Thomas Mores Sainthood Essay - 1303 Words

Thomas Mores Sainthood Thomas Mores sainthood has been under great controversy even after a century of his death. It was not until 1866 that he was declared a saint. This declaration came about after many debates and votes of acceptance both by the people and by the church. While the English Church was still bound by King Henry VIIIs Supremacy Act, Thomas More was rumored to have been a deceitful character of the court. He was declared unorthodox who went against the Church (Roper, 1935). He was also said to have gone against the doctrines of the church because he went against the King of England. In modern times the portrayal of, partially, Richard the III and Thomas More is seen to be compassionate and kind to their people. In†¦show more content†¦I doubt if theres a man alive who could follow me there, thank God.... [Bolt, 45] To keep himself out of trouble, he decided to keep his mouth shut on the matter. Morally, he was obligated to protect his friend and King for he was the chancellor of the court. Religiously he had a duty to God which he could not deny. He did not want to go against Gods rules; therefore, he chose the middle course. Despite all of this, he was prosecuted and killed. MORES RELIGIOUS BELIEFS There seems to be little doubt that More did consider at one point becoming a priest. In this play More says, Gods my god...But I find him rather too subtle.... I dont know where He is or what He wants. When his sentence was read out, More spoke freely and revealed that he was totally unable to see the sense of the oath of supremacy. I am able to produce against one bishop which you can produce, a hundred holy and Catholic bishops for my opinion; and against one realm, the consent of Christendom for a thousand years. (Bolt, 63) This conflict with the Church, and his feelings towards the holy bishop shows that he was attached to his beliefs. Perhaps the contradiction between the two great men (Richard and More) originated within the church. By not obeying King Henry, he also fell from the kings list of good men. This only made is powerful position is society decrease. Despite all this, he did not allow himself to swear to an oath of allegiance to the king making him theShow MoreRelatedDo you accept the view that More was a cruel man with little compassion for others?793 Words   |  4 Pageswouldnt lie about his principles, even to save his own life. He was Henry VIIIs chancellor, and a loyal and highly effective administrator.  A lot can be said either about his cruelty or about his sainthood and loyalty to the King. Using my own knowledge and the information from the sources, I can state that Thomas More was not a cruel man, considering the commonness and customs in which people of that time lived. More, a major humanist, was acknowledged to be one of Englands greatest thinkers ever