Throughout history, there have been few men that have dedicated their lives to religious criticism and reformation; three such men are Martin Luther, François Marie Arouet (also known as Voltaire), and Christopher Marlowe. Each of these men is famous for their deeds, however, the route by which they accomplished their goals of religious criticism are all very different. It is impossible to view one man as more important that the others, thus one must view these men as a team working together to accomplish religious freedom through criticism and reform.
             Martin Luther was a German priest whose criticism of the Roman Catholic Church initiated the Reformation and the establishment of Protestantism. As professor at the University of Wittenburg, he compiled the 95 Theses that attacked the church for actions such as selling indulgences, and spreading the belief that salvation is attainable through good acts alone. He denied the authority of the pope, rejected Catholic iconography, and disputed theories such as transubstantiation. Widespread discontent with the state of the church was set alight by Luther's criticisms, thus resulting in a call for reform.
             In 1520, Luther published three celebrated works to broadcast his views on religion and the church. In his Address to the Christian Nobility, he invited the German princes to take the reform of the church into their own hands; in A Prelude Concerning the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, he attacked the overwhelming importance placed by the papacy on the sacraments; and in The Freedom of a Christian, he stated his position on justification and good works. After The Freedom of a Christian was published, the Catholic Church attempted to force Luther to recant on his statements. As religious legend has it, Luther refused to recant his beliefs by stating: "Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise ."
             The Reformation was a united factor i...