The Reformation as a Result of the Renaissance.
The great question concerning the Protestant Reformation is whether or not it was caused by the Renaissance. This is an incredibly complex question to answer, for there are literally thousands of different interpretations of this question by numerous scholars including one named David Cameron. This is not their paper; thus this is not their opinion. The Protestant Reformation was the direct result of the Renaissance, and it would not have happened without the technical advances that came from the Renaissance. "Erasmus laid the egg the Luther hatched (Class Notes);" this is the relationship between the Reformation and the Renaissance. (Class Notes).
Clearly Gutenberg and his printing press allowed the Protestant Reformation to flourish. Previously all books had to be hand copied by scribes or monks, but the printing press allowed for relatively large numbers books to be published in a greatly shortened period of time. It was this that allowed the writings of Luther and his contemporaries to reach those who were literate. Without this mass replication of new ideas, the message of the Protestants and Reformers would not have reached most of those who ended up leaving the Roman Catholic Church. It was the ability to mass-produce these works and translated scriptures that increased the level of debate amongst the ruling class over the questionable practices of the Church and its leadership. ("Reformation" 1).
The authority of the Church was also questioned by the new philosophical idea of Humanism proposed by Erasmus of Rotterdam. The idea proposed was that man could control his own fate. This went against the dogma of predestination that was prevalent during the Middle Ages. It's a given that some people will not accept radical new ideas, and they will want to revert back to the old ways. This resistance to change is part of human nature, but in this case there was an interesting twist.