To The View That Religious Conviction Essay Example

that the remaining two-thirds of gentry were actually Protestant.

Stone argues that religion played a significant role in Yorkshire during that time, as it was notably more catholic than other counties. However, his information is biased towards his desired narrative for his target audience, which can lead to misinterpretation. Despite claiming religion as a key factor, Stone lacks substantial evidence to support its accuracy.

In contrast, David Underdown's "Revel Riot and Rebellion" includes Document C, which appears to have more political motivation than religious. The first line states that "The Political Unity of 1640 foundered in the renewal of religious and cultural conflict," indicating this perspective. Nevertheless, a deeper analysis is necessary for full comprehension of the situation.

The Anti Court consensus of Laud, Hyde, and Wentworth, who pushed for the Common Prayer Book to be enforced in Scotland, caused retaliation from the Scottish Presbyterian Bishops who defeated every English advance. This religious conflict demonstrated that people were more concerned about the Scottish Puritan threat than James II's Catholicism. Underdown and Stone also highlight religion as a main cause of war, with the Puritans being singled out as an example. However, it was the Consensus group who initially proposed forcing the Common Prayer Book on a nation with differing beliefs. Despite the division of communities based on politics and religion, most Englishmen were willing to move on. In Document D, Scottish Bishop Gilbert Burnet, a proponent of religious tolerance, shares his views in "History of my own time" from 1687.

According to Gilbert, the Test Acts were abolished, which enabled the granting of authority to Catholic individuals who supposedly acted without reason towards the clergy.

It becomes evident that

James aimed to convert the country to Catholicism and that religion was a major factor in the Civil War due to his actions of destroying the law through a dispensing power and establishing an ecclesiastical commission with the authority to unjustly prosecute the clergy.

The majority of Parliament during this period were Tory. Despite being aware of James' Catholic denomination, their greater concern was the possibility of civil war. They believed that James' advanced age and lack of an heir to carry on Catholic rule meant the religion would eventually fade away. Bishop Gilbert Burnet argues that if James were to form a standing army, William of Orange's invasion would be justified and would not be considered treason, as he would be rescuing the country. This argument is considered political propaganda and is believed to have contributed to the cause of the civil war, along with religious differences. Extract E from Burnet's "History of my own time" emphasizes the long-awaited crusade to remove James from power by William of Orange, demonstrating Britain's strong desire to rid itself of Catholicism and solidifying religion as a contributing factor to the eventual civil war.

In his speech, Gilbert discusses the numerous legal actions taken against bishops, specifically referring to "the proceedings against bishops."

The 17 Bishop Trials were a part of the proceedings that involved bishops expressing their grievances about James's disregard for the Law of the Test Acts. They accused him of appointing Catholic officers to lead a Protestant army and even at sea. This reflects the strong animosity towards Catholicism and highlights James's attempts to undermine the Anglican Faith.

Interestingly, despite being old and near the end of

his reign, James has a sudden appearance of a son, which ironically further proves that the Anglican faith is trending towards Catholicism - a powerful ideology that most likely contributed to the conviction for civil war. Gilbert's extract is constructed carefully to link Catholicism and Slavery. In spite of this, Gilbert states that the entire nation is engaged in politics in an attempt to balance the argument; however, the majority of the nation was not interested in politics at all.