Source 1, would strongly support the statement, as it aggressively attacks the church and its actions. It describes how the church uses their influence over its devout followers, for its own gain. For example it describes its rigidness and strictness over its followers “poor wives must be accountable for every tenth egg or be taken as a heretic” and how it exploits and finances followers may have “What money they pull in by their fees, for wills and testaments pilgrimages and first masses!” This would imply that the church is indeed exploiting the faith of its followers to increase its own wealth, as it shows, especially in the second quote, how the church used its influence and power to persuade its followers to give money at every opportunity. We know that at the time, many followers of the church were uneducated, and unable to read or write, so often relied on the church for guidance, and could be easily pushed into doing something by a supposedly “more educated” and “morally superior” member of the clergy. This would contradict source 2, which gives a much rosier account of the church, its actions, and the clergy during the same period.
Historically, the topic of religion stirs emotion and partisanship. Geoffrey Chaucer and Jonathan Swift both satirize the institution of religion by attacking its clergymen and religious followers. Swift vilely attacks Catholics while Chaucer reveals flaws of all religious views. However, Swift and Chaucer both indicate the corruption and incorrectness of the Catholic religion believed during their various time periods. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer illuminates the corruption and hypocrisy in Catholic clergymen through several of the religious pilgrims like the Friar, and the Summoner.
Hardy confronts organized religion because of the lack of compassion toward less remarkable people and places humanism as a more pure notion to live by. Hardy's negative treatment of religion in Tess of the D'Urbervilles stems from his belief that if a higher power exists, it corrupts mankind whereas humanism proves to be the perfect substitute. The injustice of giving an innocent, bastard child an improper burial and abolishing their only chance of salvation after earthly life is Hardy's main comment on how the depraved religious system in phase the second infects a man of repute, causing him to change his morals for the worse. The Vicar finds himself rejecting innocent Tess Durbeyfield's request of giving her child a proper, Christian burial, admitting "I would willingly do so... But I must not," (Hardy 97) indicating how a man of the God and the church was turning away from justice in order to assimilate into an elitist, apathetic society.
Three of the characters that Chaucer used to embody this corruption in within the church were the Friar, the Pardoner, and the Summoner. All three men were employed by the church, and had the power to help absolve from sin the masses; but each of the men also had a price. Just as the Catholic Church was enshrined with riches, gold churches built on the backs of the masses, the men who worked in it did just the same. The absolute hypocrisy of the church, and their willingness to use power and money to rule would end up being their downfall, as it was the masses were quickly becoming wise to the dishonesty within the church and the people running it. Chaucer used his craft to highlight this dishonesty, and through stinging satire he shows us just what he thought of the Catholic Church, with his descriptions of the Friar , the Pardoner, and the Summoner.
The common masses were also unhappy with the Pope and church. They were not only unhappy with the prevailing corrupt practices in church and the flimsy grounds on which the church collected funds from innocent people but also disliked its interference in the secular affairs. Even the rulers were quite unhappy with the Pope and strongly protested against Papal interference in the affairs of their states. Perhaps the greatest religious leader the world has ever seen, Martin Luther is seen as the spark to the Protestant Reformation. Some viewed him as a heretic while others saw him as an advocate for religious freedom and truth.
When it comes to religion, Marx believed that it was beneficial to the ruling class and that religion is used as a tool of oppression against the masses. Marx stated that religion and ideology had clear similarities in that they both have a monopoly on the truth, leading to the belief that religion is an Ideological State Apparatus, used to maintain capitalist rule. Marx thought that religion was there to prevent the proletariat from becoming aware of their exploitation and he sees religion as “the opium of the people”. Meaning that religion is used to pacify the subject class so they are blind to capitalist rule, keep them in their place and assist in the oppression of society. As a tool of oppression, religion is seen to dull the pain of the oppressed, making the harsh reality of a capitalist society seem bearable.
To avoid that, they get interested in it, and make you murderous] competition and dream one day to overthrow you. Your knowledge of the gospel will allow you to find texts ordering, and encouraging your followers to love poverty, like “Happier are the poor because they will inherit the heaven” and, “It's very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” You have to detach from them and make them disrespect everything which gives courage to affront us. I make reference to their Mystic System and their war fetish – warfare protection – which they pretend not to want to abandon, and you must do everything in your power to make it disappear. Your action will be directed essentially to the younger ones, for
Who, what when why that’s what we want to know. Why was there a civil war...? Well it’s all to do with money religion and power. Religion: Charles and his England were Protestants. He married a Catholic woman named Henrietta Maria and made people suspicious.
Overcoming Racism: The Church Has A Role To Play Morenike Oye Liberty University Abstract “At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being” Friedrich Otto Hertz. The thought that many Christians today believe that or choose to live in denial that we have gone passed racism or that it is a problem that has been solved a long time ago, hence the need to shift focus and concentrate on more important things is an indication that racism is more of a spiritual warfare than we want to admit. This paper in its three fold objective is aimed at exposing racism as a sin, a spiritual attack on mankind, and a warfare between the devil and the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:13-15). Secondly, to analyze the understanding and role of the early churches and Christians, what was done or should have been done, how they were done and those things that were not done. Thirdly, to make a wake-up call to the new generations churches and strategize on how we can triumph in this battle.
They often committed a myriad of staggering sins and believed they were masters of perpetuity. They deviated from faith, and moved heaven and earth for their self-contentment, fulfillment of their lustful desires and attaining happiness and peace of mind and unwarily persisted not keeping in mind any future consequences which they would have to bear the brunt of and could even lead to their own bitter end. We can take examples of powerful rulers such as Sultan Suleiman I of the Ottoman Empire and Asoka who carried on committing ruinous deeds and inhumanities not caring for their consequences and were absolutely corrupt people from within. Sultan Suleiman I executed his own son, heir to the throne, himself and Asoka brutally and mercilessly slaughtered innocent men, women and children in his world