What Is Henry Viii's View Of The Importance Of Religion?

At the beginning of Henry VIII’s reign England was a Catholic state, though when he decided to break with the church in order for him to get an annulment from Catherine of Aragon it required England to break from Rome and the church. Henry became leader of the Church of England and declared that England would be Protestant. The shift of power between his heirs created more unrest because under each reign the sovereign declared a different religion. When Mary became queen she reinstated the Catholic Church, whereas Elizabeth reverted the state back to Protestantism. Foxe’s accounts of Anne Askew reveal the importance of religion in everyday life for citizens as well as the conflicting views of the Catholic and Protestant beliefs by her recordings

In the opinion of the Catholic Church, scripture should not be interpreted by individuals other than clergymen especially women. In the selected passage Foxe notes, “For Saint Paul (he said) forbade women to speak or talk of the word of God. I answered him that I knew Paul’s meaning as well as he, which is, 1 Corinthians 14, that a woman ought not to speak in the congregation by the way of teaching”(Foxe 89). This is a major issue between the Catholic and Protestant beliefs, because the Catholic Church exercises strict control over it’s practices and what it taught to citizens. Protestants believed that if every believer is a priest, which enabled both men and women to read and interpret the bible without the presence of priestly mediators. This concept of interpreting religion was central to social beliefs at the time, as many people were trying to determine their place in the world. Askew was a part of a group of aristocratic women who gathered to discuss scripture. Askew believed that it was essential to discuss and debate interpretations of scripture, and wanted to be able to talk about religious