Protestant Reformation Western Civilization Has Thrived for Essay

Protestant Reformation

Western civilization has thrived for centuries, with the combined power and influence of the State and the Catholic Church. History up to the 16th century had witnessed a flourishing society influenced and ultimately, governed, by the principles and tenets of Catholicism. Inevitably, the Catholic way of life is the social way of life during these times. But the Church's stronghold over the society had been plagued with numerous incidents of corruption and abuse of power in the society. The Church has become so powerful that its representatives, bound to live holy lives and to serve God, were actually the ones committing and perpetuating these acts of corruption and abuse of power. It is inevitable, then, that a crack would appear in the solid foundation that linked State, Church, and Society. It is during this prevalence and proliferation of corruption in the Church that its faithful congregation decided to incite reform in the Church through the Protestant Reformation.The Protestant Reformation is a series of events and is a movement that began as early as the 15th century as a response to the growing corruption in the Catholic Church and the growing dissent against the institution by the faithful (society). However, other specific events also served as catalysts to the growing strength of this movement. The 15th century bore witness to the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Black Death plague, and the invention of the printing press. These events would have strong ramifications on the relationship between the State, Church and Society, paving the way for Protest Reformation to strengthen its stronghold in Western societies (European countries). Both the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire and Black Death led to political instability and growing discontent and distrust in the State and the….....