Matthew was often used as the somewhat dubious theological basis for the sale of indulgences: "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (The Catholic Living Bible 1971: Matt. 16:19). ... For years, he was an outstanding servant of the Church, but his study of the Bible led him into conflict with the Church's sometimes-corrupt system of beliefs. ... To Luther the source of these beliefs, and of religious authority in general, was not th...

• Word Count: 2755
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Historically, the unequal power structure between the different genders (male and female) in the Hebrew Bible relegated women and placed them in positions of objective powerlessness. ... Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in her article, "The Degraded Status of Woman in the Bible"" (2006), discusses this view of the superiority of men over women in the Roman Catholic Church. ...

• Word Count: 2952
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The debate on contraceptives is filled with moral and theological sand pits. There are so many strongly held beliefs for, and against, for reasons unclear to most. None of the answers are simple to these hot button topics; for the most part they are complex and hover in a grey area of morality, tradition, and history. Sex and love are obviously two things that interests humans, and animals to an extent. People write songs, books, and poetry about both topics. ...

• Word Count: 2516
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

At a very young age, I was taught how to make the sign of the cross, I was given a kiddie book about the Life of Saints and a sort of children's bible and that going to Mass every Sunday was a requirement. ... Cain and Abel, in a typical Christian girl's point of view, is known to be just a part of a bible story wherein they both made an offering to God but God only accepted Abel's - which made Cain jealous and furious. ...

• Word Count: 3044
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

Summary Until Galileo's time science was a handmaiden of philosophy which in turn was the handmaiden of theology. Galileo according to Drake wished to free science from this bondage as the historical obstacle to its utility and progress. As Drake explains " the silencing and punishment of Galileo toward the end of a life devoted to scientific inquiry was an event of profound significance for our cultural history" (pg. iii). Drake's biography on Galileo meanders its way from the very beginning of Galileo's life and work right to the bitter end. Drake embodies a simple and pleasi...

• Word Count: 3037
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Much of the literature, sculptures, and paintings were dedicated to things from the Bible. ... He created pamphlets explaining that the Catholic Church was taking advantage of their people and they were basically making things up that were never even mentioned in the Bible. ...

• Word Count: 2877
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

They spend a lot of their time dedicated to learning and reading about the Bible and the monk in the Canterbury tales does not follow this image of what a monk should be. He does not like reading or studying the Bible, because he thinks it is uninteresting. ...

• Word Count: 2604
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

Our conscience can be influenced by a variety of sources ranging from our parents or other close family members, friends, priests and other religious, youth members, the Bible and many other Holy texts. ...

• Word Count: 2805
• Approx Pages: 11

One evening, Sally Hawkins, a Catholic commoner living in the Netherlands, went to a nearby meeting place to have a cup of tea with some friends. While at her table, Sally overheard a group of men discussing something she'd never heard about; a theory called Darwinism. Intrigued, she went over to th...

• Word Count: 3674
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

This essay is concerned with Martin Luther (1483-1546), and his concept of Christianity. Luther began his ecclesiastical career as an Augustinian Monk in the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, Luther was initially loyal to the papacy, and even after many theological conflicts, he attempted to bring about his reconciliation with the Church. But this was a paradox not to endure because in his later years, Luther waged a continual battle with the papacy. Luther was to become a professor of biblical exegesis at Wittenberg where, in 1957, he posted his critique of the Roman Catholic Church's...

• Word Count: 2769
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

The Second Vatican Council, an ecumenical meeting, was the first in almost a century. With it came the introduction and implementation of changes that rocked every aspect of Church life. Lasting from 1962 to 1965 under the leadership of two of the most influential Popes to ever take up an office in the Vatican, the Second Vatican Council ensured that the Church would never be the same again. The Second Vatican Council, otherwise known as Vatican II, was a gathering of all the Bishops in the Catholic Church that was intended to "bring the Church up to date" (aggiornamento) as Pope J...

• Word Count: 2753
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Undergraduate