Did The Roman Catholic Church Play In The Practices Of The Dark And Middle Ages

On the heels of the dark ages, there would proceed several new eras of growth, change and establishment within Europe. Two specific moments and one specific religious entity would work to shape the landscape of Europe in a way never before seen up to that time. The dark ages had been steeped in rigid religious prominence and cultural, intellectual, and economic decline as a whole. Attentions were centralized on rigidity, rituals, and religious observance as the primary focus in all things. The Roman Catholic church played an important role in the practices of the Dark and middle ages, and would also play a central role in the support of the shifting European narrative. New ideologies would begin to take root and grow into important principles

It engaged deeply with literature, philosophy, art, and more reformed religion than the dark ages has presented, it fully embraced the ideas and practices associated with a humanistic worldview. Beforehand religion had played a large role in socially and politically dominating much of Europe and personal spaces. People began to seek a bit more separation in intellectual, social, cultural, and artistic expression outside of the dominance of the church. The approach was characterized by a blending of Christian principles with the wisdom of Greek and Roman philosophy and the beauty of human pursuit. “The leaders of the Renaissance broke with the world-denying ideals of the Middle Ages by stressing that earthly pleasures were legitimate …This did not mean that the Renaissance was hostile to religion” (Regent University Western Civ). As stated there was no hostility to religion but a desire to see reform in many areas, especially the hierarchal structure of authority and provision in regards to humanity. They were still deeply religious within the movement just with a new understanding of individualism. With the recognition of humanity’s beauty, and our personal intellectual abilities there was a strong desire to dismantle the preconceived ideas around hierarchical church workings. It embraced the idea that if people were capable of beauty, intellect, and wisdom they should be able to

Reformists were upset by the ongoing rituals and practices that offered salvation and believed the authority of the church was abused, it was also an inappropriate system in regards to the feudal system much of Europe was still under. This system revealed the hearts of many church authorities and poisoned the people's faith in the shepherding of the church bishops, the serfs were the least among men and often left uncared for by the church. Key figures of the Reformation began arguing against the rigidity of the church and its abuse of power. Martin Luther was a key figure in the Reformation, he urged the church to turn back to Scripture as the ultimate authority, and he recognized through his own tortured journey for forgiveness that confessions, rituals, and other penance were in the name of fear and privilege, not love. He fought viciously for church reform and even nailed 95 statements of faith to the Castle Church in Wittenberg, resulting in his persecution. Through his work and sacrifice much of the pressures of the Reformation would eventually be seen and felt by the church in an upending