Religion, Answering Three Questions, One Page Per Term Paper

religion, answering three questions, one page per question.

Martin Luther once said "In order to be truly free, one must be properly enslaved." Evaluate this statement using your knowledge of the Catholic Tradition. 2) What is the Catholic Tradition view of Original Sin and does this view still have relevance today, why or why not? 3) Why has the Church ruled and maintained the ruling that only men may serve as priests, should this practice continue or change, why? Three sources. MLA.

Religion

Martin Luther, a 15th century monk of the Augustinian order, symbolizes the split within Christianity between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Luther once said "In order to be truly free, one must be properly enslaved." He was referring to his belief that human beings have free will only by the grace of God. Luther believed that without God one would have no free will. According to Luther, a Christian was a free person, subject to no one, yet at the same time a willing servant, freely subject to everyone, that people cannot do anything to contribute to their own salvation, that salvation must be received from God as a gift (Martin pg). The Church emphasized that humans played a role in their salvation through the church, however, Luther believed that salvation was possible outside the church. Luther argues that humans are enslaved to sin and that all are under the wrath of God, and can only obtain freedom and salvation by God's grace (Martin pg). Humans are forever under God's will and mercy, no man is free except by the will of God, thus, he is never a free man by his own actions.The Church believed that man could repent through the church and reach salvation by his own contrition. However, Luther believed that no matter the repentance, it is only through God's grace and will that a man's soul is saved (Martin pg).

Where Luther believed man was enslaved to sin, only free through God's grace, the Church believes that evil is through man's action, that evil has no existence of its own, that it is merely a distortion of God's good (Schreck 18). Because God made man in His own likeness and gave him free will, it is through man's own will, his own rebellion, that created the original sin. Adam and Eve lived a rich and full existence with God, nature, and each other. The only restrictions God gave to Adam and Eve, was that they must not eat from the tree of knowledge, lest they die (Schreck 21). This state of bliss is referred to in Catholic theology as the 'original righteousness' or the 'original innocence' (Schreck 20). The human race was lured into its own sin of pride when man….....