Why was a reformation necessary? How did it free the human spirit?
             The reformation was necessary because of the corruption within the Catholic Church. People began to question and challenge tradition and authority. The Renaissance brought about many changes in people and how they viewed themselves and the world. Humanism was cultivated and a new belief arose that humans were now the center of the universe, "the measure of all things." The printing press was developed and literature was made available to people other than the clergy. There were questions about the church's authority. A new sense of self, brought about by the Renaissance, directly caused the reformation. Individual scholars and clergy like Erasmus, Calvin, More, Zwingli and Luther were instrumental in directing questions to their church that only received unsatisfactory answers. They began to interpret the bible and encouraged the common people to do the same. A major change from their previous beliefs caused the development of religions other than Catholicism.
             A direct result of the reformation was the freed spirit of the people. The division of the church and new thoughts and ideas about religion allowed people to think for themselves. These people were becoming more educated while the authority of the Catholic Church had diminished. In the years prior to the reformation people were repressed. They were told what, when, and how to think. Their lives revolved around what the church told them and they did not question that authority. The Renaissance changed all of that by inventions and new knowledge that were being acquired. Once people started to question the church and found that the church was not the only authority, it freed their human spirit. Knowledge empowered people to go against the only authority they had known, therefore freeing the human spirit. The results of the reformation are still evident today. The religious makeup of toda...