Why were European Catholics questioning the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

Roman Catholic AnswerI am assuming that when you ask why "European Catholics questioning the Catholic Church" you are referring to the 16th century and the beginning of the protestant revolt. In the main, European Catholics did NOT question the Church. This was done only by a few men, and that can be traced directly back to sin and the devil. Various European leaders supported the protestant revolt for political reasons, and, for the most part, people had little choice in the matter but to follow their prince - or lose their lives. A cursory and honest examination of the "reformation" in Germany or England will show that all the "complaints" against the Church were little more than a few individuals trying to organize their lives for their own pleasure.

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

The Protestant Reformation: the revolt from the Catholic Church in Western Europe begun and carried to its height in the 16th century. It differed from all previous heretical movements in that it was not concerned with one or a few definite points of doctrine but was directed against the whole complex and system of Christianity as then understood; it gave licence to the human self in the spiritual and religious order. Its principal causes were: the excessive temporal power, wealth and privilege which accrued to the higher clergy, the wicked, worldly and careless lives of many of the clergy, secular and regular, and the decay of philosophy and theology (these resulted partly from the Renaissance) with consequent low standard of spiritual life among the people generally; the weakening of the authority of the Holy See, following the Great Schism, increased by the humanistic corruption of the papal court; the parallel insurgence of secular princes. Its principal motives were: desire for the purity of religion and godliness of life which, from the state of the clergy, precipitated a violent and unreasoning anti-clericalism which degenerated into contempt for all spiritual authority; the national ambitions of secular princes which flourished in the break-up of the Catholic integrity of Europe; an appetite for spoil and, as in England, fear of having to give up looted ecclesiastical wealth; in some, a hatred of the Church and Faith which can be attributed only to the direct working of the Devil. The principal results of the Reformation were: the true reform of the Church "in head and members" effected by the Council of Trent and the revivification of Catholicism so thoroughly achieved that it remains vital to this day (The Counter-reformation); the putting of countless souls, notably in Great Britain, Scandinavia and the German parts of the Empire, in enmity to the Church and consequently outside those means provided by Christ for man to know and attain to God; the disappearance of any "higher unity" holding together the diverse peoples and nations of Europe, the inoculation of men with naturalistic and humanitarian (as opposed to theocentric) philosophy which is now the chiefest enemy of Christianity.

Answer 2

People are still critical of the catholic church today. Misunderstandings are often why people are critical of anything. People forget that just because something is different, doesnt necessarily mean its wrong; its what makes our world interesting.

Answer 3

They were unhappy because of corruptions and indulgences.

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Catholic AnswerBasically, the only people that were unhappy with the Church were the civil leaders who felt that the Church was infringing on their rights and privileges. Others became dissatisfied because they were told to attend a new protestant church, or simply because they were told to. It was a very confusing time that resulting in a great loss of souls.

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

The Protestant Reformation: the revolt from the Catholic Church in Western Europe begun and carried to its height in the 16th century. It differed from all previous heretical movements in that it was not concerned with one or a few definite points of doctrine but was directed against the whole complex and system of Christianity as then understood; it gave licence to the human self in the spiritual and religious order. Its principal causes were: the excessive temporal power, wealth and privilege which accrued to the higher clergy, the wicked, worldly and careless lives of many of the clergy, secular and regular, and the decay of philosophy and theology (these resulted partly from the Renaissance) with consequent low standard of spiritual life among the people generally; the weakening of the authority of the Holy See, following the Great Schism, increased by the humanistic corruption of the papal court; the parallel insurgence of secular princes. Its principal motives were: desire for the purity of religion and godliness of life which, from the state of the clergy, precipitated a violent and unreasoning anti-clericalism which degenerated into contempt for all spiritual authority; the national ambitions of secular princes which flourished in the break-up of the Catholic integrity of Europe; an appetite for spoil and, as in England, fear of having to give up looted ecclesiastical wealth; in some, a hatred of the Church and Faith which can be attributed only to the direct working of the Devil. The principal results of the Reformation were: the true reform of the Church "in head and members" effected by the Council of Trent and the revivification of Catholicism so thoroughly achieved that it remains vital to this day (The Counter-reformation); the putting of countless souls, notably in Great Britain, Scandinavia and the German parts of the Empire, in enmity to the Church and consequently outside those means provided by Christ for man to know and attain to God; the disappearance of any "higher unity" holding together the diverse peoples and nations of Europe, the inoculation of men with naturalistic and humanitarian (as opposed to theocentric) philosophy which is now the chiefest enemy of Christianity.

Answer 4

Why are... Catholicism is heavily rooted in tradition and dogma. There is absolutely no emphasis on a personal relationship with god. Only worship through or with a priest is taught, which is not scriptural. Catholics trust their souls to others rather than reading The Bible on their own, as did Luther and millions of other Christians.

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Catholic AnswerPeople were critical of the Catholic Church mostly from ignorance and prejudice as evidenced by the answer above, which is entirely fact-free. First of all Roman is an epithet first commonly used in England after the protestant revolt to describe the Catholic Church. It is never used by the Catholic Church.

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Secondly, the original "people who were critical of the Catholic Church" was Martin Luther, whose on words and works condemn him, despite that fact that he was supposedly ordained a priest, as ignorant of Catholic theology. The ridiculous saw about reading the Bible on their own is absolutely absurd as there was no general education, nor a printing press, for that matter, for most of the centuries of the Church's existence. Also, of course, the fact that the Catholic Church wrote, preserved, and taught the New Testament for over a thousand years seems to escape most protestants. The fact that she did everything in her power to teach the Gospel using stained glass, statues, artwork, and sermons: anything she could to get the Gospel across to people who did not know how to read, and couldn't have afforded a book if they did, also seems to escape protestants.

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Finally, Catholics have always believed in a personal God and have worked out their salvation with fear and trembling. That fact that protestants, as indicated in the answer above, trust their souls to a book that was not written for a century after Our Blessed Lord died, wasn't put together for another three centuries, and wasn't able to be read to the vast majority of people until a millenium later seems to indicate that the Catholics, as is reality, trust and worship the real God, while the heretics who left the Church have nothing to trust in but a book speaks volumes about the critics of the Church and rather leaves their criticism hollow.