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==Lutheran church==
removed redlinked - Template:Christianity Knowledge Base - deleted previously no longer linking correctly
{{Infobox_Contents |topic_name = Reformation Day [[Image:Wittenburg church door gg.jpg|center|thumb|220px|left|Door of the ''Schlosskirche'' (castle church) to which Luther is said to have nailed his 95 Theses, sparking the [[Reformation]].]] |'''Reformation Day''' is a Christian holiday celebrated on October 31 in remembrance of the subtopics = [[ReformationMartin Luther]], particularly by * [[Lutheran95 Theses]] and some Reformed church communities. It is a civic holiday in Slovenia (since the Reformation contributed to its cultural development profoundly, although Slovenians are mainly [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]]) and in the German states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.opinion_pieces = {{short_opinions}} |}}
'''Reformation Day''' is a [[Christian]] Protestant holiday celebrated on October 31 in remembrance of the [[Reformation]], particularly by [[Lutheran]] and some Reformed church communities. It is a civic holiday in Slovenia (since the Reformation contributed to its cultural development profoundly, although Slovenians are mainly [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]]) and in the German states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. ===History=== On this day in 1517, [[Martin Luther]] posted a proposal at the doors of a church in [[Wittenberg]], Germany to debate the [[doctrine]] and practice of indulgences[[indulgence]]s. This proposal is popularly known as the [[95 Theses]], which he nailed to the Castle Church doors. This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought. Since the Castle Church faced Wittenberg's main thoroughfare, the church door functioned as a public bulletin board and was therefore the logical place for posting important notices. Also, the theses were written in [[Latin]], the language of the church, and not in the vernacular. Nonetheless, the event created a controversy between Luther and those allied with the [[Pope]] over a variety of doctrines and practices. When Luther and his supporters were excommunicated in 1520, the Lutheran tradition was born. This in turn would later ease the creation of the Reformed and [[Anabaptist]] traditions as well. ===Lutheran church===
Within the Lutheran church, Reformation Day is considered a lesser festival, and is officially referred to as '''The Festival of the Reformation'''. Until the 20th Century, most Lutheran churches celebrated Reformation Day on October 31st, regardless of which day of the week it occurred. Today, most Lutheran churches transfer the festival, so that it falls on the Sunday (called '''Reformation Sunday''') on or before October 31st and transfer All Saints' Day to the Sunday on or after November 1st.
The liturgical color of the day is red, which represents the [[Holy Spirit]] and the Martyrs of the [[Christian]] [[Church]]. Luther's [[hymn]], ''[[A Mighty Stronghold is our God (song)|A Mighty Fortress is Our God]]'' is traditionally sung on this day. Lutherans customarily stand during the hymn, in memory of its use in the religious wars of the Sixteenth Century. It is also traditional in some Lutheran schools for schoolchildren to hold Reformation Day plays or pageants that re-enact scenes from the life of Martin Luther. The fact that Reformation Day coincides with Halloween may not be mere coincidence. Halloween, being the Eve of All Saints' Day might have been an entirely appropriate day for Luther to post his 95 Theses against indulgences since the castle church would be open on All Saints' Day specifically for people to view a large collection of relics. The viewing of these relics was said to promise a reduction in time in [[purgatory]] similar to that of the purchase of an indulgence. Dr. Luther may have been shrewd in his choice of that day to post his theses.
==Quotes== ==Links== {{Christianity Knowledge Base|Reformation DayReturnto}}[[Christianity]] -> [[Denominations]] -> [[Protestantism]] -> [[Lutheranism]] -> [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgical_calendar_(Lutheran)]]
[[Category:Lutheranism]]
