The Decline Of The Reformation Essay

The reformation was a drastic event in the early modern period that launched Europe into a massive conflict of widespread violence, through both political and religious factors. The political scene had remained very much the same before the beginning of the reformation in 1517, with many philosophers sharing similar ideas on how to handle the issues of sovereignty and private property. Religion was a long debated factor before the reformation however was brought inadvertently to the forefront of most political works in the early years of the Protestant Reformation. This event completely changed the way in which philosophers constructed their political discourse as seen with More and Martin Luther, who although despite being placed on

Reformation is the religious revolution that took place in Western Europe in the 16th century. It arose from objections to doctrines and practices in the medieval church, loss of papal authority and credibility as well as other societal, political and economical issues of the time. This revolution had a major impact on Europe and it gave way to short term and long-term consequences, which still can be seen today.

The Catholic Reformation was the response of the Protestant movement in the sixteenth century. By the sixteenth century, many people lost the trust for the Catholic Church because it was corrupt. Popes and Cardinals became involved in politics and were more like kings than spiritual leaders and Nepotism was rampant. This loss of trust led people to moved on into other branches of Christianity which includes, Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Anabaptism. Catholic Church’s realized it needed to re-establish itself, thus beginning the Catholic Reformation. The Catholic Reformation was successful because it triggered the start of The Society of Jesus and The Council of Trent which helped resolve the church’s corruption through education,

To begin, the Protestant Reformation began in reaction to the Catholic Church’s rather corrupt practices. Prior to the Reformation, the only major Christian denomination in Western Europe at the time was Catholicism, headed by the Pope in Rome. Through many acts of violence such as the formation of the Spanish Inquisition and the slaughter of the Cathars, amongst others, Europe’s Monarchs had wiped out and suppressed any form of religious competition. With the Catholic Church holding a tight stranglehold over Europe, Catholicism was the only option. This allowed

Individuals and groups of a society can promote change of the status quo. Many people took action and spoke out against issues within society during the Reformation. The Reformation was a movement in the 16th century where people called out the Roman Catholic Church on its unjust teachings. These people include John Wycliffe, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Martin Luther. The Church did not approve of this criticism and aimed to eliminate those who defied the Church.

The protestant reformation happened at the moment that it did because the Catholic Church was very a powerful force in Europe. It controlled people lives both spiritually and temporally. The church had so much power that it maintained political control over a large portion of Italy. The fact that the church held so much control over countries and governments became a point of contention among European countries such as the Holy Roman Empire, Italian city-states outside of Rome, England, France and Spain. The power of the rulers of these areas had greatly increased in the 14th century and they were eager to take the chances offered by a Reformation to weaken the grip of the Catholic Church in Europe and also to develop their own powers across the European continent. For quite some time the Catholic Church had been an institution rampant with internal struggles. Such as the Avignon Papacy from 1309 to 1377 when seven popes opted to live in Avignon, France and not reside in Rome which was and is the traditional home of the Papacy. The Pope and other high ranking church officials often lived opulent lifestyles rather than a more austere lifestyle that should befit a spiritual leader. Many church leaders and Popes maintained political powers. They led armies, waged wars and made many political decisions. Church offices were sold, and many Popes and bishops practiced nepotism to fill church offices. With all of these worldly issues for the Pope

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.

The Protestant Reformation and European expansion have both left political, social and economic impacts throughout history. The Protestant Reformation which was started in the 1500’s, by a Catholic man named Martin Luther caused political instability and fragmented the Holy Roman Empire. It economically caused the church to go bankrupt and socially allowed for the rise of individualism among the people; Luther gave the people of Europe the long needed reason to break free of the church. The Protestant Reformation and the need for new converts lead to the rise of European expansion. European expansion into the west resulted in a political increase of power for Europe, the social increase in slavery, disease and racism, as well as the

The intent of this paper is to evaluate the distinct character and quality of the expressions of the Protestant Reformation. This paper will discuss Lutheran Reformation, The Anabaptist, and The English Puritans as well as the Catholic Reformation also known as the Counter Reformation. It is the hope that after the reader has had the opportunity to view each of the characteristics and the expressions of each of the reformation the reader will have a better understanding of each and will be able to articulate the differences of each.

For about a thousand years, the Catholic church was in control of most of Europe. Until the 16th century, there was little to no freedom of religion. A great change came then someone exposed the church and, over time, changed the world. The protestant reformation gave the world the religious freedoms that are present today.

The Paradox of the Reformation in Ireland: Why it is Essential in Spite of its Failure

I agree with you that the Reformation, led to the split of the church, and gave more people access to worship in a way that appealed to them. I am not so sure about the division though. This movement obviously caused divisions , in that it created new branches of the church, but I think one could argue that those rifts were already there. I think there were many people that disagreed with the church, prior to the Reformation, but it was kept under control through fear of severe punishment for those who did not conform. I don’t really see that as unity. I see that as more of an oppressed environment, where large portions of the population may have felt disenfranchised. When I look at it from that perspective, although the Reformation caused

The Reformation is largely attributed to Martin Luther. And, although he is the most recognized individual, his personal struggles with sin and salvation were not the driving force behind the diverse theologies that emerged during this period. Many others, before and after Luther became the focus of the Catholic Church, desired change and had both the opportunity to introduce their doctrine to a wide audience, and the conviction, although not as personal as Luther’s, to unwaveringly challenge traditional beliefs and demand change. Three such men are Desiderius Erasmus, Ulrich Zwingli, and Thomas Cranmer. For this reason, it is possible that although Martin Luther nailed his controversial The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgence, (1517) to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, bringing attention to the need for change and providing a ripe cause for theologians to support and challenge, the subsequent Reformation was inevitable.

During the period from 1450 to 1648 Europe underwent a lot of changes. Starting with the Renaissance, which brought in sources from Ancient Greece and Rome that were previously unknown to Europeans. These sources led to a need for means of education like universities because people wanted to read the classics. The Renaissance changed Europe from focusing on religion to embracing the cultures of previous civilizations and striving for human excellence. Humanism alone could be enough to jumpstart the scientific revolution. The fact that people wanted to be acknowledged for their achievements led the “natural philosophers” of that time to strive for greatness. Another instigator of the changing world-view was the Reformation, which introduced a period of questioning for people in Europe. Europeans realized that they did not just have to except everything that was taught to them. They could challenge any previous teachings that they disagreed with. People began to question not only their religion but also all of the scientific facts they had learned during the Middle Ages. In addition, the Reconquista in Spain, when the Spanish finally took back their land from the Muslims, granted Europe access to Arabic sources. The Arabs were one of the most advanced civilizations for their times with many achievements in all branches of science. After all of this new access to different sources besides Aristotle, scientists were finally able to make new discoveries and spread their ideas.

Post-Reformation era is remarkable better in the Good Governance compared to the centralistic Pre-Reformation era, since the authoritarian tremendous power in the pre-reformation era can be easily used to suppressed the opponents and defy the good governance principles. Unfortunately, there are some weakness with this infancy stage of decentralization in the post-reformation era due to power abuse by the district government or the local forest communities to forest resources. The euphoria of “Reformation” revolution endorse over exploitation and over reclaim on state forests, which generate further forest conversion and illegal logging. Furthermore, the overlapping jurisdiction also become common problem within this era, since each tier of government claim to have the righteous authority. All aforementioned issues, may eventually impair the implementation of the good governance and should be effectively addressed.