The Protestant Reformers And The Catholic Church - 1500 Words

Introduction Although the Protestant Reformers (i.e., Luther, and Zwingli) challenged the Roman Catholic Church to return to Scripture as the primary source of Christian theology, members of other groups believed Luther and Zwingli failed to include the New Testament teachings on the difference between the church and society. As a result, a group of Protestant radicals led by Georg Blaurock and Conrad Grebel founded a new congregation that became known as the Anabaptist. The split occurred when the radicals could not convince Zwingli to agree with their views on the connection between the civic community and the religious community. Consequently, the Anabaptist and later the Mennonites expanded on the Protestant Reformation. In†¦show more content†¦. . so that no one who is in the state of grace . . . can be lawfully hindered therefrom†. In regards to confessions, Canon 21 of the Fourth Lateran Council stated that, â€Å"Every Christian who has reached years of discretio n to confess all his or her sins at least once a year to his or her own priest†. Moreover, On December 8, 1854 on the Feast of the Conception, Pope Pius IX declared that, â€Å"The most blessed Virgin Mary . . . by a special grace and privilege of Almighty God . . . was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin†. The Pope’s motive for declaring the Blessed Virgin Mary immaculate was to assure blessing for the Church. Specifically, Pope Pius IX believed the Blessed Virgin Mary was the way to salvation. He stated, â€Å"the whole ground of our confidence is placed in the most holy Virgin . . . if there be any grace, if there be any salvation we must receive it solely from her†. Furthermore, all Catholics were required to understand and believe in the teachings of the church, accept the supreme authority of the church and develop his or her inner life. In other words, it was required that devout Catholics adhere to all decrees issued by ecu menical councils. Accordingly, at the Fourth Lateran Council the Catholic Church the following decrees were issued. 1) The Catholic Church is the one universal church and no one outside of the church can be saved, 2) Jesus’ body and blood is contained in the sacraments, 3) Only ordained