REFORMATION DAY

Many Protestant Christians celebrate Reformation Day in honor of Martin Luther and other Christians who were instrumental in removing what they considered false doctrine and destructive practices from the Christian church. 

In the Middle Ages the Roman Catholic Church used fear to obtain money from the poor and the uneducated in order to complete the building of St. Peter's in Rome. The people were led to believe that their sins could be removed by paying money to the church. They received papers called pardons and indulgences in return for the money.

Martin Luther studied the Bible, especially the New Testament, and began his preaching and writing to clarify justification by faith (the doctrine that means Christians can never earn God's love or forgiveness but that they must accept God as God and God will love, forgive and cherish them) and the priesthood of all believers ( the doctrine that every Christian has his/her own relationship with God, without anyone's going in between.) 

Reformation Day is when Protestant Christians give thanks that they can now live lives of faith instead for fear, on the last Sunday of October during the Season of Pentecost. The symbol of Luther and Lutherans is the Luther Rose.