Protestantism, a new religion separate from the Catholic Church, spread throughout Europe. The sovereign could increase power thanks to the Protestants. Protestantism was helpful to the government in separating itself from the Catholic as Protestant leaders taught people to obey godly rulers while the Catholic Church believed that religion was more powerful than government. In Germany, Luther's biblical words became the linguistic standard for all the separate regions. In England, the Reformation fostered a sense of nationalism. In the Catholic Church, the Counter-Reformers radically changed the system, but it had less funding than before, less government power, and lost millions of believers to Protestantism. Both Protestantism and Catholicism influenced not only Europe but also the New World and Asia. Martin Luther and the reformers changed not only religion but also politics, society and economics in Europe. The impact of the Reformation still exists today. Protestantism and Catholicism have influenced people around the world, including Asia and Africa. Furthermore, these religions competed by retaining more believers in churches. Government and religion have been separated for about 500 years. What if Luther wasn't trying to change Catholicism? If it did not exist, the image of the world would be different