Man for All Seasons Moral Dilemma

Sir Thomas More's decision to refuse to sign the oath naming King Henry VIII the Supreme Head of the English Church

It is difficult to determine whether or not Thomas More was right in refusing to sign the oath declaring King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the English Church. When regarding matters from a perspective involving his allegiance to the Church, it would have been unlawful for him to perform this act. However, when regarding matters from a perspective involving reason, he should have accepted to sign the oath. More was right in refusing to sign the oath because he stood by his principles and demonstrated that a member of the Church needed to guide himself in accordance with these respective principles rather than to be influenced by the promise of material gains.

More's decision to refuse to sign the oath is likely to be considered by many to have been a mistake, especially considering the fact that the Englishman was in good relations with the King and this would have certainly uplifted his position in England as a whole. However, the reality is that he respected oaths he had made earlier to the Catholic Church and considered that it would be in his best interest to keep his decision in spite of the fact that he was well-acquainted with the consequences of such actions.

What is intriguing when regarding the context of More refusing to sign the oath is that he was also inclined to believe that the Church needed to experience reform in many ways. He considered that the Catholic Church had a strict doctrine and that it was thus likely to influence individuals to break away from it on account of these grounds. As a consequence, he did not hesitate to emphasize his beliefs and actually attempted to get leaders of the Catholic Church to revise their traditions in order to seem more appealing to the general public. Even with this, his decision to remain a member of the Catholic Church was resolute and makes it possible for one to get a more complex understanding of his loyalty.

More was convinced that it is his duty to serve King Henry VIII, but he was more certain that there was a hierarchy in people's lives and that God needed to be considered the highest form of authority. More was a man of character and a person who believed in his ideals, thus meaning that signing the oath would have practically stood against everything that he believed in.

The fact that More did not hesitate to put across his convictions despite the fact that he was well-acquainted with the consequences of doing so demonstrates the degree to which he was determined to fight for his beliefs. This was not a person who could be bought or who believed material values to be more important than morality. He was certain that God was the highest form of authority he could possibly respect and thus considered that King Henry VIII was wrong in believing that his material power was enough to make him head of Church.