Meaning and Impact of Anticlericalism
Anticlericalism was the opposition to the Church.
It had a significant impact as people began to realise faults within for various reasons (‘strands’), as identified by Scarisbrick.
The four main strands were:
- ‘negative, destructive’ - unhappy with Priest, Monastery, etc. local scope.
- ‘positive, idealistic through secular’ - to rid the Church of foreign authority, bringing courts into the state judicial framework. higher class, somewhat-local scope.
- ‘positive idealistic through religion’ - to bring fundamental change to Christian life in England. wide scope.
- ‘heresy’ - ‘personal piety and use of scripture’, personal faith and scripture.
Attitudes to the Church
| Aspect of Church Life | Verdict |
|---|---|
| The Papacy (the office held by the Pope) | Most people accepted the Pope’s power. Dissent existed in small groups. |
| Religious Orders | Most people accepted religious orders despite decline in respect and enthusiasm. |
| Secular Clurgy (Preists) | Generally respected although aspects of hostility were evident. |
| Parish Churches and Chaples | Support generally remained high; - large numbers of churches built - significant donations from the public - significant sums left in parishioner wills for the purpose of furnishing |
| Religious Guilds | Support generally remained high; - left sums in wills by a large proportion of the population |
| Sacraments | Support generally remained high; - high levels of attendance |
| Intercession | Support remained extremely high; - continued foundation of chantries to provide prayers and Masses (worship) |
| Images | Support generally remained high until 1530s where local communities began to accept iconoclasm |