Martin Luther - PBS documentary

[Music] germany 1483 [Music] a time of desolation and disease where the plague could wipe out entire towns in days and a quarter of all children died before they were five [Music] in this world there was one great consolation the church and its promise of heaven

this promise had made the church the most powerful institution on earth [Music] rich beyond counting mightier than kings but also corrupt and tyrannical an empire that would be overturned by one man martin luther [Music] this is the story of a man swept from devotion to rebellion [Music] of a quest that would set old europe of

fire spread revolution across nations and unleash a voice of freedom that still resounds through the modern world [Music]

[Music] i think it's impossible to write the history of modern western culture without talking about luther the idea that we should stand up for the things that we believe in the idea that every person is precious in the sight of god these are things that we take for granted but they were things that luther had to

fight for [Music] luther has to be ranked with the great emancipators of human history through the emphasis on the individual the courage of the individual and the willingness of the individual to undergo death for his beliefs [Music] he took on the catholic church this immense and enduring institution and said you are wrong

let us now come to the right there are very few cases where you have one individual standing literally before the arrayed might of the world and saying nope i won't back down