Final answer:
True, Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses attacked Church abuses and the sale of indulgences, asserting that forgiveness comes from God alone and criticizing the pope's authority over purgatory. His theses sparked widespread debate and contributed to the Protestant Reformation.
Step-by-step explanation:
True: Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses primarily attacked the abuses of the Church, particularly the sale of indulgences, which were marketed as a way to reduce the time a soul would spend in purgatory. Luther's critique was based on his belief that forgiveness is granted by God alone, a doctrine known as justification by faith. He also argued that the pope had no authority over purgatory and challenged the concept that meritorious virtue accumulated by Jesus and the saints could be transferred to others. His intent was to initiate a discussion and reform within the Church.
Luther, obtaining a Doctorate in Theology and being a faculty member at the University of Wittenberg, became deeply concerned about the Church's practice of selling indulgences and the moral implications it had on Christian salvation. He composed the Ninety-five Theses in 1517, as a response to the indulgences being sold by Johann Tetzel near Wittenberg, criticizing the Church's greed and questioning the authority of the pope.
Although Luther aimed for reform within the Church, his ninety-five arguments, which were originally written in Latin and later translated to German, quickly spread and sparked widespread debate. His refusal to recant his theses when demanded by Church authorities eventually led to his excommunication and the rise of the Protestant Reformation.