Sure. And it's hard to criticize him at this point from a purely secular point of view. That having been said, I will attempt to do so while leaving religious specifics as far in the corner as I can. Luther was a Latin priest and they have generally had three responsibilities: (1) Say the prayers of the Church, (2) maintain celibacy and (3) obedience to Religious superiors. Luther ultimately broke with two of the three. I would argue an educated man would upon rejecting two thirds of his cultural requirements should have foreseen significant changes to the world and others around him. Given that Luther didn't reject the religion as a whole, these significant and likely upheavals should have been concerning to him. Unforeseen consequences are a bugger of a thing, hard to predict and offer no real absolution when you get it wrong.
Sure. And it's hard to criticize him at this point from a purely secular point of view. That having been said, I will attempt to do so while leaving religious specifics as far in the corner as I can. Luther was a Latin priest and they have generally had three responsibilities: (1) Say the prayers of the Church, (2) maintain celibacy and (3) obedience to Religious superiors. Luther ultimately broke with two of the three. I would argue an educated man would upon rejecting two thirds of his cultural requirements should have foreseen significant changes to the world and others around him. Given that Luther didn't reject the religion as a whole, these significant and likely upheavals should have been concerning to him. Unforeseen consequences are a bugger of a thing, hard to predict and offer no real absolution when you get it wrong.