Others, such as Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin, joined him, and several reform groups emerged. One of them, Martin Luther, a German Augustinian monk, openly denounced indulgences in his 95 Theses (1517).
Several personalities criticized the sale of redemption. Martin Luther and the Reformers, unknown artist, ca. Men could commit crimes knowing they had the option to buy their repentance. Mercenaries that slaughtered helpless people often bought indulgences to redeem their souls and to avoid a long passage through purgatory. With money came a growing number of excesses. Everyone wished to repent for their sinful lives to access salvation in the afterlife. In a pious society, people lived in fear of death and eternal damnation. Over the centuries, the tradition boomed and it became a highly lucrative business.
A tradition existing since the 3rd century, indulgences were given in exchange for an act of piety such as prayer, pilgrimages, or donations. At the time, the Catholic Church’s “ Sale of Indulgences” prospered sinful men and women could obtain redemption while still on Earth by paying the Church. Emerging during the 16th century in Northwestern Europe, the Protestant Reformation came about from a desire to return to the roots of Christianity.
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