Protestantism
...Philosophy
Protestantism was a movement whose aims, motives and actions were primarily of theological nature. The leaders of protestant reformation considered reason and philosophy as secondary to the Biblical revelation and useful only in the way that helps in furthering their religious cause. That is why their teachings are rarely considered as “philosophy”. At the same time, the philosophical implications of their teachings were of significant influence on the daily lives and historical development of Protestant individuals and societies. I will therefore present the basic foundations of Protestant thought in the way I consider most useful for our Philosophy course. I therefore describe each of the main protestant ideas as close as it is possible to the themes of our classes: metaphysics (what is being?), epistemology (what can be known?), ethics (how people should live?) and political philosophy (how a society should be organized?).
What is Protestantism?
The protestant reformation, initiated in the early sixteenth century in Central Europe, was a theologically-inspired movement led by rebellious Catholic scholars and theologians. These scholars opposed what was perceived by them as the corruption of the Catholic Church’s doctrine and practice. They saw it particularly in the widespread acceptance by the Church of material and financial gains in exchange for the interpretation of its doctrines favorably to its client members but often in stark contrast to the founding principles of the Christian faith. Originally aimed at reforming the Catholic Church (hence the name “reformation”), soon the reformers and the movement they initiated were faced by the Church authorities’ affirmation of the Pope’s infallibility and primacy to the Bible. Condemned as heretics, their fate seemed to repeat that of their century-earlier predecessors, whom the Pope ordered...
View Full Essay
