Separation of Church and State

Luther is perhaps best known for starting the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his 95 Theses to a church door. With this action, he directly challenged the power and position of the church in society.

Calvin essentially continued the work of Luther and helped spread the Reformation to other parts of Europe. Calvin believed in an explicit and literal interpretation of the Bible, but also believed in the strength of the individual to be good and follow God's law. He was also critical of the Catholic Church and its influence at the time.

Machiavelli, often considered one of the founders of political science, is most famous for his work, The Prince, which is essentially an instruction manual for how a tyrant should rule. He wrote The Prince after being exiled by the Medici. His other work, the Discourses on Livy describes the advantages of a Republic. Both have had profound influences on the modern world.

Problem:

Earlier we examined Augustine and Aquinas, both of which had great influence on the role of the Church in government. With Reformists like Calvin and Luther, the role was further defined. Write a 2 page paper in which you analyze the role of religion and its influence on the state in one of the following modern (within the past 20 years) countries: Iran, Iraq, USA.