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RELIGION LIBRARY
Lutheran
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Sacred Narratives
Martin Luther's emphasis on the claim that forgiveness of sin is entirely a gracious (free) gift from God, and that humans can do nothing to earn or even prompt this gift, sets Lutherans' narrative of salvation off from that of many other Christians.
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Ultimate Reality and Divine Beings
Lutherans believe in God, Jesus Christ, and angels. Some Lutherans continue to believe in angels, while for others they seem implausible or simply irrelevant.
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Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence
Human nature was created good, but is sinful, that is, fundamentally self-centered, as a result of the fall. The purpose of existence is to enter heaven, which is possible only through God's free forgiveness for sin.
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Suffering and the Problem of Evil
The origin of suffering and evil for Luther was to be attributed solely to human sin, a result of the work of the devil.
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Afterlife and Salvation
Martin Luther believed in a traditional idea of an immortal soul that spent eternity either in a literal place of blessedness called heaven or a literal place of torment called hell. Your destination depends on whether or not you are saved, that is, by God's grace forgiven for sin.
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