that human beings, while conditioned by the past, possess genuine freedom of creative choice and action, and are, within certain objective limits, the masters of their own destiny. This philosophy directly contradicts what the Catholic Church had been preaching, that mankind was inherently sinful and they must perform good deeds in order to earn their salvation. The Church was in control of their lives.
             However other humanistic beliefs went along more with what the Church assumed was proper. For example, unlike common heretics, such as the Cathars, humanists did not directly challenge the Pope's genuineness. Humanists still went to Church, prayed, and accepted Jesus Christ as the messiah and savior. The vast majority of artwork created during the renaissance depicted scenes of religious meaning or reference. In one example, an Avignon priest described the artwork he desired to be painted, "There should be the form of Paradise, and in
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