Introduction
Revolutions in the world history has occurred in various countries over and again. Different countries, for various reasons, have gone through the revolution process to achieve a certain aim. Mostly, a revolution takes various forms which involves different ways. For example, in Britain, the revolution occurred through the process of industrialisation. However, in France, the revolution was against the church and the monarch’s authoritative rule (p. 295). People were tired of the traditional means of ruling by the monarch and in conjunction with the church. The French revolution took the aspect of dechristianization, which is argued to have contributed to the end Christendom. The paper discusses the various issues arising from the French revolution and its effect on the church generally.
Key Remarks of the French Revolution
The French people needed change from the traditional way of ruling to a modern way of ruling. The desperate action for change from the monarchical ruling approach brought about the revolution in 1789. The revolution had various reasons of which outstanding were the quest for liberty, equality, and fraternity (p. 298). Liberty meant freedom from the authoritative monarch and church. The people were against censorship of publication by the church and the monarch. Secondly, the people wanted equality before the law and equal treatment in public spaces. The government of the day had a way of taxing people where some individuals, including the clergy, were not taxed based on their beliefs. Further, those in the middle class were unwilling to share the political class with those of the low class. Lastly, the people wanted fraternity in the spheres of management by the government. The treatment everyone wanted to receive was that of a brotherly nature and not as an enemy.
The French Process of Dechristianization
Between 1789 and 1801 in France, there were various activities, including the French revolution, which took place. The dechristianization came as a result of various policies which the French government formulated after a series of resistance from the people (p. 266). The government started taking money from the church in France to weaken the religious movement in the region. The government started by attacking the church over various allegations, including corruption. The rich clergy also had a hard task defending the source of their property. During this period, the reign of terror emerged, which made the church be attacked from every corner. The revolution resulted in the abolition of the church authority and the disregard of the church monarchy.
How Sympathetic to it is Noll
The dechristianization according to Noll was viewed as a move away from the church authority, deeply rooted in Europe. The change in the economic status and the world realities saw a great fall in the church authority. Further, Noll accentuated that the end of Christendom made people start reasoning in the line of the invention rather than revelation. The people had grown tired of absolute monarchy, and the change was needed. The dechristianization led to more people disobeying the noll and giving more attention to scientific inventions.
Whether the Revolution was the End of Christendom
For a long time, the church was viewed as socially necessary. Most religious beliefs were treasured above those which were being observed by the community (p. 252. During this time period, the church dominated all aspects of society authority, including political power. The church’s beliefs were seen to be truer than reality. So, everything was either ascribed to God or religious doctrines. With time, the church’s influence waned. While the church’s doctrines were still acknowledged, the world’s temporal realities began to be accepted. Despite its declining authority, the state continued to assist the church. The French Revolution had a dechristianizing influence on the church doctrine. A wealth-owning society emerged from the French Revolution. Due of this, the church needed to act rapidly to confront the wealthy who had begun living according to worldly values rather than biblical precepts. Therefore, the Catholic Church established urban parishes to swiftly increase the urban population. The church had to persuade people about the Bible and the economics.
After a hundred years, the church had lost intellectuals and middle-class adherents. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the church was considered as an adversary of progress throughout Europe. Economic knowledge and vast wealth ownership chastised the church (p. 254). Most wealthy and middle-class people thought the Bible’s authority was worthless. The merchants thought so since the Bible didn’t clarify some ideas. Thus, the dechristenization of the French Revolution damaged Christendom. The weakening of Christendom led to the demise of church authority, or Christendom.
Interpretation of the Remarks of Owen Chadwick on Enlightenment
Owen Chadwick championed religious tolerance through various ways. Through his belief, he remarked that the world should embrace the benevolence of God. However, the interpretation did not attract a good reaction from the church as most clergies believed that they could not make people be holy but could only preach for them to be holy. As proposed by Chadwick, the enlightenment was viewed as targeting the Catholic Church. Further, it was viewed as stuck to the traditional teaching. Therefore, the same was not given much attention because of the biased interpretation.
How the French Revolution Set the Center Stage for Subsequent Battles between Science and Religion
As the revolution settled and the Christendom weakened, scientific research emerged. Mostly, the research aimed to prove whether the biblical teachings could be proved scientifically. Scientists like Charles Darwin started researching evolution and published a book, origin of species, in 1859. The discovery by Darwin created a state of doubt in the mind of many, and questions started arising out of the gaps Darwin created. Consequently, most people started to see scientific research on some of the world realities versus biblical teachings. Therefore, most governments and universities started employing scientists to research some of the areas viewed as technical. The center stage of scientific discovery and religious beliefs were set. Some groups believed in scientific discovery, while others believed in biblical teachings.
Key Features of Liberal Protestant Theology
The urge to develop Christianity into a modern concept was becoming increasingly relevant. Most of the church teachings had to consider the improvements that were taking place in human development (p. 299). Therefore, this need for change led to the development of liberal theology. As scientific research continued to develop, and with the gap created in some of the biblical teachings, there was a need to develop aspects that would give scientifically and theologically explanations. Further, liberal theology was mainly concerned with explaining human beings based on their experience. The theory believed that humans had evolved and could not be convinced by the scriptures.
Liberal Protestants doubted the Bible’s authority because it was not exclusive. The concept that the Bible was unique and always gave the truth was distinct from orthodox Protestantism. The traditional protestant felt that the Bible was unquestionable. Knowing the risks of missionary labor, liberal Protestants chose the alternative way of experience and scriptural interpretation. Liberal theology also denied original sin and claimed Augustine of Hippo’s understanding was corrupted due to his Manichaeism ties. The liberal theologians thought that Jesus Christ had cleansed all our sins and that we were born free of ancestral sin. Theologians also thought that Christians should follow Jesus Christ and do well.
The Second Vatican Council Function as a Kind of Internal Reformation within the Roman Church
Between October 11th of 1962 and December 8th of 1965, there were various meetings held by the Catholic Church, the then widely spread Christian movement in the world. The meetings were attended by various church groups, the liberal, the extremists, and many others. The meeting witnessed intense debate concerning the up-bottom people power (p. 302). Some of the attendees wanted the church to discern some traditional practices, while others wanted just a little adjustment on those traditional practices. A balance, therefore, was to be found between the two groups.
However, after a long debate, several reforms were made in the Catholic Church. Some of the reforms which were made included the conciliatory nature of the report. The report was more conciliatory to those who were non-Catholics. The conciliatory nature of the second Vatican declaration was, unlike the first declaration, open to criticism and welcomed divergent opinions. Secondly, a sophisticated bible study option was adopted. However, the study was to conform to the church doctrine. Consequently, the doctrine of the high papal authority was untouched. The bishops guided the church and the Christians in carrying out their Christian duties (p. 303). These changes affected the way the Roman Catholic carried out its functions. The second Vatican also brought about changes in some of the doctrinal aspects of the Catholic Church.
The Laity Gain Prestige in the Teachings of the Second Vatican Council
Other churches saw the second Vatican council’s acceptance as a major step. Historically, the Catholic Church was feared for its rigorous principles and traditional ways of doing business. The Vatican Council’s action was viewed as a major step in that direction. For example, the Lutheran church praised the second Vatican for releasing worshipers from certain customs. Considering other groups, the move was regarded as a unifier. The Vatican Council also introduced plurality inside the worship places. Pluralism shifted the church’s focus from church loyalty to worshipping in broadly accepted religious forms. Officials anticipated the second Vatican council would eliminate the church doctrine on unity.
The Role Played by Billy Graham, and his Organization Informed the Christian Evangelical Movement
Billy Graham, an American preacher, founded an evangelical movement to spread the gospel. Graham was instrumental in spreading the gospel far beyond American borders. Graham utilized radio, TV, and newspapers to proclaim the gospel. Graham’s organization influenced how society saw numerous things. For example, women were often marginalized in society. Graham’s advocacy campaign fought for gender equality. The message went throughout the globe, and changes were made. Graham also thought homosexuality was a sin society should not accept. Graham persuaded evangelical missionaries think media was important.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the French revolution revolutionized even the church. The people’s view of the church changed, and various reforms in the church were undertaken. The people’s view also led to a conflict between the church and scientific research. Most people wanted to prove points more practically rather than through theory. Further changes in the church included the church withdrawal from government involvement. The church lost its vast influence as most people revolutionized against its actions.
The French revolution set the Center Stage for the Conflict between Science and Religion
The author argues that the French revolution set a center for conflict between religion and scientific inventions. The author further ascertained that the scientist needed to prove some points without blankly believing and following the Christian teachings. From the author’s insight, the growth in the economy and intellectual capacity led to the conflict. After the French revolution, the masses were hard to convince with just the bible teachings. People needed to be convinced with the real facts of their experiences in the real world. For example, the gaps in the creation theory made Darwin research about the origin of species attributing it to the scientific evolution. Further, liberal theologians believed that it was difficult to convince a person based on theory. People wanted innovations more than revelation.
The author brings about how the scientific revolution started proving some of the issues that the church just proved from the essay. The insight of the scientific revolution brought the aspect of creating humanity in the early day, and people were not easily swayed to believe. The author also explains that once people have turned their back, they will always follow what their mind tells them to do. For example, many scientists came up to prove particular aspects that Christianity did not explain wide and large
One should always strive to know the fact from the context before believing in them. The facts can be known through proving or researching them. Informed decisions are that one can understand the aspect of analysis they are taking. One can also decide which side of the argument to rely on because both are proven. Further, a revelation appears more of a theory and psychological. In this regard, the author subjects a question of theory and practical.
Several questions arise from reading the same. Questions like how the church managed to get such wide followers and believers are still unanswered. Further, questions like how the church managed to get and work with the government still linger in mind. The author argues that people need more practical aspects than theory. The argument is convincing, and no one can deny the same. One always finds it easier to prove a practical point than that which is theoretical.
The understanding of religion has changed greatly, first, from church involvement in government and the disassociation between church and government. From the disassociation, the church started evolving until it became an independent one. Further, the understanding of the church has changed from the house of the meek to the view that religion is mainly for those who still believe in theory.