Tapsearch Com EditorThe Protestant Revolt
June 24th 2009 23:22
By Ray Tapajna based on notes from Father McQuade SJ JCU course Modern Heresies
The Protestant Revolt
The next challenge to the Catholic Church and for the Western Culture came in the 15th and 16th centuries with the Protestant Revolt. It was a rebellion against the authority of the Church. The heresy of Protestantism is like other heresies as one of over-simplification.
It came as a way to resolve the problems that has always bothered the Church in one some form of protest. It was both a ecclestiastic and social problem with scripture haunting people about community and sharing all things in common. Even in our times, globalization and free trade acts out a form of this. The priorities of wealth and morals collide. I think we all experience this in one form or another.
The Church being a permanent organization lasting through all revolutions and changes in the political world, reached a position in the available social structures that brought complications to the way wealth is gathered. It had happened in many different worldly conditions and it was happening again during a time of turmoil. The Church became wealthy. It gradually found itself in a position in the order of privilege. There was a falling off of fervor in religious life and resulted into rankings by wealth and privilege.
There was corruption of wealth in the world and the Church was caught up in it too. How to bring back the fervor and dedication of the Laity to the standard of the Church itself was the problem of the age.
The Protestant solution was very simple; just abolish the Church altogether and get back to the first teaching of the Bible. Luther and Zwingli and the thinking of Calvin led the challenge. These three were the pioneers of Protestantism. Their conclusions fostered the transferring of the ultimate authority of faith and morals from the divinely instituted church to the inspired word of God in scripture.
In the end, everyone would be their own pope. ( Many years ago, I gave up on this as not really being any alternative. The last thing I want to be is to be may own pope. )
Man was held as being justified and saved by faith alone.
Without any central authority, "sects' multiplied. The Lutherans and the Calvinists split on issues of predestination, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and on the notion of a Hierarchy. Only general tendencies of these Protestants religions remain today. With different divisions prompting new channels of religions on a continous basis.
International diplomacy was using the religious struggles for its own end and many became rich and powerful through deploying the Church . From then on the opposition to the Church became a constant challenge to dogma and tradition. Still the Church survives but still challenged by wealth and power for its own sake.
The Protestant Revolt
The next challenge to the Catholic Church and for the Western Culture came in the 15th and 16th centuries with the Protestant Revolt. It was a rebellion against the authority of the Church. The heresy of Protestantism is like other heresies as one of over-simplification.
It came as a way to resolve the problems that has always bothered the Church in one some form of protest. It was both a ecclestiastic and social problem with scripture haunting people about community and sharing all things in common. Even in our times, globalization and free trade acts out a form of this. The priorities of wealth and morals collide. I think we all experience this in one form or another.
The Church being a permanent organization lasting through all revolutions and changes in the political world, reached a position in the available social structures that brought complications to the way wealth is gathered. It had happened in many different worldly conditions and it was happening again during a time of turmoil. The Church became wealthy. It gradually found itself in a position in the order of privilege. There was a falling off of fervor in religious life and resulted into rankings by wealth and privilege.
There was corruption of wealth in the world and the Church was caught up in it too. How to bring back the fervor and dedication of the Laity to the standard of the Church itself was the problem of the age.
The Protestant solution was very simple; just abolish the Church altogether and get back to the first teaching of the Bible. Luther and Zwingli and the thinking of Calvin led the challenge. These three were the pioneers of Protestantism. Their conclusions fostered the transferring of the ultimate authority of faith and morals from the divinely instituted church to the inspired word of God in scripture.
In the end, everyone would be their own pope. ( Many years ago, I gave up on this as not really being any alternative. The last thing I want to be is to be may own pope. )
Man was held as being justified and saved by faith alone.
Without any central authority, "sects' multiplied. The Lutherans and the Calvinists split on issues of predestination, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and on the notion of a Hierarchy. Only general tendencies of these Protestants religions remain today. With different divisions prompting new channels of religions on a continous basis.
International diplomacy was using the religious struggles for its own end and many became rich and powerful through deploying the Church . From then on the opposition to the Church became a constant challenge to dogma and tradition. Still the Church survives but still challenged by wealth and power for its own sake.
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