Civil Disobedience To protest the American government's involvement in the Mexican War of 1846-1848, Henry David Thoreau refused to pay his taxes and was quickly thrown into prison as a result of his nonviolent act of "Civil Disobedience." (Wood, 173) From prison, he wrote a political and philosophical tract called "Civil Disobedience" in defense of his radical actions
but, if one looks back to the 1920's, politicians and ordinary people of this era tended, given that era's prosperity and conservatism, to see him as a dangerous 'crank.' (Yarborough, 1995) Nascent hippie or 19th century Unabomber one might ask -- really, the truth is something in between
Both the State and the Church are inextricably linked in these social events as the Church wields a strong influence over decisions made by the State during this period. Moreover, the invention of the printing press made it easier for advocates of the Protestant Reformation movement to disseminate their ideas and advocacy to a larger number of people (Collins, 1994, p
The printing press had been instrumental in the publication and dissemination of this document, eventually ensuring its success and popularity in Western societies. More than anything, through Luther and the success of the Protestant Reformation, they brought back the individual into Christian faith, wherein "individuals could access and understand" their faith and the religion "for themselves" (Howard, 2005, p
People -- ordinary believers -- could read the Bible and therefore interpret the Truth for themselves. Moreover, Luther "maintained that justification (salvation) was granted by faith alone; good works and the sacraments were not necessary in order to be saved," ("Protestant Reformation," n
Therefore, it is of some interest to note that even prior to the Reformation, there "were few who offered protests against Mary or Marian devotion." (Butler, 1998)
And they grant that devotion to Mary was not discarded even by the leading Reformation figures Luther, Calvin and Zwingli." (Byassee, 2005)
However, many of them are leaving the Catholic Church to "embrace an exuberant style of worship" that they feel bring them closer to God. (Diamant, 2006)
This convergence began in Edinburgh in 1910, with the International Missionary Council. (Hurley, 2002)
Historically, Mary was "associated with the fulfillment of the Word of God and thus with Scripture." (Jeffrey, 2004)
For example, she discovered that historically, "while many people (the vast majority being Roman Catholics, of course) considered these apparitions a direct sign from Heaven, others (mainly Protestant) considered them some kind of hallucination or even demonic delusion." (Lambouras, 2006)
The bull went on to explain that Mary was assumed, both body and soul, into heaven, where she assumed a role that was equal to the members of the Holy Trinity. (Pelikan, 1996)
Christian emotional response to the sufferings of Jesus, then, has traditionally been deep and abiding. (Reardon, 2005)
Micah 5:2-5 refers to a woman who gives birth to a messianic ruler. (Roberts, 2005)
Likewise, the official documents, studies, and pastoral letters issued by ecclesiastical bodies or groups of bishops are often buttressed by straightforward appeals to the literalism of Scripture. (Spong, 1992)
The Reformation sought to rationalize "Christianity" by disavowing most of the sacraments (that is, ritual honoring of mystical transformative events such as baptism, confirmation, matrimony, and the approach of death) and focusing on the text alone. (Spretnak, 2004)
The Reformation sought to rationalize "Christianity" by disavowing most of the sacraments (that is, ritual honoring of mystical transformative events such as baptism, confirmation, matrimony, and the approach of death) and focusing on the text alone. (Spretnak, 2004)
However, it would be inaccurate to link Calvin's attitude with the modern Catholic approach to Mary; on the contrary, Calvin wanted "all doctrines about Mary to be compatible with justification by faith." (Tavard, 1996)
However, this would be rectified "by what was effectively the centerpiece of sixteenth century Catholic Reform: the Council of Trent." (Herring 272) The council of Trent attempted to address the criticism of the Reformation, and renew its doctrine with a code of reform that provided the essential inspiration for the Catholic renewal in early modern Europe
In response to Martin Luther, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, called the Diet of Worms in 1521, which demanded Luther explain his attacks on the Church and then, in the Edict of Worms, denounced his beliefs as "products and results of his depraved mind and were dragged out of hell ." (Mullet 134) The Diet of Worms was the first official reply to Luther and all similar theologians who dared to criticize the Catholic Church