What is a widespread critism of the catholic church during the early 1500s?

Answer 1

The period of time you are referring to is called the Age of Reformation when many different groups broke away from the Catholic church and founded the main line protestant groups you see today such as the Lutheran church. There were many complaints and criticisms of the Church at the time. Most of them stemmed from a lot of internal corruption that went straight to the top, at the pope. Quite frankly, there were some bad popes. One such example criticism was the fact that the Pope would sell indulgences for money. Indulgences are essentially a free ticket to erase all your sin and any consequence of it. These really should never be sold, but Popes back then did.

Answer 2

Roman Catholic AnswerOne "widespread criticism" that contemporary people might say was indulgences, another that they weren't teaching from The Bible. Actually there was NO widespread criticism of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century. For the most part people were very satisfied with their religion. There were a few individuals, such as Martin Luther, and Calvin, who had their personal difficulties with the Christian teaching of the Church and they published their own feelings, and, remarkably, got some authorities to look at it their way. Nobles, for instance, in northern Germany saw a chance to get out of sending money to support the Church in Rome, and not be told that they were sinning. In England, the King wanted a divorce from his lawful wife. All of these people found it easier to change what their Church said, then to amend their lives, so they supported the dissidents and founded their own Churches: Luther, the Lutheran, Calvin, the Methodists, and Henry VIII, the Anglican. Unfortunately, in abandoning the only Church which Our Blessed Lord founded, and Its guarantee of the Holy Spirit, they threw away the possibility of salvation for all of those who followed them, depriving the people of their lawful Church, and means to receive God's grace in the sacraments. Henry VIII made a valiant effort to keep the priesthood and the sacraments, but the reformers in England made a complete hash of it, and they lost Orders. I would recommend The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England 1400-1580 for a history of this time in England, and what it meant to the common man to have his Church denied him; and chapter 6 of Seven Lies About Catholic History for a quick overview of the protestant revolt. See the links below:

Answer 3

The major criticism of the pope was that he was selling indulgences which are said to be a relaxiation of penalties or sins. People Critisized the church because the didnt believe that money did not belong in a holy place. Got this out of my textbook!

Answer 4

Martin Luther. He wrote the 95 theses.