How Did The Enlightenment Affect The Church?

Voltaire believed in freedom of religion because if a society only has a couple religions, then everyone would turn against each other. During the Enlightenment period, if the people were

During the eighteenth century, an age of enlightenment fell upon the people of Europe. Across the continent, knowledge and discovery spread like wildfire. During this era, an overwhelming majority of middle-class citizens became literate, partaking in various forms of high culture previously reserved exclusively to the aristocracy. At the same time, while the age of Enlightenment produced prominent theorists, thinkers, and intellectual works, it also made the common man more aware of intellectuality. With access to literature rich in revolutionary thought, the middle-class assumed an understanding of natural law that encompassed freedom, social equality, and the value of mankind. However, while

The Age of Enlightenment saw many great changes in Western Europe. It was an age of reason and philosophes. During this age, changes the likes of which had not been seen since ancient times took place. Such change affected evert pore of Western European society. Many might argue that the Enlightenment really did not bring any real change, however, there exists and overwhelming amount of facts which prove, without question, that the spirit of the Enlightenment was one of change-specifically change which went against the previous teachings of the Catholic Church. Such change is apparent in the ideas, questions, and philosophies of the time, in the study of science, and throughout the monarchial system.

The Enlightenment period, also known as The Age of Reason, was a period of social, religious, and political revolution throughout the 18th century which changed the thoughts of man during this “awakening” time. It was a liberation of ignorant thoughts, ideas, and actions that had broken away from the ignorant perception of how society was to be kept and obeyed thus giving little room for new ideas about the world. Puritan society found these new ideas of thought to be extremely radical in comparison to what they believed which was a belief of strong rational religion and morality. Enlightened society believed that the use of reason would be a catalyst of social change and had a demand of political representation thus resulting in a

This had an adverse effect on the churches’ power which was lessened because of the influence of new “radical” thoughts of religion. Because of ideas that the Enlightenment brought forth from writing, they also made a significant impact on how politics transitioned from the old theocratic view of government into a democratic institution.

Throughout Voltaire's life, he inspired people to use their reason to make decisions about religion. He believed in social religion which was the belief in God and in a world of future rewards and punishments.3 Social religion was as old as creation and believed by most people. However, it did contradict organized Christianity with its miracles, supernatural doctrines, and its religious duties. Voltaire made many attacks on the Bible and historic churches. He focused on the contradictions in the Bible and the improbabilities of miracles. The greatest of his attacks was on the Old Testament. Voltaire doubted the existence of Moses, said that the Pentateuch was absurd, and believed the Old Testament was just a "collection of fables." On the other hand, he also attacked the New Testament. He called Jesus "a good fellow, a coarse peasant, and a fanatic."4 Many people read Voltaire's writings on religion and so there was much dispute and conflict among the church. His attacks on the Bible made people think and use reason in their lives.

The Enlightenment was a period in the eighteenth century where change in philosophy and cultural life took place in Europe. The movement started in France, and spread to Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Germany at more or less around the same time, the ideas starting with the most renowned thinkers and philosophers of the time and eventually being shared with the common people. The Enlightenment was a way of thinking that focused on the betterment of humanity by using logic and reason rather than irrationality and superstition. It was a way of thinking that showed skepticism in the face of religion, challenged the inequality between the kings and their people, and tried to establish a sound system of ethics. The ideas behind the

The Enlightenment era was a new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems. Even though different philosophers approached their goal differently, they achieved it none the less. They all approached their goal differently due to their different upbringings, their different backgrounds, and most importantly their different environments. A few among the many enlightened thinkers were Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Baron Do Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. While some of their idea’s are not used in modern society, they were all instrumental to the modern society we live in today.

The Enlightenment was a European intellectual movement that sparked a new way of thinking. In the 18th century, people were questioning whether the church should have the excessive amount of power it had. Since the British had the power in America, colonials were beginning to be enlightened similarly to Europeans. One of

The birth of the Enlightenment happened during the 18th Century and it emerged from Europe as an intellectual movement of writers and thinkers questioning and challenging the ideas and views that at the time was widely accepted. Especially the Catholic Church was challenged for its traditional and determined values. Their analysis of society was based on reason and rational thoughts rather than superstition and traditional ways. The movement

The Enlightenment era of Western Europe took place throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and revolutionized thought and culture from religious to rational. European life before the Enlightenment was determined by class order. However, because people were trapped in the class level that they were born into, the majority lived and remained in poverty for all of their lives. Since most people were uneducated, they looked to the church for leadership and guidance. When Enlightenment thinkers began to question their living standards, “the restraints that had bound men’s minds for so long were smashed” (2).

The Enlightenment, also known as the “Age of Reason”, is a time in the 18th century when changes are being made in a political and social sense because of logic and reason. In the Enlightenment, philosophes who “…were literary people, professors, journalist, economists, political scientists, and above all, social reformers” (Duiker and Spielvogel, 591) came up with ideas that reform the society around them. The Enlightenment can be considered as a turning point in world history because of its reforms that changed and influenced world events. Before the Enlightenment, everyone listened to what the Catholic Church said; no one dared to challenge the Church or more specifically the Pope. This caused corruption in every sense and little room for question about the universe.

The Enlightenment age was very much an intellectual movement that grew from interrelating the theories of science, the environment and the human race (Enlightenment, 2015, para 1). The origins of this movement came from ideas that date back to the Renaissance period in the 14th century. Science became a big part of this period as people now did not just rely on the bible, they began to be inquisitive about the world around them, thus the dividing of science and religion occurred. Scientists began to ask questions about the environment around them, soon people wanted proof and reasoning, not just thoughts and ideas. Another successful idea of that time was that philosophers began to rethink the role of God and the effects on human life. People still believed in God, but the significance of religion and the role that God played in peoples daily life was not as

In the classical era, intellectuals considered themselves free from all the restrictions of the middle ages. This was the Age of Enlightenment or also known as the Age of Reasoning. The church remained with some influence during this time. However, individuals focused on the value of the common person and the power of human reasoning in overcoming the problems of the world. This revolution in thinking led to much conflict between the old order and new ideas. Thus, The French and American Revolutions were stimulated by this new attitude in the last half of this era. During this time, towns grew, trade increased, and many became very wealthy. The middle class had more economic power than they had ever had before. Scientific advancements proceeded to develop at a very fast pace with the creation of the steam engine, steamboat, the cotton gin, the electric battery and publications of electricity to

Enlightenment philosophers, like Voltaire, railed against organized theocracies and argued that religion prevented rational inquiry while it endorsed repression, tyranny and war. The philosophy of Immanuel Kant, who sought, “liberation of the human mind from the dogmatic state of ignorance,” had a major impact on the future ideology of revolutionaries.4 It was Enlightenment ideas which challenged people to question religious orthodoxy and use their own intelligence to draw conclusions about the legitimacy of traditional authority. These philosophies were the foundation of modern, egalitarian, democratic societies which would later replace Louis XVI’s absolutist monarchy. Enlightenment ideals had profound effects upon the politics of the early and mid-nineteenth century. However, a severe backlash against rationalism and liberal ideologies in France caused the return of church-state power; while conversely, in the state of Prussia, Enlightenment ideals inspired a suppression of the church’s power.5 Whether or not Enlightenment ideals and values were able to root themselves permanently in society, the introduction and widespread acceptance of secular ideas created major changes across Europe.