Martin Luther and Open Source pt1

Before the early 1500's there were mainly two religions for all Europeans to align with. The Catholic Church, and the (Greek) Orthodox. These two churches relied on a mainly authoritative sovereignty. What the leaders of church declared, interpreted, or read was what the congregations believed and understood.

Suddenly, things began to change. With the invention of the printing press, suddenly books, scriptures, and all manner of literature became available to the average churchgoer. People became more literate and more open-minded. They began to read about the classical traditions of the past, and began to think freely for themselves.

The Man of the 1500's

Martin Luther was one of those people who took charge of his beliefs. He read scriptures, interpreted them for himself, and realized that something needed to change with the current religious situation in Europe. He wrote his 95 Theses, his beefs with the Catholic Church. He was persecuted and prosecuted by the Church for speaking out against their beliefs. He stood firm, defying them even while on trial.

"I neither can nor will recant anything, for it is neither safe nor right to act against one's conscience...Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. So help me, God. Amen."

Here's a trailer for a really good movie about Luther's story. The trailer doesn't do it much justice, but here it is anyway!