Religious Studies Response
The Crusades are a chain of planned armed operations during the period of 1096 to 1487. The campaigns were initiated by the Popes aimed at upholding the Christian supremacy. The initial Crusades started in 1095 when Christian forces from the Western Europe acted according to the Pope Urban II’s request to wage a battle against the Muslim occupation of the Christian Holy Land. Jesus Christ preached the brotherhood of man and that love itself is God. The crusades would not have happened if the Popes considered the teachings of Jesus. Jesus would have never approved the crusades. (history.com)
Mysticism and Monasticism are closely related in Christianity. Monasticism is a medium to impart wide reach of mystical spirituality. Mysticism is connecting to God on the absolute level of our existence. It means understanding and adoring God in an inspiring way. In Christianity, mysticism is based on the soul’s strong association with Jesus Christ. For knowing about spirituality in a deeper way, a monastic setting is beneficial and is its natural home. (Mann, Abbot, 2014)
The reformation was mainly aimed at putting a check to the unhealthy practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Reformers found Simony, the purchase, and sales of offices as a proof of the extreme corruption in the church administration, which included even the pope. The reformers preached that the concept of Purgatory is not true as per the preaching of Jesus. They also rebelled against the concept of indulgence, the reduction in punishments for the various sins committed by believers, and they considered it as a corruption by the Pope. The reformation leaders often identified the Papacy as the Antichrist. (history.com)
Based on the reformation initiatives, the Catholic Church found that some reformation concepts were legitimate, and consecutive sittings of the Council of Trent conducted during 1545 to 1563, focused on resolving these issues. The council planned to reform practices of corruption that existed in the church, which includes problems such as offering indulgences to the rich, a practice where people can purchase forgiveness for their sins by paying money. (Kennedy)
Works Cited
History.com Staff. "Crusades." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. http://www.history.com/topics/crusades
Mann, Benjamin, and Abbot Zachariadis. "Mysticism, Monasticism, and the New Evangelization." Mysticism, Monasticism, and the New Evangelization. 04 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. <http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/3051/mysticism_monasticism_and_the_new_evangelization.aspx>.
Kennedy, Rita. "How Did the Catholic Church Respond to the Challenges Posed by the Protestant Reformation?" Protestant Reformation. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. <http://classroom.synonym.com/did-catholic-church-respond-challenges-posed-protestant-reformation-6604.html>.
