History of Religion

BCE  usually refers to Before Common Era. The simplest reason for using BCE/CE (Common Era) as opposed to AD/BC is to avoid reference to Christianity and in particular to avoid naming Christ as lord. 

Sometimes CE is used instead of AD and BCE stands for BC. The letter CE stands for 'Common Era' and BCE stands for 'Before Common Era'. We use these terms because the Christian Era is now used in most of the countries of the World. 

The Renaissance was a period in European history, from the 14th to the 17th century, regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history. It started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe, marking the beginning of the Early Modern Age.

Renaissance humanism  is the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. It was an important feature of the Renaissance movement.

The Renaissance  was a cultural movement that initially began in Florence, Italy, but later spread throughout Europe. It started around 1350 and ended around 1600. During the Renaissance (a word that means "rebirth"), people experienced changes in art, learning, and many other things.

The followers of Martin Luther were called Protestants. They ware called protestants because of their "Protest". They were in protest of the major beliefs of the Catholic Church at the time. They held differing beliefs than the Catholic Church and sought to create a new Christian sect based on these new beliefs.

Renaissance signifies emancipation and expression. On the intellectual side, it marked the revival of literature and art, on the political side it marked the death of universal authority of Pope, the emergence and consolidation of well-organised nation states. Socially, it marked the spirit of individualism and the recognition of man as an individualism. 

It became easier to propagate the Renaissance ideas widely among the masses with the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg.

The Northern Renaissance most differed from the Italian Renaissance in that it replaced greater importance on religious devotion. In other words we can say, the Italian Renaissance was an artistic movement unaffected by reformation. In Northern Europe Renaissance was philosphical and strongly affected by reformation.

To strengthen a king's claim to absolute power over his subjects.

Religious turmoil, territorial conflicts, the need for taxes, and standing armies were all drivers of absolutism. Religious turmoil was a catalyst for the desire for strong, centralized control to restore order, not a result of it.

During the early Middle Ages, monasteries were the primary centers of learning and literacy. They preserved classical texts by copying manuscripts, blending Greco-Roman traditions with Christian theology.

Reformation led to the division within the Church. It broke the unity of Christendom. The church was broken up into two major groups: Protestantism and Catholicism. The two main groups further divided into many sects. National Churches were established in many countries. The supremacy of the Pope was replaced by the supremacy of the Bible.

The Church was the most influential body in medieval history. It held great importance in the lives of people who perceived the Church as a source of divinity and legitimacy.