If Martin Luther was excommunicated, does it mean that all his followers are also excomunicated?

[kerr]

Hi, I just read that Martin Luther was a roman catholic priest and monk that was excommunicated by the Pope because of heresy and unwillingness to submit to the pope.

Does it mean that all his followers are also excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church?

 

[You]

Hi, I just read that Martin Luther was a roman catholic priest and monk that was excommunicated by the Pope because of heresy and unwillingness to submit to the pope.

Does it mean that all his followers are also excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church?

No. It means generally that leaders in a heresy who understand fully what they are doing are probably excommunicated, if they were Catholic to begin with.
But there have been many contrary Catholics in ancient history and the ‘Church’ never bothered them while they kept their ideas to themselves. As soon as they start attacking the ‘Church’ or the ‘State’s security’ as Martin Luther did by accepting the patronage of certain german princes who were probably areligious anyway but still desired a banner under which they could rally different populations together to oppose a political power the Holy Roman Empire. And protestantism was that banner, it was a handy tool for them to use.
Or something like that.

 

[Hokomai]

certain german princes who were probably areligious anyway but still desired a banner under which they could rally different populations together to oppose a political power the Holy Roman Empire. And protestantism was that banner, it was a handy tool for them to use.

Evidence for this claim of insincerity on the part of Luther’s supporters and protectors?

 

[Corki]

Hi, I just read that Martin Luther was a roman catholic priest and monk that was excommunicated by the Pope because of heresy and unwillingness to submit to the pope.

Does it mean that all his followers are also excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church?

The followers are not canonically excommunicated. However, on a practical basis, they are removed from communion with the Church. They cannot receive the Sacraments and are not considered members of the Church in good standing (ie eligible to be Godparents, Confirmation sponsors or even spouses of Catholics without permission). The effects are the same from a practical standpoint.

 

[You]

Evidence for this claim of insincerity on the part of Luther’s supporters and protectors?

“In addition to conflicts between his Spanish and German inheritances, conflicts of religion would be another source of tension during the reign of Charles V. Before Charles even began his reign in the Holy Roman Empire, in 1517, Martin Luther initiated what would later be known as the Reformation. At this time, many local dukes saw it as a chance to oppose the hegemony of Emperor Charles V. The empire then became fatally divided along religious lines, with the north, the east, and many of the major cities—Strasbourg, Frankfurt and Nuremberg—becoming Protestant while the southern and western regions largely remained Catholic.”- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire#Reformation_and_Renaissance