The Influence of Religion on European Politics and Human Culture

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Man has consistently feared two things throughout history: change and the unknown. During the 16th century the church became the direct and indirect authority on multiple levels affecting the everyday lives of all citizens. So in a strange way for all the good religion is responsible for such as stability, cohesiveness, harmony, uniformity and overall guidance; the same could be said concerning all of the misery created. It is fair to say the church is responsible for civil wars, revolutionary wars, impeding the progress of science, political, social, cultural gains and murder until the era of Enlightenment. During the years of Enlightenment, the church evolved from an undisputed divine authority to one that lacked credibility, thus creating a more tolerable and understanding institution due to indisputable facts and ambiguous interpretations. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the contradiction of religion from the 16th century to the years of Enlightenment and to answer the question: Did greed and power motivate religious leaders to hold on to power or was it a fear of change? Throughout Europe the church was viewed as a source of infinite power and wisdom. Because kings were anointed by the church, it ensured the monarchy had a higher power to answer to and recognized by all citizens. Kings were recognized as divine representatives because the oil used to anoint them was blessed by the church. Having the monarchy as a recognized subordinate, and given the various forms of government practiced by various kings, for example absolutism; the church directly or indirectly influenced politics, science and culture. Because King Louis XIV practiced absolutism and his religious leaders, through subtle su... ... middle of paper ... ... allowed these men and others the freedom to practice and teach their ideas openly. These pioneers drove the carriage of Enlightenment out of the clutches of a primitive authority into a new undiscovered country filled with optimistic promise. In conclusion, one can only imagine how much further along we would be today if it were not for the church handcuffing progress; we may have a person living on Mars, the formula to travel at the speed of light or a cure for cancer, blindness and diabetes. In the beginning the church was considered the universal source of power, knowledge and all that was righteous. Fear of change motivated religious leaders to hold on to power by manipulating scientist, political, cultural and social leaders. But as time passed people relied less on the church and moved toward a more tolerable, forward thinking society.

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