Dbq Essay On Religion

Ideas about religion began to rapidly change from the mid-sixteenth century to the late-eighteenth century. The Protestant Reformation began to challenge the longstanding ideas of the Catholic Church, creating numerous sects of Christianity in the process. In Spain, the Inquisition controlled religious thought and persecuted those who believed differently. For quite some time, religion was controlled and monitored, as it was unacceptable to share a religious view that did not coincide with the majority. However, war, social thought, and change in laws generated an increase in religious toleration. Therefore, from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, religious attitudes transformed from being hateful to being accepting. War had a significant

A French Protestant theologian believed that more people were executed for heresy than they were for actual crimes (Doc 1). As a Protestant, this theologian understood the turmoil that other Protestants experienced during the sixteenth century, which shows that he understood the severity of the situation. Protestants being accused of heresy is somewhat similar to Jews being used as scapegoats during the Black Death because part of the reason that Jews were targeted was because they did not practice the Christian faith. Additionally, Voltaire believed that a peaceful society was one where multiple religions were accepted because the government would be able to run efficiently and protect many types of people (Doc 6). Voltaire often criticized the Catholic Church, however, he was also an advocate for religious freedom, which proves that his theories about society are knowledgeable. His belief that society would be great if everyone, both citizens and government officials, were more accepting of different faiths shows how religious toleration had increased over time. Overall, the thoughts on religion's role in society led to an improvement of religious attitudes, as more knowledgeable people were able to spread their ideas about toleration and show the rest of Europe the benefits that positive

Over time, political policies changed from being oppressive to being inclusive. Rulers' ideals evolved from wanting to united their nations under one religion to allowing their subjects to freely practice their own religions. War became an effective factor in improving attitudes toward religion because it gave people a strong reason to unite. Many Europeans believed that it was better to unify to defeat a common enemy than it was to stay divided over the issue of religion. Ideas about religion in society also helped improve the state of toleration in Europe. By sharing opinions on the negatives of society and sharing ideas on what would make a perfect society, thinkers were able to educate many people and allow them to see the benefits of religious toleration. Overall, Europe became more religiously tolerant from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century in spite of the difficulty presented with trying to improve