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Essay on anglican continuum
How has religion affected history
How has religion affected history
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I. Introduction The History of Anglicanism is a very fascinating part of English history, and often a misunderstood part as well. Many believe erroneously that Anglicanism came about purely as a result of King Henry VIII desiring a new wife, and creating a new religion was the only way to do so. The truth is a good deal more complicated. There is also the fascinating shift from Anglicanism being essentially Catholic, just with a different head of church, to be being one of Catholicism’s greatest opponents in European politics. II. The Pride of King Henry a. King Henry VIII was a prideful man, full of fire and vigor, and despite being a devoted catholic in his early life, soon began to chafe at the notion of anyone other than God having power over him, which began his troubles with the Pope. Many people took Henry VIII’s break with Rome as complete proof of his status as a heretic, and in their defense, Henry VIII most certainly was a heretic from the point of view of a Roman Catholic or a Romanist. Many laymen were of course unaware of Henry VIII’s pathological need for control and the fact that the King hated having any authority above his own in any and all matters, both spiritual and secular, and so of course they just assumed his break with Rome and the Pope to be a purely spiritual matter. There are numerous examples of people accusing Henry VIII of heresy such as a layman named Henry Kylbrae in a discussion with the proprietor of the White Horse Inn in Cambridge, which was a hotbed of religious discussion. Kylbrae is known to have remarked that the King and all who held the King as the head of the Church were strong heretics indeed. The common people were not alone in this assertion. Several noblemen and noblewomen s... ... middle of paper ... ... evolution and change in a relatively short period of time, perhaps owing this fact to the relatively rapid changes in leadership in its formative years. Regardless, Anglicanism remains a fascinating field of study. Works Cited "Trouble brews over gay issue: province of Central Africa 'could' split." Anglican Journal Oct. 2007: 8. Academic OneFile. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. "Sexual orientation no barrier to church leadership." Anglican Journal Oct. 2009: 10. Academic OneFile. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. Braddick, Michael. God’s Fury, England’s Fire: A History of the English Civil Wars. New York: Penguin Press, 2009 Lake,Peter Conflict in Early Stuart England. London: Longman Group,1989. Shagan, Ethan. Popular Politics and the English Reformation Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003 Walsham, Alexandra, The Fatall Vesper London: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Archbishop William Laud had a significant impact on the history of Great Britain during King Charles I’s reign. Archbishop Laud had his own agenda while serving the king. Many thought Laud’s plan was where he went very wrong. One aspect of Archbishop Laud’s plan was to better establish the church and clergy of England, Laud’s downfall was his desire to promote churchmen. Laud wanted to see churchmen back in political power. To many people during this time, the promotion of churchmen seemed to contradict the triumph the Protestant community had over the clergy. This control is what the English Reformation was...
Henry VIII was actually a Roman Catholic, but in 1527, he decided he wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, who had become too old to grant him a male heir, a forbidden practice in the Catholic Church. The pope denied his appeal for divorce, and in 1534 Henry VIII was made head of the Church of England by the Act of Supremacy, which cut the Pope’s power in the country and allowed Henry to get the divorce he desired. The act also dissolved the monasteries in the country. However, Henry’s personal religious beliefs remained Catholic. His main reason for breaking away from the Catholic Church was desire for divorce, and a male heir, not any disagreement over the doctrines of the Church. He was not aiming to form an entire new religion, only to escape the rule of the
Although written for church leadership, everyday church members would also benefit from understanding the concepts that Dawn is directing at God-empowered leaders. Ms. Dawn's work is predominantly scholarly, and she cites several other works at great length.... ... middle of paper ... ...
A king of England could not remove a pope from his position but popes claimed that they could remove a king by excommunicating him - this meant that the king’s soul was condemned to Hell and people then had the right to disobey the king.
King Henry VIII was an important figure in helping to kick start the Reformation in England, even though it was not his intent. His break with the Papacy and his constantly changing ideas on how the new Church of England should be run gave the Protestants the foothold they needed to gain popularity in Europe. Although his intentions were purely politically motivated, he started a change in the way the layman viewed the church and how it should be run.
People everywhere, regardless of class, were disturbed with the scandals and actions taken by the Church. Born a Catholic, Henry enforced the notion that Catholicism was to be the religion of his kingdom. However, after eighteen years of marriage and only one female survivor heir with Catherine of Aragon, Henry began an affair with Anne Boleyn in 1527. Completely enamoured by Boleyn and the pressure to have a male heir to the throne, he requested an annulment of the marriage, proving very difficult as the union required special dispensation as Catherine was the wife of Henry’s deceased brother, a union that is “prohibited by both canon and biblical law” . Due to the difficulty presented from papal authority and a disagreement with Pope Clement VII (1478-1534), Henry’s new royal advisers, Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) and Thomas Cromwell (1485-1540), found a way around the complicated matrix surrounding the situation: “Why not simply declare the king supreme in English spiritual affairs as he was in English temporal affairs? Then the king could settle the king’s affair himself” . Thus, with the help of his advisers, Henry VIII began to separate the Church of England from the Papacy in Rome, ushering in the theory of the divine right of kings in the
A major part of the modern Anglican Church took place in St. Louis, Missouri in 1977. Reforms attempted here included a return to emphasis on Scripture, allowing morals to be included in the faith, and adopting some ancient Catholic tradition. In addition to these, it was here that the Anglican Catholic Church pronounced itself to be a separate church body from the Episcopal Church. This meeting became later known as the “Affirmation of St. Louis.” (About…Church 2)
Village, Andrew “Biblical literalism among Anglican clergy: what is the role of psychological type? Mental Health, Religion & Culture. 2012. Web.
In the sixteenth century, Richard Hooker, an English priest, was one of the most influential theologians during his time (Wikipedia). Hookers’ value on Scripture, reason and tradition helped shape the creation of Anglicanism just as it did for John Locke, a political philosopher (Wikipedia). Anglicanism is known as the median between Protestantism and Catholicism (Wikipedia). Book One of the Politie, Hooker entails how government began and his account of law, something that he is better known for according to political philosophy (Wikipedia). On the other hand, some scholars wished to differ and felt he should be known for mainstream Reformed theology during that era (Wikipedia). In addition, there were scholars who were oppossed to his
For many homosexuals, today’s world is not a very friendly and loving place. They face all sorts of prejudice, misunderstanding, and hatred by the straight world, and the church is the last place they should find this opposition – to an extent. However we as Christians have to draw the line somewh...
Wilkes, Donald E. "England's Glorious Revolution." Glorious Revolution. N.p., 22 Oct. 2009. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
The Victorian period from the mid to late 1800's was a time of internal religious turmoil for England. In the Anglican Church there were many different groups competing to define the doctrine and practice of the national religion. The church was politically divided in three general categories following: the High Church, which was the most conservative; the Middle, or Broad Church, which was more liberal; and the Low Church, which was the Evangelical wing of the Anglican Church. Within the High Church there were also differences of opinion on the true nature of the Church as a whole. It is from this conservative branch of the Anglican Church where the men of the Oxford Movement came.
King Henry VIII was seeking approval from Thomas in obtaining a divorce from his wife Catherine because she was not able to produce any heirs to the throne. The King was looking for his approval because Thomas was respected by society. The King already had other peoples’ approval . The two men were in conflict because they had a fundamental difference in outlook on what constituted the right balance between the spiritual and the practical. The two were Catholics. Thomas was a representative of the older spirituality, wherein the Church was as a sacred institution and an instrument of God’s will, and which ought to be outside politics. The King saw the church as a political institution, one that was to bend for him in certain political matters. That is basically the story.
Pettegree, Andrew. "The English Reformation." BBC History. BBC, 17 Feb 2011. Web. 1 Oct 2013.
Henry did not want Lutheranism to spread, so he chose to write "Defense of the Seven Sacraments," which was a retaliation towards Luther. The Pope of the time was very grateful for Henry's defense of the religion, therefore deeming him "Defender of the Faith." Many years later, after years of marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry wished for an annulment because of Catherine's inability to provide him with a male heir to the throne. However, Catherine wasn't willing to agree to the divorce, so therefore the Pope denies the annulment. In spite of the Pope's disagreement, Henry chose to remarry in secret, forcing the clergy to follow his demands. Thus, he had his new archbishop declare his marriage to Catherine invalid. With this, the Pope threatened Henry with excommunication, which caused Henry to pass an act in which made him head of the church in England. This left him with ultimate power over the church, therefore Henry is known as an individualistic reformer for this reason. Though first being recognized as a supporter of the Pope and the Catholic church, Henry's supreme ideals and wants against the church caused him to behave in an individualistic manner.