Cause And Effects Of The Protestant Reformation Essay
The Causes and Impact of the Protestant Reformation
Prior to the sixteenth century, Catholicism dominated social, political, and religious life in many parts of Europe. During this pre-Renaissance period known as the Dark Ages, Christians were united under Catholicism and discouraged from questioning their religious authority. In the movement known as the Reformation, protestors voiced their criticisms of the Catholic Church and separated into newly founded denominations of Christianity. By the 1500s, the Roman Catholic Church’s corruption, as shown by its emphasis on wealth rather than faith, caused protesters like Jan Hus, Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli to criticize what they saw as the Church's excessive sacraments and rituals that stood between an individual and salvation, leading to a drastic and permanent split between the Catholic church and new Protestant churches.
To begin, the Reformation began at a point in time that enabled its popularity and influence. Specifically, an …show more content…
There, Emperor Charles V passed the Edict of Worms which banned Luther’s publications and excommunicated him from the Roman Catholic Church in 1521. To excommunicate, or deprive an individual of the right to be a member of the Church, was controversial; it was acknowledged in Huldrych Zwingli’s thirty-second article. He wrote that “the only one who should be excommunicated is a person who commits a public scandal,” and Luther’s “offense” of publishing his opinions did not meet such a standard. Had it not been for protection of the German Prince Frederick III the Wise, Luther would have been arrested and executed immediately. After his excommunication, Luther was no longer considered a Catholic, so he was unable to make any changes to Catholicism. However, the Church could not prevent the influence that he caused after he broke
Prior to the sixteenth century, Catholicism dominated social, political, and religious life in many parts of Europe. During this pre-Renaissance period known as the Dark Ages, Christians were united under Catholicism and discouraged from questioning their religious authority. In the movement known as the Reformation, protestors voiced their criticisms of the Catholic Church and separated into newly founded denominations of Christianity. By the 1500s, the Roman Catholic Church’s corruption, as shown by its emphasis on wealth rather than faith, caused protesters like Jan Hus, Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli to criticize what they saw as the Church's excessive sacraments and rituals that stood between an individual and salvation, leading to a drastic and permanent split between the Catholic church and new Protestant churches.
To begin, the Reformation began at a point in time that enabled its popularity and influence. Specifically, an …show more content…
There, Emperor Charles V passed the Edict of Worms which banned Luther’s publications and excommunicated him from the Roman Catholic Church in 1521. To excommunicate, or deprive an individual of the right to be a member of the Church, was controversial; it was acknowledged in Huldrych Zwingli’s thirty-second article. He wrote that “the only one who should be excommunicated is a person who commits a public scandal,” and Luther’s “offense” of publishing his opinions did not meet such a standard. Had it not been for protection of the German Prince Frederick III the Wise, Luther would have been arrested and executed immediately. After his excommunication, Luther was no longer considered a Catholic, so he was unable to make any changes to Catholicism. However, the Church could not prevent the influence that he caused after he broke