On The Changes Of Religious Belief In Early Modern England

In Early Modern England the essence of the change of the belief is thatpersonal belief broke away from the Catholic constraint gradually, whichreturned to the original belief in Christ and the Apostles times. It'sexperienced great changes from Wycliffe's heresy to Lollards and from thedevelopment of the Anglican Church to the growth of the Puritanism in thisperiod. In spite of Wycliffe's heresy and Lollards had been suppressed for along term by the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and the English forces.The Reformation opened by Henry VIII established the Anglican Churches inElizabeth I. Then the nationalization in belief came true, which was the firststep in liberating of personal belief. The freedom and liberation of personalbelief realized after a long period of arduous struggles of Puritanism.Chapter I mainly described that Wycliffe insisted that the Bible is theonly foundation of belief. Wycliffe criticized the shortcomings of the Pope andthe Catholic Church, which based on the Bible and original belief in Christand the Apostles times. He put forward that the Pope is the Anti-Christ, whichshocked the world heavily. This was the return to the original belief andemphasizing the Bible's authority in the basis of Bible. He also emphasizedthat preaching Gospel was the most important way to achieve redemption.Under the domination of the Catholic Church what Wycliffe had said wasnegated the spiritual authority of the Pope and the Catholic Church. Oneperson could connect with God without the help of the church, which let uswin God's trust. On this basis Wycliffe deeply criticized the doctrines andcreeds including "confession" and "transubstantiation" and "Tithes" and"Indulgence" and so on. He even attributed them to heresy. Every person, whosincerely would repent and pray to God directly, could have a pardon for allcrimes without any medium. In addition, Wycliffe also translated the firstEnglish Bible and insisted that everyone could hold the Bible freely. Thiswould help to break the monopoly of the Bible of the Catholic Church.Wycliffe obviously emphasized that each individual person believing in theGospel and God would achieve the final redemption, which might be arudiment of the "Justification" of Martin Luther. Wycliffe's successors were Lollards, whose members were faithfulfollowers and more radical than Wycliffe himself. Wycliffe's thought wasrational reflection on belief on the side of the elite. Lollards Movement wasthe awakening of the people under the guidance of the prophet, which were putinto practice in order to seek to break the shackles of external. Although thesegreat and advanced ideals and practices had not shaken the Catholicfoundation; it reflected the individual strength under the rule of the dual forcesincluding spiritual and secular, which collapsed the belief and the authority ofthe Catholic Church objectively. This would tear a hole in the net of heresycovering over the Europe, which the Catholic Church had been pursuing forcenturies. Wycliffe and Lollards had made preparations for the laterReformation in thought and practices.Chapter II primarily explained that the relations between England and theHoly See turned to be worse because of the divorce of Henry VIII. Thisopened the process of establishing the Catholic Church without the Pope,which was the Anglican Churches. Henry VIII turned to the supreme head ofthe Church of England with Cromwell's assistance. Behind the relapse havingexperienced the confliction between Edward VI carrying out the"Protestantism"and Mary's trying to restore the Catholicism, Elizabeth Irestored the road of establishing the Anglican Churches ultimately. Elizabethinherited the ideas and policies of Henry VIII and deepened Reformationcomparatively gently."The Elizabethan Religious Settlement"including"TheAct of supreme head of the Church of England"and"Thirty-Nine Articles"which inherited the"Forty-Two Articles"and contained lots of Protestantismthought."The Elizabethan Religious Settlement"made the Anglican Churchesbe established ultimately.Although the Reformation dominated by the King had accepted largeamounts of Protestantism, it had very strong Catholic color on the structureand management in church. This was decided by the route started by HenryVIII, and it also accorded with the natural logic of the history of theReformation in England. When the strong royal power controlled the churchand belief there was no possibility to abandon the authority over the churchand to realize the freedom of belief truly. The king became the church's headwho having the power to decide the appointment of the bishop. Decree aboutchurch and belief couldn't be worked without the King's order. Although it can see that the establishment of the Anglican Churches realized thenationalization on religious belief, which was the first step of the liberation ofbelief, the liberation of individual belief had not came true.Chapter III mainly described the rising and development of thePuritanism which wanted to clean up Anglican Churches in order to realize theliberation of individual belief thoroughly. Puritans initial ideal was thatPresbyterians would build Presbyterian Church according to the Calvinism inEngland as in Scotland. Presbyterians looked forward to King's support torealize gradual Reformation in Anglican Churches in order to eliminateCatholic factors. Some of the Puritans were not satisfied with Presbyterianswho submitted to Anglican Churches and didn't do anything. Then thePuritans embarked on the road of Reformation separating from AnglicanChurches. These Puritans were known as the Separations, which were alsoknown as the Independent. They sought to return to pure the church, whichwas made of followers who believed in God and Jesus Christ completely. Allbelievers were equal in status. Therefore, the Separation firmly advocated thatsecularism separating from religion, which Jesus Christ had affirmed. Its goalwas to achieve the ultimate goal of individual redemption.The Separation of Puritans did not establish a system of organization orunity of belief and doctrine; they strived hard to pursue the pure ideal ofchurch, to achieve the survival and development under a strong monarchy. AsLollards, Puritanism eliminated the heretics which did not coincide with theBible or the original belief. But it was the kingship in England behind heresy.Under the kingship Puritanism did not have rapid development at all; whichfaced the risk of being persecuted at any moment. Many Puritans were forcedto leave from England to Europe continent and the new world of NorthAmerica. Puritans fled to America and practiced their religious ideals in thisland. They brought the freedom of belief to the land. But Puritanism inEngland still crept down king's foot. It was not until Charles I failed miserablyto cross swords with Scotland that the kingship in England declined rapidly.Puritanism took this opportunity and achieved substantial progress, whichmade Puritanism lawful finally. Thus, the dignity and freedom of individualbelief in England eventually realized.From Wycliffe's heresy to the formation of the Anglican in Elizabeth I,then to Puritanism, this eroded the power of the church in the area from the faith and theology to the church gradually. This process was free the personalbelief, which was the changing and evolution of the faith and redemption. Theliberation of individual belief was an important step in the realization of thespiritual freedom and the growth of individual ration. Wycliffe criticized thestrength of all deviated from the Lord based on the Bible and the originalbelief in Christ and the Apostles times in order to return to the original faithand church and bring the Gospel and redemption to all people again. The laterReformations were essentially breaking the net of the heresy of the CatholicChurch and realizing the rebirth of true church and the individual freedom ofbelief and the ultimate redemption. When belief was the main part of one's lifeonly returning to the Bible and the original belief people could get the freedomof individual belief, which could arouse the sense of subject and the concept ofequality of everyone. Under this premise people might be get the dignity ofbelief, and then the dignity of the whole life. Individual status gradually cameto the fore. The growth of the individual force would reshape the overallstructure of the society, which also could erode all of the authorities and giverise to the individual-based society.