The Protastant Reformation Weakened the Christian Church

Opening Statement::::::I want to make it clear that I am a Christian, and while not Catholic, I do not believe that the Catholic church of today is bad, or wrong. I do not identify with the practices of the church, and by saying the Pre-Reformation church was evil and wrong does NOT mean I think Catholics of today are evil or wrong! I view them as fellow Christians, and want that to be abundantly clear::::: Con Case: I do not believe that the Reformation made the spirituality of Christianity any weaker. This is plainly visible because the BASIC tenants of Christianity were not being followed by the church at the times, and if the church is not following these things, then it being overthrown can not weaken Christianity as a belief. I contend that the Reformation STRENGTHENED Christianity.Argument 1: Pre- Reformation the Catholic Church was unchecked, powerful, and corrupt: The Catholic church pre 1517 (Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses) was engaged in MANY non-biblical, non Christian practices. The one that sparked Martin Luther over the edge was the selling of Indulgences, which is found nowhere in scripture and was a ploy to gain massive wealth for the church. Also, as a result of the reformation people got Bibles in languages they could read, which would never had been allowed by the Church, which valued power and money over truth.Argument 2: The Church strayed from the teachings of Christ, despite claiming Christianity: This is a severe issue. The point of the Reformation was that people did not agree with some of the teachings of the church, and instead of being heard they were hunted down and killed. These included the worship of Mary, selling of Indulgences, most of the sacraments, and the authority of the Pope. All of these things were never talked about by Christ, and not explicitly spelled out in the Bible, and things that WERE specifically talked about by Jesus, such as they way to Heaven, were being ignored. The church at that time therefore lost its relevance, and the leadership must be overthrown and the church's values be re-established. Which, post-Reformation indulgences, and several other practices were removed. This is proof that they were wrong, and that the Reformation was necessary to remove them.Arguments 3:The Catholic Church OF THAT TIME was weakening Christianity: Meaning NOT the Church of today. It was teaching people wrong things, stealing, lying, and poisoning the name of Christianity. There were no positive aspects, and things had to change. My point is, if The Church itself was weakening Christianity by teaching lies and non-Christian principles, then its removal will strengthen Christianity as a belief, and Organized Christianity (Churches) of the future generations.On My Opponents case:Social Weakness: No kidding it took their economic power! But lets be clear, money isn't necessary to be kind to others and treat them as neighbors and love them and meet their needs. The Church was not teaching these things, the things Jesus taught. The second they strayed from His word, they lost all right to any money, despite the "good" they may do with it.Political Weakness: Christians of that time period never considered abortion okay, secular governments up till recently never considered abortions okay. This is a large stretch, and while I understand the argument it does not make a solid point. The true political weakness pre-reformation was the Catholic Church's vice grip on the throat of Europe, taking peoples money and having an un-checked influence on their minds. Spiritual Weakness: While this is true, the Catholic church had already strayed so far from the teachings of Jesus, something HAD to be done. The greater spiritual weakness was the belief that you could buy salvation from the Church. Can't get much more spiritually weak than that. The reformation gave people a choice, and a Bible to read to make that decision with. The "competition" may not be optimal, but since the Church was teaching BUYING salvation was possible, I believe this corruption was more pressing than different understandings of the Bible. And who knows how far downhill the teachings would have gone by today had there been no Reformation