The Border Of A Divided Loyalty And Faith

After Elizabeth turned her favor to advance reformation, English catholicism,used to be in its prescribed authority, soon devolved into a prohibited deviation.Legislation by parliament required all Queen’s subjects, including catholics, to attendthe Established Church, as a recognision of Elizabeth’s spiritual authority as well asproof of their civil loyalty. Simply compelling catholics to go to church withoutfurther inquisition into their hearts, to the protestant government, that was a sign oftheir magnanimity, and by such design they wishfully expected to soothe religiousdissonance across the board; yet to the catholics, any contact with heretics washarmful to their faith. Torn between contrasting claims for loyalty by the Queen andRome, English catholics strived hard to extricate themselves out of the predicamentcreated by them attending protestant church, with some arguing its indifference toinner faith while others categorically denouncing it as heresy. Both sides engaging inthe polemic writings viewed these debates the solution to their crises, though due tocatholics’ respect for convention, they were more puzzled by the ambiguity of thenature of go to the church, and unlike Protestants, they could never go that far as tototally cast off the work—despite some catholics indeed saw it irrelevant to the faith—without their conscience disturbed.As long-drawn-out debates failed to generateany workable solution for the engaging groups, erstwhile extenuated reluctancy andrepeated stress on the priority of inner faith, played as vindications for their forcedattendance of the church, were replaced by, surging in some catholics, a thrust toreinterpret the fundamental elements of doctrine, albeit maintenance of their identityas Catholic persisted. In the long run, the tendency to redefine themselves only madeEnglish catholics branch off more from Rome, ending up with an attempt to tear apartthe church. On the other side of the strait, facing the challenge imposed by Protestantgovernment on her English branch, Rome was resolute against going to church,though to the point of too rigid to adapt to the change of situation. Through decades’ordeal and with a dim hope of reconquest, English catholics had to give up resistance,and turned to seek for a coexistence between the two erstwhile rivaling religious blocs,as it turned out to be the only solution to the end of their sufferings.