Christianity during the renaissance period
Religion in the renaissance period underwent several revolutions as this time, humanistic periods were emerging, and literacy was gaining momentum. Many people had learned how to read and write; thus, many copies of the bible were made for the people to read for themselves. During this period, democracy was campaigned for by the humanistic champions who proposed that the church had some faults and was not necessary for the church to lead the country as revealed by Gray, (1901). They suggested that the church could only lead the religious matters and leave the other issues which could be lead by different administrative bodies. Due to the increase in real knowledge, many people questioned some aspects of the bible and campaigned for a change in the leadership system. The secular type of governance was proposed, and the church was only to lead religious matters.
Led by Martin Luther, the humanistic scholars campaigned for the changes in the Christian religion as they questioned the Roman Catholic over the several faults which were emerging according to their thoughts. Martin Luther fought for mass printing of the bible copies for the people to read and understand for themselves, as explained by Johnson, (1785). The effect led to the spread of the gospel all over the world. All these changes in Christian religion occurred in Rome. It was during this period when many churches raised, and the translation of the bible to many languages happened. Many people obtained knowledge in the bible and wanted changes in the governance as they claimed that the text could not handle all the aspects of leadership coherently. Humanistic leaders such as Martin Luther King opposed the Roman Catholicism and led to Protestantism.
The protestant reform led by Martin Luther was responsible for the division of Christianity to many dominions that exist today. Martin Luther came up with 95 faults, which he claimed the Roman Catholic had and viewed it as unfit for leading in 1517. According to Ware (1960), the division in Christianity was experienced as Martin Luther stood up and campaigned against the Catholic Church as he gained more support from the people who had read the bible and understood it. During the fifteenth century, the church had a split with Martin Luther leading the Protestants against the Roman Catholic. Multiple revolutions in the church had occurred, and free thoughts of the people in the field of science and technology emerged. The changes which occurred in Christianity in England did not too a large extent, affect the lives of the people as it had allowed them to develop and do what they had been thinking.
During the rule of King Henry VIII, the catholic was withdrawn from the kingship, and this was much opposed by his advisor Thomas More who had stuck to the doctrines of Roman Catholicism. The opposition led to the death of Thomas More due to his beliefs against the king that he had interfered with the Catholic papacy. Henry VIII inherited the kingship from his father, who had married six wives as opposed to the Catholic Church doctrines, as explained by Johnson (1785). Execution if his three wives were done and three of his marriages have nullified an act that led to the thought of reducing the power of the Roman Catholic Church. Henry VIII had an obligation to reduce the forces of the church to ensure that he nullifies his wedding successfully. The church had commanded the king to marry a person from another blood rather than the royal blood, but he was unwilling the king did not want to do that. This triggered him to reduce the powers of the Roman Catholic Church in the leadership of England.
Christianity during the neoclassical period (1600-1785)
The neoclassical period has subdivisions, such as the restoration period, Augustan age, and age of sensibility periods. The period occurred immediately after the renaissance period and was witnessed by the emergence of the playwrights, and satire was also famous during this period. During this time, many churches had emerged with different architectural designs, and the church had entirely been split from the governance matters (Brown, 1997). The church was to perform religious duties only, and the roman catholic power had gone down and leveled with the other churches which had emerged. The control of the economics and politics and other matters in the society was done by the secular government and was not interfered with by any church.
The period was characterized by the personal view of what was right and what was wrong for them, and only the secular law was compulsory and had to adhere. The views of the world changed amongst the people, and basing of natural phenomena to the scientific theories emerged. The measure of good life turned from one’s obedience to the church doctrines to the more comfortable and pleasant stay on the world, as explained by Gray, (1901). This means that the spiritual belief had been secularized, and the people did what they thought was right to others and obeyed the laws of the state. During this period, scientific discoveries were allowed, and many scientists implemented some of their experimental facts about the world. The period was so different compared to the time before, where the scientific discoveries and theories were rejected as they would interfere with the religious beliefs.
The period differentiated itself from the renaissance period through scientific discoveries, which rise as many scientists were free to implement their thoughts. According to Johnson (1785), the biblical truths were the only ideal to live a good life according to the earlier perspective of the church until the struggle for reforms during the renaissance period. The church held that any scientific all the things are possible through belief in the spiritual truth, which was later proved wrong by the reformers during those times. Freedom of thinking was limited, and one could be prosecuted for his scientific thoughts as it was in the case of Galileo. During the neoclassical period, the church power had been lowered, freedom and democracy of the people to do what they thought was right had emerged.
Comparison of Christianity in Renaissance and neoclassical literally periods
On comparing the two periods, it is found that more freedom existed in the neoclassical period as opposed to renaissance period. The goals of the Humanitarians during the Renaissance were not accomplished immediately, and it took a long time for their thoughts to be implemented. This means that during the renaissance period, the people were still denied the freedom to discover more ideas that could challenge the church (Wordsworth, & Rogers, 1980). The church during this period dominated and ruled the country, and there was no other thought in the scientific field that could be allowed to exist. The Roman Catholic doctrines were to be followed without question by every person, and people who objected to the church faced persecution. The churches of the neoclassic, however, copied the architectural designs of the church and the rulers who wished to lead in divine righteousness.
In the Renaissance period, there was less peace and freedom as the humanitarians and reformers went on campaigning for the changes in the church. Many prosecutions occurred for the scientists who tried to interfere with the church doctrines, and there were a lot of changes that occurred. Till the beginning of the Neoclassical period, the peace for the church was not guaranteed as opposed to the neoclassical period where everything had settled, and the Roman Catholic powers were fully interred from influencing the secular governance as explained by Taber (2000). The freedom for the scientists and everybody in the neoclassical period existed as opposed to the renaissance period. The period for progress in the different church doctrines which had emerged during the renaissance period fully established, and others were emerging.
The two periods show a drastic change of events in Christianity within the two periods in a sequential manner. Since the periods follow each other, the changes from each period to the other follow some order and consistency, as written by Ware (1960). The Renaissance, according to the study, can be viewed as the time of fighting for religious freedom, which is enjoyed in the neoclassical period. All the struggle during the Renaissance gives room for the religious freedom of worship and generation of own ideas about Christian religion according to one’s understanding.
References
Gray, T. (1901). An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (No. 3). HM Caldwell.
Brown, S. A. (1997). Paradise Lost and Aurora Leigh. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, 37(4), 723-740.
Johnson, S. (1785). The rambler (Vol. 1). Harrison and Company.
Wordsworth, W., & Rogers, P. J. (1980). The World is Too Much with Us... PJ Rogers.
Taber, C. R. (2000). The World Is Too Much with Us: Culture in Modern Protestant Missions. Sweet & Maxwell.
Ware, M. (1960). The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: A Discourse on Prayer?. The Review of English Studies, 11(43), 303-304.