funny old application essay of mine

[susangail]

So I was digging through the "documents" section on my computer and found this essay I had written about a year ago as an application for an AP Euro class. I laughed when I read through it again, so I thought I'd share it. The topic was something like "your favorite time period, why, and how it relates to personal experiences." Please excuse any grammatical or historical errors. Enjoy!

The Reformation
“We are better to be without God’s laws than the Pope’s.” This frustrating quote by a clergyman in the late Medieval Times describes the mindset of the people of that time. The church ruled society through fear. The people feared the papacy more than God. Many people stood up to the corruption in a time when such an action could mean their lives. The result was an amazing turning point in history known as the Reformation. This wondrous event in time is my favorite to study.

It is interesting to me how people characterize the corruption of the church as something of the past when, in my opinion, the corruption of the church still exists today. The Reformation is my favorite time period because the dramatic changes that came from it led to today’s modern churches that still share similar corrupt teachings. In the late Medieval Times, as mentioned before, the corrupt church ruled everyone through fear. Anyone who opposed the church was considered a heretic and was excommunicated or burned at the stake. The brink of the corruption, I feel however, was the lessons taught in the church that said doing good works was the way to God and that you earned your way to heaven. The church also taught that salvation could be bought. The papacy sold indulgences or certificates of salvation. These teachings led to people clinging and worshiping the church rather than God.

I think one of the most intriguing things about the reformation is how people believed whatever the church told them. When I look back on this dark period in time, I think it is amazing how people could have believed what the church was teaching them when, as a strong Christian, I know the truth. I’d hate to think what society would be like if it wasn’t for reformers like Martin Luther who saw this corruption and risked their lives opposing it.

The Reformation is my favorite time period because I can relate it to my life. Martin Luther taught that God is the center of everything and that only He can bring salvation.  I believe with all my heart that what Luther taught was the truth. Because of his bravery and that of many others, I am free to learn and live the truth of God. I also like it because it teaches me that something can completely be changed and still be exactly the same. What I mean to say is that the church is still corrupt despite the dramatic changes that became of the Reformation. However, because of the Reformation, I believe there is still the hope that the corruption can be eliminated.


So, I must have done something right because I got in the class!

[OldGit]

Good!  I can't agree that the reformed churches are more in touch wih reality, of course, but not a bad short historical summary.  I would have added one other point:
At the Diet of Worms (