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Western Civilization
Martin Luther
Martin Luther founded a new religion, Protestantism, as result of a break with the Catholic Church. He did not support all of the Church's doctrines and laws, and proposed reforms that the Church would not agree to, and so, he broke away from the Church and created the Reformation, which created a new religion and a new way of thinking. Politics were important in Luther's break from the Church, because the Church was so very influential and powerful politically. People were afraid to disagree with them because the Church could literally ruin them.
Luther's religious ideas toward relationships between church and state were radical, and that is one reason the Catholic Church feared him and excommunicated him. His ideas definitely separated Church and state, and gave much of the responsibility of goodness and holiness to the people themselves, allowing them to choose to live pious lives. The Church ruled politically and socially, and so, to break with this was to break with the Church. Germany was a powerful state at the time, and becoming more powerful in world politics, and so, the break with the Church seemed somehow to fit in with the general changes that were happening at the time, when the towns were growing, the feudal lifestyle was disappearing, and the Renaissance was occurring. Change was happing all over Europe, and Luther's change just seemed to fit in at the right time.
Luther's revolt really affected many facets of life, because it freed people to make choices in their religion, and their lives, and showed them there was more than one way to believe and to live. It gave them the ability to question, to seek new answers, and to look to other answers besides religion. It also showed them the Catholic Church was not all-powerful. His revolt ultimately helped other dissidents revolt. His was only the first branch of many new Protestant religions, and other people found the courage to stand up and demand change because of Luther's eventual success. It was a politically charged time in Germany, and politicians learned they had to please the people, rather than simply the Pope and the Church.
Western Civilization The world has always progressed through those adventurous in spirit that were not afraid to brake barriers, to confront established rules and to keep seeking new territories, be it in the fields of science, religion, law, or the physical world. The period of Renaissance that started and flourished in Italy and then spread throughout the rest of the continent changed world views and challenged the traditional at every level.
They felt that they Church was getting richer and the poor were getting poorer. And as a result, there were no great protests when the King broke away from the Church, because many felt that Henry would ease up on taking money from them. Henry knew of the Catholic Church's unpopularity and used this to his advantage (Truman, 2009). Christian Humanism played a large role in the development of the
As a result of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, James II was deposed, and William of Orange was invited to become king on condition that he agreed to a new Bill of Rights and a Constitutional Agreement with Parliament. By contrast, France's political absolutism was centered on strengthening the power of the French kings, and weakening that of the nobles. It was established and consolidated during the reign of
Western Civilization Between the Reformation and Scientific Revolution, it is evident that the latter had greater impact in destabilizing the strong hold of the Church over 16th-17th century Western society. Prior to the emergence of the Reformation, the Church was the dominant religious and political authority in the West. The clergy assumed the roles of both political and religious leaders, influencing the way society conduct their everyday lives. The Church may
Protestant Reformation Western civilization has thrived for centuries, with the combined power and influence of the State and the Catholic Church. History up to the 16th century had witnessed a flourishing society influenced and ultimately, governed, by the principles and tenets of Catholicism. Inevitably, the Catholic way of life is the social way of life during these times. But the Church's stronghold over the society had been plagued with numerous incidents
Western Religion In his book, "Western Ways of Being Religious," (Kessler, 1999) the author Gary E. Kessler identifies the theological, philosophical and societal ramifications of the evolution of religion in the West. Christianity, Judaism and Islam can be traced to a single origin but their divergence has been very marked. Kessler sets his thesis very early in the book. He avers that there are two approaches to religion. One is to