# Happy Reformation Day!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [October 31, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404 "2012-10-31T07:19:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/1 "2012-10-31T07:19:21Z")
While we enjoy our candy and dress up in our respective costumes to-day let us take a moment to remember that to-day is also Reformation Day when 495 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle setting in motion one of the greatest and important movements in history.
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### Author:  [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2012, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/2 "2012-10-31T08:56:35Z")
How appropriate that it overlaps with Halloween, as I’m sure Martin Luther is busy spinning in his grave at the current state of the Christian church.
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### Author:  [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2012, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/3 "2012-10-31T09:09:46Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#):
>
> How appropriate that it overlaps with Halloween, as I’m sure Martin Luther is busy spinning in his grave at the current state of the Christian church.
Considering that even the most extreme elements of the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches have no obvious homicidal intent toward each other, I think he’d be pleased.
I also hope he’d be pleased that we know how wrong he was when he wrote in his latter years how Jews should be treated & he’d be very regretful at how his writings were used to support their oppression.
He’d be very sad about the splintering & infighting among churches but it’s better than trying to kill each other.
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/4 "2012-10-31T19:43:45Z")
I grew up as a Lutheran, but have been in the Episcopal church since 2000, so it kind of slipped my mind about it being Reformation Day.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/5 "2012-10-31T19:58:46Z")
So we’re not talking about the guy who does repair work on the D-18s?
Ooop, sorry, Martin Luthier.
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### Author:  [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/6 "2012-10-31T22:42:27Z")
> [@Baker](#):
>
> I grew up as a Lutheran, but have been in the Episcopal church since 2000, so it kind of slipped my mind about it being Reformation Day.
Since we have a Lutheran (ELCA) congregation meeting at my Episcopal church now, I went to their service (9:00 a.m.) this past Sunday as it was Reformation Sunday. It was a good service but somehow I thought they’d make a bigger deal out of it than they did. The Lutheran Pastor did talk about reformation and how the church should always look for ways to better reform during his sermon. What did I think would go on? I don’t know. Guess I am glad they didn’t feel the need to nail stuff to the front door. 😃
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/7 "2012-10-31T22:45:22Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#):
>
> let us take a moment to remember that to-day is also Reformation Day when 495 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle setting in motion one of the greatest and important movements in history.
And all because they wouldn’t give him any candy when he knocked!
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### Author:  [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/8 "2012-10-31T22:48:32Z")
> [@Thing That Goes Boink In The Night](#):
>
> And all because they wouldn’t give him any candy when he knocked!
Really. If only somebody had thought to keep a bowl of Fun Size Snickers at the castle door.
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/9 "2012-11-01T00:40:55Z")
I was only 1yo when he was shot in Memphis, but I thought it was called “the Civil Rights Movement”?
😉
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### Author:  [@Atomic\_Mama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Mama)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/10 "2012-11-01T19:31:12Z")
This was duly noted at our church service.
We had special guests at the parish house for Halloween: John the Baptist and St. Theresa of Avila 😃
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### Author:  [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/11 "2012-11-01T22:12:30Z")
Crap… **.Thudlow** got there before me. 😛
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### Author:  [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/12 "2012-11-01T22:18:33Z")
That’s funny; I went to church every week when I was growing up, and I’ve never heard of Reformation Day!
hmm. Maybe because it was a Catholic church.
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### Author:  [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/13 "2012-11-01T23:44:20Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#):
>
> While we enjoy our candy and dress up in our respective costumes to-day let us take a moment to remember that to-day is also Reformation Day when 495 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle setting in motion one of the greatest and important movements in history.
Do we celebrate by handing out a Diet of Worms?
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/14 "2012-11-02T00:00:35Z")
For that matter, most of what Luther complained about, the Catholic church subsequently came to agree that he was right. Doctrinally, the modern Lutheran and Catholic churches are actually pretty close, closer to each other than to (say) any of the Calvinist churches.
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### Author:  [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/15 "2012-11-02T00:18:34Z")
_I’ve got 95 theses but a witch ain’t one_.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/16 "2012-11-02T01:01:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> For that matter, most of what Luther complained about, the Catholic church subsequently came to agree that he was right. Doctrinally, the modern Lutheran and Catholic churches are actually pretty close, closer to each other than to (say) any of the Calvinist churches.
I disagree. Luther’s point in his Ninety-Five Theses was that the Pope did not have the power to grant indulgences. And the Catholic Church still holds to the belief that he does.
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### Author:  [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/17 "2012-11-04T17:18:42Z")
I don’t think the RCC has become closer in doctrine to Lutheranism, except to cede that Luther may not be in Hell this moment, and that Protestants possibly can get to Heaven. Where else have they changed?
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### Author:  [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/18 "2012-11-04T19:50:49Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#):
>
> While we enjoy our candy and dress up in our respective costumes to-day let us take a moment to remember that to-day is also Reformation Day when 495 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle setting in motion one of the greatest and important movements in history.
And thankfully for Luther, long before the term “tl;dr” was coined…
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### Author:  [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/19 "2012-11-04T20:18:45Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#):
>
> I don’t think the RCC has become closer in doctrine to Lutheranism, except to cede that Luther may not be in Hell this moment, and that Protestants possibly can get to Heaven. Where else have they changed?
The RCC’s adoption of papal infallibility and Mary’s immaculate conception. Which if anything takes them farther away from the Lutherans.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-reformation-day/639404/20 "2012-11-04T21:35:58Z")
I’ll also point out that Luther almost certainly didn’t attach his theses to a door. The first report of that happening came years later. Most likely Luther printed up some copies of his work and passed them around.
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