Imitation of Christ

In the 1400s there was a revolutionary idea that came out as the title of a book, "The Imitation of Christ."  What is the big deal?  Well, for about a 1000 years we Western Latin Catholics were influenced by two things.  We could not read, or had few books even if we could, and Augustine.  The latter said we were deprayed due to original sin.  So forget about imitating Christ, you lowly lay people.  Rely on indulgences and geting people to pray you to heaven while you languished in purgatory.  Once people became literate, and the printing press gave us books, the idea developed that a non-cleric could in fact imitate Christ.  You did not have to rely on a priest, or run to sacraments.  Dangerous thinking if you are a clergy in power.  The book is still around.  Lots of things spiritual that we take for granted now, were revolutionary at one time.  Be careful the next time you condemn a new idea.