The Effects of the Reformation on European Life

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The Effects of the Reformation on European Life European society was divided from the word go, people all around Europe were dominantly Catholic before the reformation. This time was bringing change throughout Europe with a heavy influence on art and culture because the Renaissance was occurring; a religious revolution was also beginning, which was known as the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was the voicing of disagreements by a German Catholic priest about the Catholic Church; this priest was Martin Luther and was excommunicated from the church for his actions. The Protestant Reformation helped to influence and strengthen the Renaissance that was just arising in England. Religion is a predominant force in our world today. It also had a strong impact on the lives of those alive during the Protestant Reformation. Many people became key figures in bringing about the ideas that founded the Protestant Reformation like John Calvin and most importantly Martin Luther. Martin Luther pinned these concerns of his to the door of his church and was not afraid to voice his opinion, I think this was the key to the Reformation, and without people willing to risk everything to bring a change like this about, then it all would have been impossible. Although saying this, the Reformation was not just on a Protestant level, it spread and soon became, not just a popular topic for discussion, but a wide-ranged divided religious change that affected every inch of society. This meant that people wanted their own version of change and reform, this lead to a variety of different reforms within this movement. The main bodies that evo... ... middle of paper ... ... the Reformation was ont really just a good thing, I think that it went a bit over the top with the violence, and the destruction of religious imagery by Puritans. I believe even though they were against religious imagery in their churches, I think that England would be better off being able to see the beautiful historical statues and images that the Catholic churches created. I agree fully that the Reformation touched all aspects of European life because before this event even occurred, religion played a major role in society, so it was bound to give a humungous impact at the time. However, I can see why people might disagree with the statement, and say that change was inevitable and the Reformation was only a contributing factor to the change and the Renaissance was the underlying factor of change at that time.

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