During the 1400 and 1500s, the Catholic Church was selling indulgences. These indulgences allowed people to pay money to have their sins forgiven. How did these indulgences spark the Protestant Reformation?
*
People were unhappy about how expensive indulgences were so they wanted a new religion
People were committing crimes so they could get money for these indulgences
The monarchs of Europe created a campaign critiquing the sale of indulgences
Many religious scholars felt that indulgences went against the words of the bible.
Many religious scholars felt that indulgences went against the words of the Bible. This sparked the Protestant Reformation because these scholars began to publicly criticize the sale of indulgences and questioned the authority of the Catholic Church. They argued that forgiveness of sins should come from faith and repentance, rather than through the payment of money. These criticisms and challenges to the authority of the Church eventually led to the formation of new Protestant denominations, such as Lutheranism and Calvinism, and the overall fragmentation of Christianity in Europe.
The correct answer is: Many religious scholars felt that indulgences went against the words of the bible.
The selling of indulgences by the Catholic Church during the 1400s and 1500s sparked the Protestant Reformation primarily because many religious scholars and reformers felt that the practice of selling indulgences went against the teachings of the Bible. They believed that salvation and forgiveness of sins should be based on faith and not on the purchasing power of individuals. These scholars, such as Martin Luther in Germany, John Calvin in Switzerland, and others, argued that the Bible emphasized the importance of personal faith and a direct relationship with God, rather than relying on the mediation of the Church and its practices like indulgences. Their criticisms of indulgences and other perceived abuses within the Catholic Church led to the formation of various Protestant denominations, which sought to reform or break away from the Catholic Church.