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Indulgence

By Robert Wilde, About.com

Definition: In the Catholic and pre-reformation Christian church, an indulgence was the partial cancellation/remission of the punishment for sin(s) outstanding after absolution through a sacrament. In theory they could absolve any sin.
Examples: In 1517 Luther, a Professor of Theology, grew angry at the selling of indulgences and produced 95 theses against them.

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