Martin Luther: Theodor Herzl's Impact On The World

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Taylor Gietzen 4th hour 6-2-13 Martin Luther Martin Luther has made a huge impact on the world today. He is the creator of the Lutheran religion. He is also known as the Father of Protestantism. On October 31, 1517 he challenged the church on a number of theological issues in the hope that the church would reform its practices and become more consistent with the teachings of the Bible and relevant to the people of the day. He believed people do not need a church to have a relationship with God and sought to bring Christ's word and example directly to the people. He was the first person to translate the Bible into the language (German) of the common people and urged Christians…show more content…
He is the creator of Zionism. Herzl devoted his life to creating the necessary political framework to achieve his goal of an independent Jewish state. He knew that the first step to creating a Jewish homeland had to be an international Jewish institution responsible for funding and organizing the new nation. After two years of being turned down by major Jewish philanthropists who viewed him as a zealous madman, Herzl presented his plan to the Jewish people. In 1896 he wrote a pamphlet, "The Jewish State," which described his goal of creating a separate nation for the Jews. The pamphlet succeeded to excite some thoughtful European…show more content…
It was the first time that Jews from different nations had ever met with a political agenda. The official language of the Congress was German. Although the political differences among the representatives were huge, all agreed that the purpose of the World Zionist Congress would be to represent the needs of all Jews in their goal of establishing an independent Jewish nation. It was understood that their major function was to create the political organizations needed to found a new country. They elected Herzl president of the organization, set the dues rate, approved the design of the Jewish national flag (now the flag of Israel), and agreed to meet once a year. It was at that first meeting that Herzl triumphantly declared, "If you will it, then it's not a fantasy." Herzl believed that the movement to create a Jewish homeland could not accomplish its goals through illegal immigration. He tried to convince the Turkish sultan, who controlled Palestine at that time, to convince him to allow Jews to migrate in Masse to Palestine, but the sultan was unenthusiastic about the
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