of the Catholic monasteries and clergy they could source income from the new land.
The idea Luther based his church upon was that eternal life (salvation) can be achieved through faith alone. He taught that the this eternal life is God’s ‘free gift’ to all people. This means the followers of Lutheranism put a greater emphasis on growing in faith and developing their relationship with God than trying to ‘serve’ the Church as a path to salvation.
The Catholic Church teaches that salvation can be gained through both faith and good works. Lutheranism teaches that it can only be gained through faith. This is the core difference and resulted from Luther’s criticism of indulgences.
Catholic’s give great importance to charitable work’s which demonstrate their faith where the Lutheran’s believed it isn't a necessary component in achieving eternal life. Today, the Catholic Church is the largest social justice community in the world.
The Catholic Church believes in seven central rituals or sacraments. These are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. Lutherans still believe in these practises but only acknowledge The Eucharist and Baptism as Holy Sacraments. The Catholic Church gives it’s followers a strong guidance in all aspects of their life. In contrast Luther gave just two sacraments for his followers that focus solely on their faith.
Catholics acknowledge both the Bible and Catholic Tradition as their authorities. Lutheranism recognises only the Bible as authority for both faith and life. They put significant emphasis on the scripture and contemporary interpretations. Luther felt that the Catholic Church had began to stray from the key Christian values and intention of the original Church. In his denomination, the people felt that they were back to practising the core beliefs and becoming closer to God rather than providing for the church.