Should religion be tied to politics?
Instructions: Read carefully the following paragraph, analyze and answer the questions in your notebook (for grading) at the end of it, then, discuss with your peers and teacher. (VALUE 10 pts. on your homework grade).
The Renaissance period in England was marked by religious conflict. Henry VIII and each successive monarch held a different view on the country's official religion. Leaders were assassinated, writers were imprisoned, and the country even endured a civil war over questions of religion.
1-What is the proper role of religion in public life?
2-How can societies reconcile religion and politics?
Before you answer the question from the paragraph, read below. Take in consideration the background information provided by the instructor when answering the question at the end of the first paragraph.
Henry VIII of England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Henry VIII" redirects here. For other uses, see Henry VIII (disambiguation).
| Henry VIII | |
|---|---|
King Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger,Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
| |
| King of England; Lord/King of Ireland(more...) | |
| Reign | 21 April 1509 – 28 January 1547 |
| Coronation | 24 June 1509 |
| Predecessor | Henry VII |
| Successor | Edward VI |
| Born | 28 June 1491 Greenwich Palace, Greenwich |
| Died | 28 January 1547 (aged 55) Palace of Whitehall, London |
| Burial | 4 February 1547 St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle |
| Spouse |
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| Issue Among others |
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| House | Tudor |
| Father | Henry VII of England |
| Mother | Elizabeth of York |
| Religion | Anglican prev. Roman Catholic |
| Signature |  |
Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later assumed the Kingship, of Ireland, and continued the nominal claim by English monarchs to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty, succeeding his father, Henry VII.
Besides his six marriages, Henry VIII is known for his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. His disagreements with the Pope led to his separation of the Church of England from papal authority, with himself, as king, as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Because his principal dispute was with papal authority, rather than with doctrinal matters, he remained a believer in core Catholic theological teachings despite his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church.[1] Henry oversaw the legal union of England and Wales with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. He is also well known for a long personal rivalry with both Francis I of France and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, with whom he frequently warred.
Domestically, Henry is known for his radical changes to the English Constitution, ushering in the theory of the divine right of kings to England. Besides asserting the sovereign's supremacy over the Church of England, thus initiating the English Reformation, he greatly expanded royal power. Charges of treason and heresy were commonly used to quash dissent, and those accused were often executed without a formal trial, by means of bills of attainder. He achieved many of his political aims through the work of his chief ministers, some of whom were banished or executed when they fell out of his favour. Figures such as Thomas Wolsey,Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, and Thomas Cranmer figured prominently in Henry's administration. An extravagant spender, he used the proceeds from the Dissolution of the Monasteries and acts of the Reformation Parliament to convert money formerly paid to Rome into royal revenue. Despite the influx of money from these sources, Henry was continually on the verge of financial ruin due to his personal extravagance as well as his numerous costly continental wars.
His contemporaries considered Henry in his prime to be an attractive, educated and accomplished king, and he has been described as "one of the most charismatic rulers to sit on the English throne".[2] Besides ruling with considerable power, he was also an author and composer. His desire to provide England with a male heir – which stemmed partly from personal vanity and partly from his belief that a daughter would be unable to consolidate Tudor power and maintain the fragile peace that existed following the Wars of the Roses[3] – led to the two things for which Henry is most remembered: his six marriages and his break with the Pope (who would not allow an annulment of Henry's first marriage). As he aged, Henry became severely obese and his health suffered, contributing to his death in 1547. He is frequently characterised in his later life as a lustful, egotistical, harsh, and insecure king.[4] He was succeeded by his son Edward VI.
Government
The power of Tudor monarchs, including Henry, was 'whole' and 'entire', ruling, as they claimed, by the grace of God alone.[157] The crown could also rely on the exclusive use of those functions that constituted the royal prerogative. These included acts of diplomacy (including royal marriages), declarations of war, management of the coinage, the issue of royal pardons and the power to summon and dissolve parliament as and when required.[158] Nevertheless, as evident during Henry's break with Rome, the monarch worked within established limits, whether legal or financial, that forced him to work closely with both the nobility and parliament (representing the gentry).[158] In practice, Tudor monarchs used patronage to maintain a royal court that included formal institutions such as the Privy Council as well as more informal advisers and confidants.[159] Both the rise and fall of court nobles could be swift: although the often-quoted figure of 72,000 executions during his reign is inflated,[160] Henry did undoubtedly execute at will, burning or beheading two of his wives, twenty peers, four leading public servants, six close attendants and friends, one cardinal (John Fisher) and numerous abbots.[152]Among those who were in favour at any given point in Henry's reign, one could usually be identified as a chief minister,[159] though one of the enduring debates in the historiography of the period has been the extent to which those chief ministers controlled Henry rather than vice versa.[161] In particular, historian G. R. Elton has argued that one such minister, Thomas Cromwell, led a "Tudor revolution in government" quite independent of the king, whom Elton presented as an opportunistic, essentially lazy participant in the nitty-gritty of politics. Where Henry did intervene personally in the running of the country, Elton argued, he mostly did so to its detriment.[162] The prominence and influence of faction in Henry's court is similarly discussed in the context of at least five episodes of Henry's reign, including the downfall of Anne Boleyn
After reading the background information, Now, you can answer:
What is the proper role of religion in public life?
How can societies reconcile religion and politics?
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