Martin Luther and the Ninety Five Theses

For the past several days, we have been examining the Protestant Reformation. The students read about Martin Luther's dramatic decision to criticize the Catholic Church by posting his Ninety Five Theses on the door of his church in Germany. 

Here are some of the intriguing questions that students asked about the Reformation:

• Why did Martin Luther start a separate branch of Christianity, rather than just starting a whole new religion?
• Since the time of the Protestant Reformation, has the Catholic Church changed very much?
• Why did the leaders of the Catholic Church care so much whether some people wanted to believe different things about Christianity?
• Were the Ninety Five Theses immediately taken off the church door, or were they allowed to remain on the door for awhile?

Today the student discussed Luther's decision to stick with Christianity (and try to "fix" it) rather than starting a brand new religion. We broadened the discussion, then, to talk about whether it's harder to reform something that already exists, or harder to make something brand new.

As an example, I asked the students the following question:

If you have a friend and you think he/she is not acting the right way (for example, acting mean towards others, or doing something irresponsible), is it harder to try to reform your friend’s behavior, or is it harder to build a new friendship with someone else?

Here are some of the students' responses:

Joe: It would be easier to reform your friendship. You can locate the problem and talk to the friend about the situation. Trying to form brand new friendships can be quite hard. It's easier and better to discuss the problem with your existing friend, and work it out. Stick to your friend.

Gabriel: Reforming something that exists, and starting something brand new, are both very difficult. Getting a person to change his behavior is very hard. Humans are stubborn creatures.

Liv: It's harder to reform your friend's behavior. You don't know what's going on inside her brain. Also, you don't know exactly how another human works, so it could be very hard to think of the right techniques for changing her behavior.

Davis: Friendships are easier to keep than to make from scratch. It is easier to consult a friend about your feelings because the two of you can trust each other already, much more than a newfound friend.

Kelsey: If you have a friend who is doing something wrong or acting mean, it is easier to try to reform your existing friend but it's better to make a new one. Making a new friend can be very challenging, but staying with someone who's not nice is not a good decision.

Whitley: It depends on the situation. Maybe it would be easy to start again and leave your problems behind you. But that's not a good way to think about things. Some things may not be easy, but other things may not be right.