Karen Chen In Robert Bolts play, A Man for All Seasons, Sir Thomas More, a staunch Catholic Englishman

is faced with a life threatening situation in which he must decide over his loyalty to the Catholic Church or to the King. As some background to the story, King Henry VIII had married his brothers widow, Queen Catherine, even though it was an act against what the Bible says. Years later, King Henry desperately wants to divorce the Queen, and marry Anne Boleyn instead; someone who could provide him with a son. However, Thomas More strongly opposes this idea and will not give consent to the divorce. The Bible states that couples should not divorce, and even the Pope will not grant the divorce. So in the end, the king breaks away from the Church and makes everyone in England sign an oath declaring the king as head of the Church. Unhappy with the kings decisions, More refuses to do anything the king wants him to do, and consequently, gets executed for treason. So why couldnt Thomas More just agree to the divorce and sign the oath? Its because he was a man with a strong conscience; a martyr who wasnt afraid of doing what he felt was right. I think his decisions were righteous and inspiring for several reasons. His devotion to the Catholic Church allowed him to be unaffected by the rest of society at the time, he persisted in following his beliefs, and his words and actions set a great example for the future. First of all, I think that Thomas More was unaffected about his decisions mostly because he put religion above everything else. More couldnt accept the divorce because the Bible states couples should NOT divorce. Besides that, even the Pope wouldnt grant the divorce either. Since More believed that the Pope is the closest person to God, he felt that no matter what, the Popes decisions are supreme. His loyalty to the Church is so clear to readers, since he wouldnt even let Will Roper marry Margaret because he was Protestant. So when the King declared that he would take over the Church, of course More would not agree to it. What would Catholicism still be like if a n ordinary person took authority over the holy Pope? Another reason why I think More made the right decisions, is because he held strongly in what he believed in. Such an amazing person not only respected his own opinions, but also had the ability to keep faith in them. Practically the entire society he lived in tried to convince him to give in to the divorce and oath, but nevertheless, More refused to do so. Under normal conditions, if all your friends, enemies, the King, and even your own family all pleaded for you to give up your faith to save your life, a little pressure would just do the trick. Not for Thomas More though. If the Bible says not to do it, then you shouldnt do it. If an oath is to swear on something you dont believe in, then dont take it. If the law says you have the right to stay silent, then no one should assume what your standpoint is. These are his beliefs that put him apart from everyone else at the time. I think that Thomas More was a great man in history to study. His words and actions set a great example for the future of morality. With

people like him, people know what it is like to have a strong faith in what one believes in. People with understand that even death is better than renouncing ones conscience. Just like More , many Falun Dafa practioners also walked his path, and set examples for the future. Even under the brutal persecution in China, practitioners died from torture, starvation, and organ harvesting just because they wouldnt give up Falun Gong. We all know of practitioners refusing to sign oaths and petitions to give up Falun Gong, just like More who refused to sign the Act in Parliament. People like them are all heroes who would not renounce their beliefs. As a result, I think Thomas More deserves to be honored as a great man who would not give up his conscience. His decisions were not only in the name of justice, but in the name of religion and faith as well. More should be admired for his devout belief in the Church, his strong and persistent beliefs in what was right, and because he is a role model for the people of a righteous world. Bolts play is truly a memorable classic that everyone should read to learn about the inspiring life of Thomas More.