Renaissance+Religion


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 * There were many long-term factors that contributed to a decline in the Catholic Church's prestige. The roots of these trends go all the way back to the Late Middle Ages and the 14th century. First, the Church found itself challenged by powerful, secular monarchs. Up until this time, the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, was the most powerful leader in all of Europe. When larger nation states such as Spain, France, and England came into the world, their monarchs became almost as strong as the Pope. From 1309-1376, the Pope was forced to live in Avignon in Southern France. For more than 1000 years the Pope had resided in Rome. Suddenly, the king of France was telling the Pope where to live. This period of time when the Popes lived in France became known as the Babylonian captivity. This did not enhance the image of the Church. In 1377, cardinals selected a new Pope, an Italian, who would live in Rome again. This Pope, however, turned out to be mentally unstable, so the Cardinals tried to invalidate his appointment. The Cardinals appointed a different Pope as head of the Catholic Church to reside in Avignon. The only problem was that the Roman Pope refused to step down. Unbelievably, the Catholic Church had two Popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon. Each Pope excommunicated the other and declared him a false Pope. This period, known as the Great Schism, lasted until 1417 and devastated believers. Catholics did not know which Pope was the real Pope. The situation eroded the credibility and prestige of the Church.

//Beyond Books//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. . || During the Era OF Reformation, the most powerful institution in Europe, the Catholic church, was shattered into many pieces. The first half of the 16th century witnessed a religious revolt in the Northern half of Europe against the Catholic South. The result was a Christian religion divided between Catholics and several Denominations known collectively as Protestants. A period of bloody religious wars then followed the division of the Catholic Church. Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Anglicans, Quakers, and many other Christian religions trace their roots back to the Prosestant reformation.

//Beyond Books//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. . || To Luther, it seemed as though the Church was selling salvation. For the right price, people could buy their way into heaven. Luther had already observed many abuses on his visit to Rome, but this was too much. Luther decided he was going to act. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted a list of 95 theses on the practice of selling salvation. Little did Luther know that this action would trigger a series of events that would result in the division of the Catholic Church. The instrument that Luther objected to was the indulgence. Sinners under Catholicism needed to confess and perform penance. Usually, the penance consisted of prayers or good works assigned by the priest and that partially determined how quickly you would go to heaven, in their belief. Originally, Indulgences, which were like coupons, were given to Crusaders who died before they could perform their penance. Over time, the Church began to sell indulgences, which excused you from earthly penance and the penance owed to God. The Church even went further to say that you could buy an indulgence for a dead relative and help that relative get into heaven faster.

//Beyond Books//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2010. . ||