That question is hard to answer, considering that people will base their answers on their own beliefs. I personally would choose neither.
However, from a standard peasant from the renaissance's point of view, I think that the Protestants' ideals are better. As a catholic, the only way to salvation was through the church (paying priests). But as a Protestant, the only medium between them and god was Jesus. The church also loomed over the peasants as supreme authority, taxing the people. So basically, the answer depends on what point of view it is discussed from.
I would take the side of the Protestants. I think that having good faith is more important than just doing good deeds. Although good works may sound great, you can do good works while not having good faith which is what really matters. Don't get me wrong; doing good deeds is great but they must be rooted in good faith. I think that originally the Catholic Church had the right idea of good deeds to reach salvation; however, as time went by that idea lost its meaning. People began to think that all they had to do were good deeds and not have true, deep faith in God. As more time passed, that idea was corrupted even farther with the introduction of indulgences. Overall, I side with the Protestants, but I think that the Catholic Church almost had the right idea. The people just found a loophole.
I agree with Caroline. Good works are great, but faith is more important and the Protestants also argued that faith would lead to good works. They thought that true faith would reveal itself in a person and cause them to do good deeds. I also agree with the Protestant philosophy that you give glory to God every day, not just in church, as the Catholics believed. The Protestant belief encourages people to display their faith and do good works all the time. I also think that the road to salvation has to be harder than paying indulgences that support good deeds and participating in church. I believe that good deeds have to heart and purpose. For Protestants, they did, because they were rooted in their faith. I believe the works of charity of the Catholic Church were great, but it was perhaps to easy for some people to take credit for them in this time period. These are all just my personal beliefs and I am only referring to Catholic Church of Martin Luther's time, not the Catholic Church that exists today.
I'm not very religious but I think that faith should be more important than good works. Indulgences, for example, were said to shorten your time in purgatory and acted as a fundraiser for the church. Since indulgences weren't cheap the nobles and upper class could buy more than the peasants. This gave the nobles an advantage to where they got in the afterlife. Salvation shouldn't be based on something that not everybody can afford. That is why I believe that faith is a better option. Everybody has the potential to have good faith because faith is an internal thing not something that you have to purchase.
That question is hard to answer, considering that people will base their answers on their own beliefs. I personally would choose neither.
ReplyDeleteHowever, from a standard peasant from the renaissance's point of view, I think that the Protestants' ideals are better. As a catholic, the only way to salvation was through the church (paying priests). But as a Protestant, the only medium between them and god was Jesus. The church also loomed over the peasants as supreme authority, taxing the people. So basically, the answer depends on what point of view it is discussed from.
Quick correction: it is Protestantism that emphasizes faith as the path to salvation, while Catholicism emphasizes doing good works.
ReplyDeleteI would take the side of the Protestants. I think that having good faith is more important than just doing good deeds. Although good works may sound great, you can do good works while not having good faith which is what really matters. Don't get me wrong; doing good deeds is great but they must be rooted in good faith. I think that originally the Catholic Church had the right idea of good deeds to reach salvation; however, as time went by that idea lost its meaning. People began to think that all they had to do were good deeds and not have true, deep faith in God. As more time passed, that idea was corrupted even farther with the introduction of indulgences. Overall, I side with the Protestants, but I think that the Catholic Church almost had the right idea. The people just found a loophole.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Caroline. Good works are great, but faith is more important and the Protestants also argued that faith would lead to good works. They thought that true faith would reveal itself in a person and cause them to do good deeds. I also agree with the Protestant philosophy that you give glory to God every day, not just in church, as the Catholics believed. The Protestant belief encourages people to display their faith and do good works all the time. I also think that the road to salvation has to be harder than paying indulgences that support good deeds and participating in church. I believe that good deeds have to heart and purpose. For Protestants, they did, because they were rooted in their faith. I believe the works of charity of the Catholic Church were great, but it was perhaps to easy for some people to take credit for them in this time period. These are all just my personal beliefs and I am only referring to Catholic Church of Martin Luther's time, not the Catholic Church that exists today.
ReplyDeleteI'm not very religious but I think that faith should be more important than good works. Indulgences, for example, were said to shorten your time in purgatory and acted as a fundraiser for the church. Since indulgences weren't cheap the nobles and upper class could buy more than the peasants. This gave the nobles an advantage to where they got in the afterlife. Salvation shouldn't be based on something that not everybody can afford. That is why I believe that faith is a better option. Everybody has the potential to have good faith because faith is an internal thing not something that you have to purchase.
ReplyDelete