In the early 16th century, the Protestant Reformation divided the unity of the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformation movement began in Germany led by Martin Luther. His speeches and writings were passed on all over Europe with the help of the printing press. It started in response to the rising sense of corruption in the church. For instance, “the sale of indulgences for the benefit of the church of Rome specifically for the rebuilding of St. Peters Cathedral provoked harsh criticism, especially by those who saw the luxuries of the papacy as a betrayal of apostolic ideals ” (Fiero 119).
As established by Henry VIII in 1550 to distance himself from the Catholic Church and the Pope (and make it possible for him to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon), the official religion of England at the beginning of the Victorian period, circa 1850, was that of the Anglican Church, known as the Church of England. Nonetheless, there were other religions that were quite important in the country, mainly Catholicism and Methodism, which was greatly known thanks to John Wesley and grew under Victorian times. There was also a movement of anti-Church, notably with the Age of Reason of Tom Paine, in 1794, and the apparition of spiritualism. The initiators of such movements where referred to as dissenters, and there were many dissented groups at the time. The Victorian period, up until the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, was therefore a time of religious confusion, but also, as we will see, of great charity, as well as of birth of new beliefs.
In the 1960’s the traditional Christian Church was going through massive change. Society was dealing from post WW2 feminism, Vietnam War, civil rights, teenager and hippy culture, sexual liberation and a rejection of traditional sources of authority, for example church teachings. Martin Luther King’s legacy in the 1960’s set the scene for a revolution in civil rights and sexual freedom and therefore challenging the traditional legalist approach. This radical change in society underlies Situation Ethics which was part of a general move for people to have greater autonomy and freedom. The concept of situation ethics was first introduced by Fletcher in 1966, in his book ‘Situation Ethics’, expressing his beliefs against antinomian and legalism approaches.
HISTORY Level 3 90658 Examine a significant issue in the context of change, in an essay Credit: Five England 1558-1667 In England, in the period 1558-1667, there were a number of significant historical situations that influenced Tudor-Stuart society. Such an historical situation was: • Civil War in Charles I reign. Describe Charles I’s role in the deepening political and religious crises up to mid-1642. To what extent was the outbreak of the Civil War a British problem rather than an English government problem?. Suggested Essay Plan • Land and religious issues triggered action in Scotland in 1639.
One of the major events that assisted the fall of the Holy Roman Empire was Thirty Years’ War. The event that started the Thirty Years’ War was “defenestration of Prague.” Two of Ferdinand’s officials were thrown out a window. The Lutherans violated the Peace of Augsburg by acquiring German Bishops, Calvinists converting princes, and Jesuits reconverting princes to Catholicism. The Calvinists and Catholics had many advantages because of that which made the Lutherans fear the Peace of Augsburg would be negatively impaired. The Lutheran Princes felt it necessary to create the Protestant Union and in retaliation the Catholics formed to Catholic League.
The Puritans were a group of people who grew dissatisfied with the Church of England and worked towards societal, moral and religious reforms. The writings and ideas of John Calvin, a leader in the Reformation, led to Protestantism and were critical to the Christian revolt. They contended that The Church of England had become a product of political struggles and man-made doctrines. The Puritans were one branch of separatist who decided that the Church of England was beyond reform. They broke away from the persecution of church leadership and the King to come to America.
Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the seemingly modern, theological humanistic approach to the Christian world posed a need for a new and fresh way of thinking as it related to the hierarchical order. Challenging to the current, traditional world order, this new order escorted in a period called the Enlightenment. This period was a time of scientific awakening centered around France. During this period theorists undertook the big topics such as social and moral theory and the role of mankind in the world. In addition, during this period, numerous developments were made, the outlook of humans as related to God was shifted, and a wide host of logical ideas were being debated in huge forums.
In the middle of the 18th century the American colonies experienced two major revivals that had lasting effects on the country regarding religion, government and society. The First Great Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept first European countries and then, in the 1730s and 1740s, the colonies in America. Church leaders, such as Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield, got concerned that the colonists lost their religious zeal and preached in a dramatic and emotional style, attracting a large following. The new faiths that emerged were much more democratic in their approach and they lessened the hold of the Anglican Church which was later applied to a political field. Through the Awakening, the Colonists realized that religious power resided in their own hands, rather than in the hands of the Church, or any other authority.
These included his understanding of what individuals need to attain Salvation and his 95 Thesis. Through these beliefs, Luther consequently impacted Christianity in many ways. Some of which include the widespread questioning of Catholic Church, the birth of a new Christian visitant – Protestantism, the development of Protestant denomination: Lutheran, Calvinist – Baptists, Church of England etc., and the Counter Reformation. One of the ways in which Martin Luther was a catalyst for the Reformation of the Christian Church was his understanding of salvation. During the 1500’s, the Catholic Church was in a state of nepotistic and was shrouded in corruption and wrongdoing.
DBQ Essay 9/8/13 The most important consequence of the printing press is spreading information that will cause conflict out throughout Europe. I’ll use document two to show the spread of the printing press, and document three to show how the printing press started a small conflict with information that could start a big disagreement, and lastly document four which shows more of the conflict of document three between Martin Luther and The Pope of The Roman Catholic Church. The spread of the printing is shown in document two. In Fourteen Seventy One, the printing started from small German states, and few Papal states. In just about twenty nine years the printing in Europe rapidly increased through the central of the small German states and the Papal states also it spreads to the Netherland and over to England.