Religion's Impact and Change Through History

Due: January 17, 2007

Religion has influenced society and has changed throughout history. During the Renaissance, humanism flourished, resulting in a changed art style. Art changed from depicting a single, powerful God to aspects of pagan religions. The Reformation occurred after the Renaissance, and lasted for about a century. During this time Martin Luther, a German monk, posted the 95 theses, which stated that the way the church practiced their religion was incorrect. This idea led to the division of the Catholic Church. During the scientific Revolution; technology, inventions and human improvement began to grow and expand. The age of reason, dealt with people trying to create a stable government and system without God as the leader or the overseer. The age of enlightenment, dealt with a new religion known as deism, where their followers believed there was a God but they felt that the Bible was flawed. The Industrial Revolution was when countries competed for the greatest minds and tried to have the most advanced technology. Furthermore, the French Revolution left the country in chaos until Napoleon took power. Today, religion is an optional decision that an individual makes.

During the Renaissance period, which lasted for over two centuries many people changed from relying on God for everything to a humanistic viewpoint. Humanism is defined as a belief that humans are capable of greatness and are able to thrive without God. Humanism shaped art to what it has become today. During the Renaissance people began to question and change their styles of art. The humanistic view allowed for artists to create according to their own vision instead of a divine being. They began to paint Jesus as a mere man; suckling off Mary as a baby. They spoke and painted pictures of him suffering like a mere man, and not as the healer, and the God that he was. Titian, Leonardo Davinci and other great artists during the Renaissance changed styles from the divine, holy paintings and paintings of bible scenes and stories to landscapes, picnics, and everyday human activity. Their art became more diverse and their painting styles changed. Although art has broadened greatly there are some downfalls to this new humanistic view that is seen through art. Art affects humans in a variety of ways. For example, if there is a sad picture with dark, dull colors the viewer may become depressed. The idea of not having to worship or live your life for God is shown through art and having that is a basis for change. People slowly began to stray from the original beliefs. Previously everyone went to church and did their best to live for and rely on God. The citizens followed the rule of the pope and obeyed him no matter what he said. The church still had great power at this time of long lasting change. The Bonfire of the Vanities was a great bonfire they destroyed all artists’ paintings that went against the Catholic faith of the time. Artists were forced to bring and burn their own paintings at the fire. This fire proved that the Catholic Church at this time still had great power and ruled over the people through faith.

The Reformation and the Counter Reformation lasted about a century. Before this time the Catholic Church had great power for many years. This could be because the church was the only thing that united the Romans after the Germanic invasions. The church was also wealthy and had the religious power because the pope could excommunicate individuals. Before Martin Luther and the religious reformation there was primarily one Christian faith: Catholic. Martin Luther posted the 95 theses, which stated the ways that the church was corrupt. "The Roman Catholic Church set itself up to be the mediator between God and man instead of Jesus” (pastor, radio). The Catholic Church resisted change and outlawed Luther from the Church and country. Luther’s motivation to stand out was because of his conviction that he was speaking the truth. People began to question and realize that the church was wrong and corrupt. Martin Luther’s stand in the 1500’s caused the church to split and practice their religion in a slightly different manner. By the time the religious reformation had ended various religions other than Catholic had formed. Without humanism and the thought that humans can control and change their lives on earth, the change in artistic styles and other dramatic changes would not have occurred. Humanism was fuel for the reformation because people began to take their lives into their own hands. People began to question if the Catholic Church was right and whether the faith that they had practiced all their life was correct. They began to watch other religious groups and argue or be skeptical about their faith.

During the Scientific Revolution people began to adopt humanism and rely on their inventions and ideas instead of God. With the improvement of science people began to observe and believe in documented evidence instead of a God. Galileo was one of the first well known men to question Aristotle and argue against the church. Galileo’s willingness to argue against the Catholic Church led many people to study and question what was already known. “The scientific revolutionaries attempted to understand and explain man and the natural world” (historyguide.org, 1). Galileo’s theory showed the Catholic Church that people were beginning to question and try to challenge the church’s power. Galileo was a great scientist who developed the theory that the earth was not the center of the universe and that the earth revolved around the sun. This idea was a dramatic change from what was believed and accepted then. This idea was also contradictory from the common rule of the church. Galileo was punished for trying to publish his ideas. The church felt that Galileo was threatening their power because he was going against the Bible. The Bible says, “The sun stopped in midheaven, and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.” If taken literally this statement could mean that on a regular basis the sun is moving around the earth. The church felt that if something could not be seen by the naked eye then it was considered the work of the devil. They also felt that the Bible was the truth and should be followed exactly. Galileo and other scientists after him, felt that the truth could be observed and that if it could be proven then it was true. The church at this time had total power and forced Galileo to repent. This temporarily stopped the scientific revolution because “Galileo was science.” As the scientific revolution progressed, other great men such as Nicolas Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, and Tycho Brahe began studying planets and stars and making observations. Once these men and others began studying and repeating each other’s work, some people switched from faith to fact. “The theological, the ethical and the practical are so conjoined in the Bible with the statements about Nature or creation that it is impossible to separate them, and to impugn one is to impugn the other” (Why Harmonize the Bible and Astronomy, 2). Nicolas Copernicus concluded through his work that planets revolved around the sun and spin on their axes. Johannes Kepler concluded that every planet follows an oval path around the sun and a period is the time it takes for a planet to complete one trip around the sun. Tycho Brahe is known for accurately placing the stars. He was also the first person to record the appearance of a super nova. By the time these discoveries were spread to the public, people were ready for a change. The church had lost much of its support and was no longer able to prevent the growth of science and technology. The Scientific Revolution changed peoples’ views about truth. Furthermore, what was once “believing is seeing has now become seeing is believing” (Calder). Believing is seeing can be interpreted by saying that once a person has the spirit of Christ within them they can see, believe, and understand why things have happened in the past. For example, you can become better, not bitter when something bad happens because you realize that God is working in your life. In science seeing is believing. One must do it over and over and see what happens in order to believe that it is true. When the church was in control, truth was the Bible. When the church began losing its power, science began to grow, and truth became defined as whatever can be seen, observed, documented, and repeated by others. Furthermore, the individual would have to choose for himself what truth was and how he should practice it. The individual also would have to decide whether they were going to accept and adapt to all the new technology that was being developed. Furthermore, the scientific revolution and the discoveries of new ideas eventually led people to disperse from God and the Catholic faith. “This revolution was primarily an epistemological revolution-it changed man’s thought process” (historyguide.org). There grew two different sides. People had to choose what they were going to base their truth on-faith or proven, testable facts. This division caused the church to lose some of its power. No longer was everyone devoted to the church. People had more choices and who do believe and what to do with that knowledge.

During the 15th century, the Age of Reason occurred. Louis XIV, the first monarch, realized that the middle class was important to him. They provided him with incoming money, knowledge because they were adroit, and they kept written records which would help keep the country stable and fair. The middle class also traveled and traded for a living and because they traveled all throughout the nation-states they united and exchanged ideas. Trade and the middle class always kept a supply of money coming into the country. The monarch helped unite the country by enforcing the same laws throughout the land. For example, there was the same tax throughout the country. This helped trade and travel because the bourgeoisie could travel to different towns without having to change prices, or pay different amounts of taxes to the local landlord because the laws were different. Overall, the monarch or “the one and only” also led to the idea of the nation-state which unified people and increased productivity. Furthermore, the monarch and the idea of a nation-state changed the hierarchy of the social class which led to many new ideas and traditions. Previously it was the clergy and the nobles who had the most power, followed by the middle class or artisans, and finally the serfs or the poor people. As time progressed the nobles surpassed the clergy in importance and in rank. This change in the hierarchical class changed the power of the individual in a religious position. Previously the pope and other religious leaders were wealthy, and had the power to excommunicate an individual. People paid their tithe and obeyed all the rules so they would not be excommunicated. This power also kept many commoners from revolting and it secured the pope’s power. People grew more concerned with money and expenses and although they wanted God’s favor, they also wanted money and power. During this time the government and the nobles were concerned about their power and how they were going to grow in riches. The church had also lost its power on the people. The monarch now had total power. The nobles were living for money and power and not to please and seek forgiveness from God. In addition, people had also strayed from a “Godly” government. Two men had very different beliefs and ideas about the way the government should be ran. They were Thomas Hobbs and John Locke. Hobbs’ viewpoint on government was that “a contract exists between the king and the people; but once the king becomes king, he cannot be overthrown and obtains absolute power. Locke’s viewpoint is that the government is conditional and can be overthrown if it does not represent the people” (Locke and Hobbs, 3). These two viewpoints show how the morals and values of the ages have changed. No longer did people seek the Lord for wisdom and control. Humans tried to create an efficient government by their own power without God.

Deism flourished during the Age of Enlightenment. This religion stated that all humans could advance without God and interpret beliefs and ideas the way people wanted to. Deism was a belief in which people believed in a “God without ritual who is passive after the point of creation.” People strayed from the teachings of the Bible and began learning and studying creation. This belief was different than that of many other churches. When people split from the Catholic Church they still believed in the Bible and tried to live by it. The Deism belief took the Bible out of the faith, which eventually led to beliefs outside of the Christian faith. People created other gods and scientific theories to try to explain the creation of the earth (example: the cult of reason).

The Industrial Revolution was a time for many great inventions; some such as eyeglasses are still used today. During this time humanism was “in full swing” because so many new inventions were being created and people were (by themselves) trying to improve their atmosphere. The Catholic religion thought that work was a divine punishment for mankind’s sin and that men should not try to make it easier by inventing gun powder, the water wheel and other inventions. Islam and China had potential to compete and surpass Europe in technology and power. Islam wanted a theocracy so they banned invention (heresy). Furthermore, this time period was when the British economy surpassed the rest of Western Europe. Britain had the best minds and improved technology constantly. Britain based all their decisions on economics rather then religion. Money was more important than religion. People were living for themselves and trying to excel on this earth instead of worrying about their eternal salvation.

During the French Revolution, a man named Maximillien Robespierre took power. He and 11 others became known as the Committee of Public Safety and the rulers of France and decided who would live and who would die. The authority figures took life and death into their hands. Earlier, God was the only one to decide who lived and who died. Now, men relied on themselves to bring rule and decide who should die and who should live. Men became ambition and friendships were destroys, families died, and others betrayed. There was no one to lead on for support, and everyone lived in fear of one another. Furthermore, the men wanted a government based on reason. Robespierre said that the church was on the side of the incapable monarch. So he got rid of the church and created the cult of the supreme being of reason. This cult was based on Deism as a substitute for the masses after the church was eliminated. The humanistic viewpoint of reason caused a disruption in Frances’ government.

Throughout time, people have seen how religion has changed greatly over the years and how that idea has influenced the people around it. The impact of religion on society has decreased. People are so concerned with their wealth and power here on Earth that they are not thinking about their eternity. During the Renaissance, the church had great power; people were helping others and were very concerned with their eternal future. Based on the past, the church and religion have been competing with science and technology. During the French Revolution a single man, Maximillien Robespierre, had the power to control who lived and who died. In the future there will be a tyrant who will seek to kill God’s followers. In the future Christians will have to live and share their religion in secret. If they share it openly they will be slaughtered by the tyrant’s guards. Science and technology will continue to grow. The internet and the reliance of the United States on technology will cause great destruction and hard times for them. Everyone will depend on technology for our food, knowledge, health care, etc. Microchips and other locaters will be placed in the human bodies so the government can control people. Scientists will try to explain the origin of life other than believing Genesis 1:1 which states that God created the heavens and the earth.

During the early 1500’s people’s belief in Jesus as an authority figure greatly impacted the way people thought and behaved. Not only did the view of Jesus change but the way religion was practiced changed greatly in the reformation era. During the scientific Revolution discoveries, technology, and the work of Galileo led to the contradicting of the Catholic Church’s authority and power. People have strayed away from the church, some practice no religion and because of this our society has changed. “Manners are flouted and customs broken. Foul language and direct insults become normal. Angry debates multiply about things long since settled” (The New Life, pg 4). Religion has changed societies and has been changed from the way people choose to live their lives.