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How did the Reformation impacted Religion? 

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The main impact of the reformation included the rise of different Christian forms, such as Lutheranism and Calvinism. The reformation also led to religious wars, this was because of the Catholics and protestants. Rulers would enforce their beliefs on people and make it seem like their religion was the only right religion. Due to this there was many conflicts between different religions.

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Martin Luther help lead to the division of Christianity. His book 95 Theses challenged the Catholic church practice of selling indulgences. This led to Protestant and Catholicism.

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Perhaps too popular. Disappointed to learn he was being asked to recant, not argue his case, Luther's followers urged him "to be brave, to act manfully." Luther followed their advice, refusing to recant. He instead defended his 95 theses, declaring "it cannot be either safe or honest for a Christian to speak against his conscience."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church agrees: A man "must not be not be prevented from acting according to his conscience." But the Catechism also recognizes we can have an erring conscience. A well-formed conscience aligns with Scripture and the collective conscience of the church over time (i.e. the magisterium). An individual's conscience is not the final arbiter in interpreting Scripture. But that's what Luther essentially declared.

So it's not surprising that on his return to Wittenberg, Luther was having second thoughts: What if others failed to see what he himself felt the Spirit had illuminated for him? That is what unfolded. "The coming of the enlightenment," Holland writes, "revealed different things to different people." Luther didn't intend it, but many followers, inspired by the premium that Luther had put on freedom, spun off individualized takes on what Scripture says.

In the following years, Luther was shocked by much of what he saw. What followed were uprisings so brutal and bloody that Luther himself condemned the rebels in terms so hysterical that even his admirers were taken back. But what could he say? Luther had consigned volumes of canon law to his bonfire. The wildly different takes on church and Scripture that resulted were an unintended consequence.

The shame is that over the next 30 years, the Catholic Church accepted 70 of Luther's 95 theses. The church began reforms that Luther had called for. And to his credit, Luther recognized the unintended consequences and set about establishing a new magisterium. But it involved returning to the very canon law that he consigned to his bonfire years before.

That raises the question: So what? Over the last 500 years, most American Christians - Protestant and Catholic - have operated as functional Lutherans. All I need is a Bible, a brain and the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture. How has that worked out? Western missionaries, European and American, have exported a gospel around the world that has yielded more than 45,000 Christian denominations globally and more than 200 in the U.S., according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity .

If you think this is a problem (I do), remember that we can't solve a problem using the same mind that created it. I suggest returning to the early centuries of the church, when a magisterium, an authority beyond individual interpretation, settled these sorts of disputes.

You might not agree with this solution - and good folks can disagree - but my hunch is Martin Luther, given the unintended consequences of what he declared in Augsburg, might.

T his piece was republished with permission from the institute's

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Unintended Consequences Of Martin Luther's Reformation

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(OPINION) In the years following Martin Luther's 95 theses, Luther was shocked by much of what he saw. What followed were uprisings so brutal and bloody that Luther himself condemned the rebels in terms so hysterical that even his admirers were taken back.

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Martin Luther translated the bible into German to make is accessible for all people. This drastically increased literacy rates across Europe. This also helped establish a standard German language.

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Martin Luther wrote the 95 Theses was originally used for the calling to reform within the Catholic Church. But it more so impacted the Western Religion by questioning Catholicism and the protesting Reformation.

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John Calvin was a French Priest. But he is known for his impact on the Reformation by bringing reformation ideas to France

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Calvin had many, theological ideas, so he summarized every thought into a book which was published in 1536. His approach influenced the Christian religion and became known as Calvinism.

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Calvin didn't just influence France with his Calvinism. But, he also influenced other European countries like Switzerland and the Netherlands. These countries embraced his ideas and established the foundation of the protestant church.

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The Reformation effected trade with may European countries The acceptance of the Protestants affected trade with European countries, specifically with the Protestant Dutch.

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The Reformation had a big impact on the improvements of literacy and education.

the Reformation's improvements to literacy and education led to increased labor productivity, entrepreneurship, and business competition. Examples: Protestant schools, Translation of the Bible, and use of the printing press.

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The Reformation produced rapid economic secularism. The first step that was taken towards the rise of secularism was after the Reformation from the weakening from the Catholic church. The reformation strengthen the power of secular rulers.

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The Reformation help establish Religious tolerance. The idea that different religions and beliefs should be accepted and understood. This separated the church and the state.

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The growth of democracy challenged the authority of the Catholic Church and made it so that most Europeans didn't have just one religion. The Reformation's emphasis on individual freedom and the equality of people led to the growth of democracy.

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The Peace of Augsburg encouraged religious tolerance. It temporarily settled religious conflict in Germany by giving rulers the right to choose if their territories would be Lutheran or Catholic.

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A popular reformer Martin Luther translated the bible into other languages. It was also a lower cost due to the printing press.

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The personal faith reformation was emphasized by the protestant. the protestant teach the importance of personal faith and a direct relationship with God.