Emerged from the non-conformity of the German Augustinian Father Martin Luther (1483-1546) in accepting some practices of the Catholic Church, including the sale of indulgences, promises of paradise for payment and kidnapping of land and goods in the name of God. In addition, three centuries of inquisition, made this institution a true mechanism of papal enrichment: the condemned and dead automatically had their goods converted into donations to the church to appease their sins before God.

On October 31, 1517, Luther nailed at the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, a manifesto with 95 theses in which he attacked not only the sale of indulgences, but also other procedures of the Catholic Church, such as the negotiation of ecclesiastical positions . Pope Leo X demanded a retraction from the priest, threatening to condemn him for heresy.

In no way did he intend to break with the Catholic Church: he spent years advocating an internal reform that makes clear the separations between what is divine and what is secular. It even relied on St. Augustine and St. Francis of Assisi, the latter stubborn critic of the church's secularization in the 12th century.

Runaway, sheltered by the German princes, at the time of his excommunication, Germany had slept Catholic and woke up Protestant.

Not only for the 95 theses, he also defended, for the 5 "solas" that the believer himself had to have access to the Bible in the current language, the adequate ecclesiastical instruction, the understanding of salvation and, for economic effects that would change the world: the independence of the sacred to live life, work, earn a living with the sweat of your body and, above all, have your salvation guaranteed by yourself.

It sounds simple these days, but the idea caused a revolution in thought, as the concept of divine punishment was replaced by the concept of divine salvation. And man's predestination was replaced by divine plans that man could or would want to help - as St. Augustine had preached 10 centuries earlier.

From this flourished the arts, business, commerce, the accumulation of wealth and the notion that destiny was in the hands of man and not a predestination at birth.

There is no dispute about the religious developments on this, or even whether it was right or not, from the philosophical point of view of Christendom. Let the theologians discuss this part.

Max Weber, in "The Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism", published in 1905, clearly explains Luther's influence on modern economics. At one point in the book, he analyzes Luther and his sense of duty and discipline, which the monk practices outside the world (extramundane ascesis), becoming required of every Christian layperson within the world (intramundane ascesis).

But in Luther the type of profession exercised by the individual was still traditionally conceived. It was not Luther's aim to give ideological support to nascent capitalism, since the influence of his theses was conceived by Weber as an unpremeditated consequence of him.

Nevertheless, Weber wanted to find out what the "elective affinity" is between Protestant morality and capitalist conduct.

In fact, Luther elevates the condition of work no longer to a punishment imposed by God in Genesis, but as a service rendered to God in the fulfillment of the divine mission given to men for the praise and glory of the Lord.

In this way, doing things with joy and praising the Lord ceases to be a burden and becomes a glorification. The accumulation of monetary value resulting from this work, therefore, ceases to be something shameful and becomes the reward for what is done for the other.

Weber demonstrated how religious beliefs change one's religious view of wealth.

Wealth, accumulation of metal, coming from work, sanctified by God - and no more punishment - could not be an end in itself. It should bring benefits within society, bring well-being to yourself and others around you.

It was now considered as proof of the individual's honesty and religious integrity.

Until then, it had never been analyzed in such a positive way. From this belief, dedication to sports, arts and other activities was considered a failure with the main obligation of life: work.

Therefore, from that point on, the most cultural part of human life becomes marginalized: for Luther, praise and singing should be to God, otherwise, they were frivolous and useless, as they were throwing away the best of man just for contemplation. Contemplating was good, but work was better pleasing to the common man.

The Protestant religion thus contributed to form the modern businessman and even the worker of today: "it made a bed for the modern economic man!"

From Protestantism onwards, protas were opened to finance great navigations, so that kings ceased to be serfs appointed to govern the land and began to be lords and protectors of workers.

The workers, the people, become sacred. And its financial results become righteous offerings to the Christian God.

The logic, finally, is inverted!

This logic, at this moment in history, passes to the digital aspect: are cryptocurrencies part of this design or not? Were they an extension of that thought?

In fact, yes!

The money that buys the cryptocurrencies is the same as the old workers.

Dividends too... as long as they don't harm others. As long as the human bias of this process is verified!

Cryptocurrencies, therefore, should serve to improve people's lives.

And the use for deceit and unbridled wealth, just as fair work leads to fair wealth, and in praising God leads to the path, likely, of damnation!

It is not anticipated punishment, nor predestination, just that, after death, at some point, one will have to answer for the deeds!

That's Luther's main lesson: You are responsible for your own actions! Not God, not Jesus, or whoever!

You must, therefore, be straight and righteous, so that everything works for the greater good!

Work for it!