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The protestant reformation cause and effect
The protestant reformation cause and effect
Causes and impacts of protestant reformation
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The Protestant Reformation during the sixteenth century established a schism between Christian beliefs that lead to the emergence of divergent interpretations of the Bible. Through this transformation the Papacy was prosecuted for its unrelenting and restricted renditions of the gospel that was seen to oppress the populace and corrupt the true meaning of God’s Word. Though there were individuals such as Desiderius Erasmus who greatly criticized the Catholic Church yet remained loyal there were others who broke away entirely. With the increasing dissatisfaction across Europe factions began to be founded providing elucidation on the “truthful” interpretations of the Bible. Two various factions were known as Lutheranism after German priest Martin Luther and Calvinism after John Calvin a French theologian. These new ideologies shared a basic belief system in reference of humanity’s position with God and their place on earth. However, there was also various interpretations of the bible amongst the newly formed Protestant groups. In response of the emerging Protestant groups the Catholic Church established counter agencies in the pursuit of reconverting Protestants and the conversion of Pagans such as the Mayans and Aztecs. The various views expressed through the primary documents explored in this analysis demonstrate the conflicting and complex nature of religion and humanity and how individuals attempt to reconcile the two in their truest forms. Faithful members of the Catholic church such as Desiderius Erasmus criticized the temporal practices of the church and its members. Erasmus took issue with the theologians believing them to be a “race of men...incredibly arrogant and touchy.”1 He was disgusted with the use of power by the e... ... middle of paper ... ...gs/LutherPAPALetal.htm (accessed October 10, 2011). 10 Luther. 11 Luther. 12 Calvin, John. Excerpts from The Institutes. Cohen. HYPERLINK “http://home.flash.net/~cohan/readings/calvinINSTITUTE&ORDINANCE.htm” http://home.flash.net/cohen/readings/CalvinINSTITUTES&ORDINANCES.htm (accessed October 10, 2011).13 Calvin, John. “Predestination.” Modern History Sourcebook. HYPERLINK “http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/calvin-predest.html” http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/calvin-predest.html (accessed October 10, 2011).14 Calvin, John. Excerpts from The Institutes. Cohen. HYPERLINK “http://home.flash.net/~cohan/readings/calvinINSTITUTE&ORDINANCE.htm” http://home.flash.net/cohen/readings/CalvinINSTITUTES&ORDINANCES.htm (accessed October 10, 2011). Documents of the Christian Church, 3rd ed., Henry Bettenson, ed. pp. 364-367. 1999. 16 Documents of the Christian Church
Martin Luther inspired another thinker of the time that questioned the Church’s beliefs. That man was John Calvin. The Catholic belief during the Renaissance and Reformation was that one’s good deeds hel...
The Protestant Reformation was a period of time (1500-1700) where there became a change in Western Christendom. This reformation was caused by the resentment from the people because the Catholic Church abusing their powers for political and economic advances. In this time the church was selling pardons for sin and indulgences to forgive sins, decrease days spent in purgatory and save the dead from damnation. The reformation was when people became more aware with the back hand dealings with the church and men like Martin Luther and John Calvin created their own churches to what they believed was not corrupt unlike the church. Unfortunately there many consequences as far at the Roman Catholic church attempting to bring people back to the church,
Douglas, J.D., 2nd edn., The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Exeter: Paternoster Publishing. 1978
The church’s robust grip on religious expression shattered as medieval society transitioned into a period known as the Reformation. Characterized by the rejection of common ideology, the Reformation sparked religious curiosity. Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther offered interpretations of the Bible in direct opposition to the Catholic Church’s teachings, forcing Europeans to examine and formulate their own beliefs. This style of thinking was foreign to European society because up to this point in history Europeans were passive absorbers of Catholic Church ideology. Hence, it was natural that an era considered the Age of Enlightenment followed the period of rejection and questioning known as the Reformation.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century church theologian, Martin Luther, wrote the 95 Theses questioning the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. In this essay I will discuss: the practices of the Roman Catholic Church Martin Luther wanted to reform, what Martin’s specific criticism of the pope was, and the current practices Pope Francis I is interested in refining in the Roman Catholic Church today.
The protestant reformation of 16th century had both: immediate and long term effects. Thus, we can see that it was a revolution of understanding the essence of religion, and of what God is. The protestant reformation is said to a religious movement. However, it also influenced the economical, political and social life of people. The most global, short term effect of the reformation was the reevaluation of beliefs, and, as a result, the loss of authority of the Holy Roman Empire. The long term effects were: the emergence of new heretical movements, the declining of papacy, thus the reevaluation of people’s view on the church and life values.
During Luther’s early life he faced a severe inner crisis. When he sinned he looked for comfort in confession and followed the penance, the fasting, prayer and observances that the church directed him. But, he found no peace of mind and worried about his salvation. But reading St. Paul’s letters he came to believe that salvation came though faith in Christ. Faith is a free gift, he discovered, it cannot be earned. His studies led him to a conclusion that, “Christ was the only mediator between God and a man and that forgiveness of sin and salvation are given by god’s grace alone” (Martin Luther, 01). Historians agree that, “this approach to theology led to a clash between Luther and the Church officials, precipitating the dramatic events of Reformation”.
Humanists had been calling for reform in the Catholic Church long before Martin Luther penned his Ninety-Five Theses. Humanism was an intellectual and cultural movement of the Renaissance that emphasized the expansion of mans’ capacities. “[Humanism] was an attempt to discover humankind’s own earthly fulfillment. . . [it] developed an increasing distaste for dogma, and embraced a figurative interpretation of the scriptures and an attitude of tolerance toward all viewpoints” (Sporre 310). This perspective could not differ more from the Church’s strict reliance on tradition. People’s outlook on the world changed, but the Church continued on with what had previously worked. It soon became clear that reform in the Church was not in the foreseeable future, so people decided to take matters into their own hands. As humanism spread throughout Italy and northern Europe, more and more people agr...
Gonzalez, Justo L. 1984. The early church to the dawn of the Reformation. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
Luther was concerned about the role and duties of the laity whose faith was completely dependent on the preaching’s of the Roman Church. He drew a completely new system where the structure of God-Clergy-Laity, switched to God-Laity. On the second example of how the Bible offers different resources to the non-elite, I have drawn on examples from the 20th century, Latin American movement known as Liberation Theology.... ... middle of paper ...
Schaff, Phillip. History of the Christian Church. Vol. VI, §73. 3rd ed. Edinburgh: Hendrickson, 2006. Web.
The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century is one of the most complex movements in European history since the fall of the Roman Empire. The Reformation truly ends the Middle Ages and begins a new era in the history of Western Civilization. The Reformation ended the religious unity of Europe and ushered in 150 years of religious warfare. By the time the conflicts had ended, the political and social geography in the west had fundamentally changed. The Reformation would have been revolutionary enough of itself, but it coincided in time with the opening of the Western Hemisphere to the Europeans and the development of firearms as effective field weapons. It coincided, too, with the spread of Renaissance ideals from Italy and the first stirrings of the Scientific Revolution. Taken together, these developments transformed Europe.
History's halls rang with the sound of a single hammer as one man remodeled Christianity for all time. This man was Martin Luther, and he changed history's course when he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. These theses challenged the Roman Catholic Church by inviting debate over the legitimacy of many of the Church's practices, especially the sale of indulgences.1 Luther's simple action not only got him into trouble with church authorities but also precipitated the reform of Roman Catholicism in Europe. Protestantism resulted from this reform, called the Protestant Reformation because its reformers protested against the corruption and unbiblical practices in the Roman Catholic Church. Though this was arguably the most important religion in European history and perhaps the world, it is only one among the thousands of other religions on earth. Another such religion was Neo-Confucianism in China. Though many differences exist between these two religions, their origins, and the reforms that created them, one can also find a number of similarities between them as well.
Though there was no driving force like Luther, Zwingli or Calvin during the English Reformation, it succeeded because certain people strived for political power and not exactly for religious freedom. People like Queen Elizabeth I and Henry VIII brought the Reformation in England much success, however their reasons were based on self-gain and desire for political power.
Religion is undergoing a lot of reformations up to today. We cannot talk of these reformations without making mention of the sixteenth-century reformation. There was a lot of dispute in terms of religion during this century. The most important issue under dispute in the sixteenth-century religion reformation was a doctrinal issue. Based on the readings given, Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, Martin Luther King Jr, John Calvin and Saint Ignatius of Loyola argued on this issue from different perspectives.