Protestant Reformation and Catholic Church Essay

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Matthew Seeman
THL 241
Dr. Rhoda Schuler
November 20, 2012

Ulrich Zwingli: Swiss Reformer Ulrich Zwingli was a highly regarded Swiss Protestant leader during the era of the church reformation, and he actually played a significant role in the breaking up of the Roman Catholic Church, thus setting up the protestant wing. He is in fact ranked in the third place after Martin Luther and John Calvin with regard to the protestant reformers. Initially Zwingli was a Roman Catholic cleric in the state of Zurich, a Swiss city, and his main opposition was the selling of indulgences, as well as the manner in which the Catholic Church was pardoning those souls in the purgatory. Therefore, for being a protestant reformer, he shaped views in relic worship as well as the practice of baptism in the sixteenth century. His work influnced the area of Switzerland and it still has a lasting effect as he began the Protestant movement.[1] Zwingli was apparently born at Wildhaus, Switzerland, on January 1, 1484 to parents Margret and Ulrich Zwingli. His family background influenced him to pursue theology matters, for instance his father was a principal magistrate in his home village, while his brother named Bartholomew was also the community priest. Moreover, his brother named Johannes was an abbot in the Benedictine abbey in Fischingen. His probable uncle, Bunzli, was also an abbot in the Old St. John’s church near Wildhaus. Along the way on his higher education, he came across Thomas Wyttenbach, who mentored him on the advancement of theology as well his total emersion in the philosophies of humanism at the institution. There he met humanistics who would eventually sow extensive seeds of activism and reformation in his mentality.[2] The general public displayed immense religious enthusiasm externally: however, it was not enough to counteract the molder of morals, and this resulted mainly from the church’s mercenary army system.[3] The clerical to a great level neglected their responsibilities; where a lot of them lived in states of concubinage, and attached in the shameless chase of spiritual pretense, hence damaging their reputation. While in Zurich, Zwingli became outspoken concerning the deeds of the Pope who was much into politics and this made him denounce the mercenary system and also made him publicly relinquish his papal retirement fund. One significant achievement into his revolts was the refusal of Zurich canton into entering any alliances with France.[4]

A relic is described by the Catholic Church as “Something connected with or belonging to Our Lord or even the Saints, which include either a piece of clothing they wore or a part of their bodies.” [5] This practice by the church has been active since time immemorial. It is even adept that everywhere a chapel is opened, or a sanctuary consecrated, it usually cannot be comprehensively complete exclusive of some artifact or addition of she-saint or he-saint to give holiness to it. The relic of the saints, together with the cross and decayed bones of the church martyrs, form a great element of the possessions of the Church. The grossest pretenses have been practiced in view to such relics; most driveling stories have been narrated of their wonderfully working powers, along with the clergies of high name in the account of Christendom. Zwingli was more outspoken on the issue of the Catholic Church practicing relic worship where he termed it as worshiping idols and items which were against the teachings of the Bible. What followed was a religious disputation basically fighting against the practical institution of the state Catholic Church, the excessive adoration of the saints, the use of images that hung throughout the worship halls, the kneeling before Jesus’s or Mary’s portraits, as well as placement of saints’ bones in alters. [6] No notable delegate of the prehistoric Faith was in attendance but nevertheless Zwingli urged the
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