The Juxtaposition of Religion in the Renaissance vs in the Enlightenment

Sydney Stoeckle
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In this paper, I seek to evaluate the change in religion from the Renaissance to the

Enlightenment. The Renaissance was a period of cultural rebirth that took place in Europe
starting in roughly the fourteenth century and lasting until about the seventieth century. The
Enlightenment era, also known as the Age of Reason, was a scientific and intellectual movement
occurring in Europe during the seventieth century, when people advanced their knowledge and
modified their approach on religious, social, political, and economic issues. A large component
of both the Renaissance era and the Enlightenment era was religion. Both eras proved to
manipulate religious beliefs based solely on those in command and those who voiced a new
approach. Religion in the Enlightenment grew upon that of previous eras and created a whole
new outlook on religious belief. I argue that religion had a monumental transformation from the
Renaissance to the Enlightenment. I will prove this by assessing how religious dogmas were
accepted in the Renaissance but rejected in the Enlightenment, dissecting the belief in God
during the Renaissance vs the creation of atheism in the Enlightenment, and analyzing the two
main religions in the Renaissance compared to the smaller religions that were created during the
Enlightenment.

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First, I will assess how religious dogmas were accepted in the Renaissance but rejected in
the Enlightenment. The main purpose of the Renaissance was to give people, as well as

countries, an opportunity to correct past mistakes and have a chance at a positive future. The
Renaissance gave the Church a chance to take back control and reinstate their papacy.
Metmuseum.org elucidates this by saying, A period of renewed power for the papacy began in
the year 1420, when Pope Martin V (r. 141731) moved the papal seat back to Rome, following
its long Babylonian Captivity, when several popes simultaneously claimed the office. This
restored peoples believe in the religious dogmas, but not for very long. As the Renaissance began
to grow closer to the Enlightenment era, people began to question religious dogmas more
frequently and openly. The constant conflict between religion and science became a large
component of the transition from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. According to
westga.edu, Prior to the Enlightenment, before the discovery of natural laws, people had
believed that every event that occurred, no matter how major or minor, was a direct result of
Gods intervention. As scientific facts became more prominent in society, people began to fear
God less, and therefore loose their believe in religious dogmas. The transition from strongly
believing in religious dogmas to almost completely rejecting them is one of the myriad of
reasons that religion had a monumental transformation from the Renaissance to the
Enlightenment.

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Next, I will dissect the belief in God during the Renaissance vs the creation of atheism in
the Enlightenment. In the Renaissance, nearly everyone believed in God and understood that
there is a higher, omnipotent being over us. The two main religions were Catholicism and
Protestantism. Many people feared the power of God and what he would do if they did not
follow his will and they only believed out of fear for the unknown. When a plethora of

philosophers began to state their opinions and scientific facts, people began to fear God seldom.
As people began to fear God less frequently, they began to lose belief in him as well. The term
Atheism is defined as the disbelief in God or gods. One man, known as Hegel, was one of the
first people to have his writings cause inspiration for atheists everywhere. Letusreason.org gives
a brief preview of Hegels beliefs by saying, He said that without the world God is not God. In
some way, God needed his creation. This was the first step in saying that, since God was not
sufficient in Himself, he was unnecessary and ultimately imaginary. Hegel sparked a modern
atheistic movement and influenced others to speak openly about atheism as well. Citizens in
Europe going from believing in God to believing that God is imaginary is why religion had a
monumental transformation from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment.

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Finally, I will analyze the two main religions in the Renaissance compared to the smaller
religions that were created during the Enlightenment. The two religions in the Renaissance that
were mainly practiced were Catholicism and Protestantism, as previously mentioned. In both of
these religions, people believe that God is the omniscient power who created all things including,
but not limited to, Human beings, animals, the universe, and heaven and hell. As people began to
change their way of thinking, their beliefs changed as well. Some of the smaller religions created
in the Enlightenment include: Deism, humanitarianism, and people who believed in natural laws.
Deists, according to westga.edu, believed in God as a great inventor or architect who had
created the universe then allowed it to function like a machine or clock without divine
intervention. Although Deists believed in a hereafter, they believed human achievement and
happiness should be the focus of this life rather than the life to come. Humanitarianism was the

belief that people who are more fortunate should assist those who are less fortunate. This was a
new concept, because prior to humanitarianism, people believed that those who were unfortunate
were that way because it was Gods will and it was punishment for wrongdoings. Those who
believe in natural rights, believe that human reason could discover the natural laws of the
universe. There having been two main religions in the Renaissance and multiple smaller religions
created during the Enlightenment is one of the main causes for why religion had a monumental
transformation from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment.

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Religion is constantly changing and evolving and this is especially conspicuous during
the transition from the Renaissance era to the Enlightenment era. Citizens in Europe went from
accepting religious dogmas to rejecting them. Many people believed in God because they feared
his power, but as science encroached people began to fear God less and therefore no longer
believe in him. They also changed from believing in God to believing that he is merely
imaginary and going from having two main religions to having a profuse amount of smaller
religions. Similar to why people stopped believing in religious dogmas, as people feared God a
limited amount, they stopped believing in him and became atheists. Atheism prompted people to
begin to create their own smaller religions. These are the reasons that contributed to the reason
behind religion having a monumental transformation from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment.
If you lived in the period of transition between the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, would you
have stuck to your believes or allowed science to change them?