Throughout the ages, man has come to idealize a word that is most commonly related to "heavenly" or "perfect" without actually picking up the book and realizing for themselves that there is no such thing. A Utopian society could never exist because man is made to want, to desire success. Man is competitive by nature and would never be happy in a society where everyone is equal and there is no chance of advancement. Sir Thomas More dreamt of a land that was much like England but could never surpass time. He opened the eyes of a nation and made its people desire something new. Views were significantly changed and the world would never be the same. Sir Thomas More inspired dramatic changes in religion, community life and even paved the way for communism. And he did all of this through one simple book about one simple society. In a perfect utopian society, there is no official religion. The people are allowed freedom of belief. "Some worship for god the sun, some the moon, some some other of the planets" (117). The only thing that they all believe in is that there is one supreme ruler that creates miracles and brings them such joy. This is all quite contrary to the beliefs held in 1516 England. Their opinions resemble those of Christianity: their priestly caste, their high standard of morality, their prayers, and their hymns. However, in England the Roman Catholic Church allowed no freedom of beliefs. In fact, the church was firm in its insistence upon the principle of one church and one authoritative doctrine. More even went so far as to poke fun at the idea of the priests of Utopia being men of eminent piety. This remark, under normal circumstances, should be taken as a matter of course. However, in Europe at the time there were many outcries against the laxity and corruption among the clergy. Therefore, many saw this as an indirect thrust at the Christian priesthood. The fact that Utopian priests could marry represents a significant difference from the Catholic vow of celibacy.
