Defend or refute the following statement: The Protestant Reformation was a uni¬fied movement of dissent against the Catholic church.
             Historical Background: The Protestant Reformation officially began with Martin Luther's posting his "Ninety-five Theses" on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517, but discontent with the dogma and policies of the Catholic church had begun long before that. Luther's act dramatized the internal division in the western church. As this powerful religious movement spread throughout northern Europe, Protestant reformers challenged many aspects of the Catholic church and traditional religion that they found trou¬blesome and not scripturally sound. These leaders, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and others, sought to worship as Christians in a church free from papal influence and clerical corruption.
             The Protestant Reformation grew into a powerful movement of dissent against the Catholic church, despite the fact that it was made up of several dis¬tinct branches of revolt. Leaders such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli agreed on a criticism of Catholicism for financial corruption and for perpetuating superstitions that were not grounded in scripture. Yet these men differed-sometimes sharply-in their religious beliefs and in their ambitions. Consequently, as the Reformation spread across Germany and
             Switzerland and then into much of northern Europe, it gave rise to a variety of Protestant churches, each with its own denning characteristics.
             The Protestant Reformation was jump-started by Martin Luther's posting of his "Ninety-five Theses" on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517. The force and certainty of this brazen physical act is echoed in Luther's voice as he assails the corruption and ignorance that he believes informs every level of the Catholic church (DOCUMENT 4). Luther injects special fury into his condemnation of the Catholi...