Originally a lawyer, but like Zwingli, Calvin was overwhelmed with the ideas of Northern Renaissance humanism. He was consecrated to reform of the church and he had his opportunity to build a reformed church when the citizens of Geneva repelled against their rulers in the 1520's. Geneva had been under the rule of the House of Savoy, but the people of Geneva triumphantly overrun the Savoys and the native bishop-prince of Geneva in the decline years of the 1520's. However, the people of Geneva, unlike the citizens of Zurich, Bern, Basel, and other cities that became Protestant in the 1520's, were primarily French speakers and did not knew German. Intrinsically, they did not have intimate cultural ties with the reformed churches in Germany and Switzerland.
Between 1528 and 1533 he experienced “sudden conversion” and grasped Protestantism. He described his experience as: “God subdued my soul to docility by a sudden conversion”. In 1536, his fist edition of his book entitled “Institutes of the Christian Religion” was published. It was in this book that he put his ideas about what people should believe when searching for answers about religion. This belief system was called Calvinism.
a) the King b) the Nobles c) the Pope d) the Knights 4. Martin Luther believed that salvation was obtained through: a) faith b) the sacraments c) purchasing indulgences d) practicing celibacy 5. The Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation were similar in that both were a) stimulated by a spirit of inquiry b) supported by the working class c) limited to Italy, France, and Germany d) encouraged by the successes of the French Revolution 6. One major influence the Renaissance had on the Protestant Reformation was that the philosophers of the Renaissance a) supported democratic forms of government b) encouraged a questioning attitude c) stressed the importance of life after death d) denied the existence of God 7. The ideas of the of the Protestant Reformation were rapidly spread by ________, a new invention of the time a) the printing press b) telephone c) the Internet d) telegraph 8.
The church said that the only way you could get time out of purgatory or save a family member from purgatory was to buy indulgences this means that the monks will pray for you and your family. This was criticised by the Protestants because they argued that purgatory was not mentioned in the bible and that Rome was shaping religion to benefit them. Also the influence of European Protestants helped influence the change in England, this is proven by the protestant stronghold that was located in south east England this is because of the influence from the German and Dutch traders who would come to England and share their views also in the south the people were generally more educated so they were able to relate to the information and find faults in catholism. Henry V111 religious convictions are also a reason to why the church changed from catholism to Protestantism, one religious conviction was the First act of Annates in 1532 this banned payment of annates to Rome. It also threatened that bishops could be consecrated
Liberty University Church History Research Paper Separation of Church and State: Not a Bad Idea Submitted to Dr. Jerry Sutton CHHI 525 – B06 Liberty baptist Theological seminary By Jon Pickens Lynchburg, Virginia Sunday Oct. 12th, 2012 Thesis Statement The historical context before and during the reformation has demonstrated that an exclusively authorized religion by the state results in unnecessary bloodshed, affirms the wisdom of the Anabaptist’s leaning toward separation of church and state, and shows that Christianity is best served with a freedom for differing religious beliefs in a society. Table of Content Introduction ……………………………………………………………............… 3 The Beginning of Church and State Relations…...………………………………. 3 The Church’s Abuse of Power Pre-Reformation……………………………….…4 Church and State Relations During the Reformation……………………………...5 Religious Freedom Post-Reformation………………………………..…………..10 Christianity and the Separation of Church and State……………………………..12 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..…... 13 Bibliography………………………………………………………………..…….15 Introduction Since the time of Constantine, the church has enjoyed the favor of the state. These two separate institutions had evolved to become so intertwined that they were hardly separable. The Roman Catholic Church possessed much political authority and many might claim that the Roman Empire was a church-run state.
Why do we exist? The purpose of mankind according to Christianity, is to know God. Deuteronomy 11:13 states that Man is to serve and to love God with all your heart and all your soul. Christianity is a relationship with God, not just following the tenants of a religion. Religion is seen as mans attempt to reach God.
The Dutch Republic, where Locke spent time, had been founded as a secular state which would allow religious differences. This was a reaction to Catholic persecution of Protestants. Once the Calvinist Church gained power, however, they began persecuting other sects. In France, religious conflict had been temporarily quieted by the edict of Nantes. But in 1685, the year in which Locke wrote the First Letter concerning religious toleration, Louis XIV had revoked the Edict of Nantes, and the Huguenots were being persecuted and forced to emigrate on mass.
The Protestant Reformation was initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. After Martin Luther, a German friar, posted his Ninety-five Theses (or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences) in 1517, Protestant ideas spread to other European countries including Switzerland, France, and England. Ordinary people’s dissatisfaction towards the Catholic Church, early Protestants’ different understandings of the Scriptures, and rulers’ demands for escaping the Pope’s jurisdiction were all causes of the Protestant Reformation. After Christianity was recognized as the official religion of the Roman Empire, people thought that the church no longer held its original mission. They raised calls to reform institutions, improve clerical education, and change basic doctrines.
Luther spoke out against clerical celibacy, papal abuses, salvation by works, and other Catholic doctrines. Luther proves to be the better reformer because of his full commitment to reformation. He did not involve himself with the teachings and rituals of the Catholics, within his writings and words he tore down what he found corrupt. Erasmus on the other hand was a Catholic priest, even though he wanted to reform, there was still a part that did not want to fight the church upfront because of his role. Erasmus tried to find a middle road approach, but this only disappointed scholars from both sides.
Martin Luther Stance against Indulgences Martin Luther did not set out to alter the world. As a young man, he came up against some techniques that the Church was utilizing that did not agree in his conscious, and he searched for answers that were biblical. Martin Luther was a German Augustinian friar, a pioneer of the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, and also the son of a miner. He lived during a period where the Catholic Church ruled the land, he had a strong desire for the restoration of truth in the Church and a passion for the salvation. Luther saw countless of advanced developments sweep across Western Europe, some changes sparked by his words.