Indulgences

The concept of indulgences relies heavily upon the doctrine of Purgatory. Originally an indulgence was a means whereby the church could grant remission of temporal punishment for offences committed against Church rules and discipline. The grounds on which the indulgence might be granted was that a crusader had risked his life for the cause of the Church. Indulgences, then, were to be earned by meritorious deeds.

Later, however, it gradually became possible to gain indulgences by making financial sacrifices for the cause of the Church like financing crusades, monasteries and hospitals or building Churches. This eventually degenerated into the buying and selling of indulgences and was extended beyond remission from temporal punishment to absolution from guilt before God.

The idea that forgiveness of sins could be bought concerned many people like Luther who saw in it the very real risk of lowering the moral standards of the people.