Calvin taught about predestination, the idea that God knew who would be saved before they were even born. Predestination meant there was nothing a person could do to differentiate their outcome in life, whether if they would be saved or not. Calvin believed people should still live a good life under God's rules. People of Geneva made Calvin their political and religious leader. Him and his followers were called Calvinists, which are people who pass laws to make people live the life Calvin taught. People banned entertainment because they believed it distracted them from religion. Calvin wanted to full fill his life by making Geneva an example of a good Christian city for the rest of the world.

Martin Luther John Calvin

Martin Luther was a voice for protestors. He was known for nailing down the 95 theses, a list of complaints about the church. Copies of the list was spread to neighboring German states. The theses complained about the sale of indulgences. Luther believed if people believed in God and lived by the bible, they would go to heaven. Luther was excommunicated after he angered Pope Leo X and many German bishops. The German ruler ordered him to appear at a council of nobles and church officials in the city of Worms. Many supported him but the emperor did not. He was ordered out of the empire but one noble secretly got Luther out of Worms and to a castle where he could hide from the emperor. Those who sided with Luther were called protestants. Luther believed people should not go to the pope or priests to talk to God. This idea is called Priesthood. Luther said people should go by the bible, which he translated into German for others to read and understand. German nobles supported Luther in thinking that the clergy should not collide with politics. Nobles allowed people to live on their lands to become Lutherans, and the Lutheran church soon became the dominant church.