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Chapter 7 The Dark Ages Begin THE accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. Instead of trusting in the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and for eternal salvation, the people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates to whom he delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their earthly mediator and that none could approach God except through him; and, further, that he stood in the place of God to them and was therefore to be implicitly obeyed. A deviation from his requirements was sufficient cause for the severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of the offenders. Thus the minds of the people were turned away from God to fallible, erring, and cruel men, nay, more, to the prince of darkness himself, who exercised his power through them. Sin was disguised in a garb of sanctity. When the Scriptures are suppressed, and man comes to regard himself as supreme, we need look only for fraud, deception, and debasing iniquity. With the elevation of human laws and traditions was manifest the corruption that ever results from setting aside the law of God. Days of Peril
The darkness seemed to grow more dense. Image worship became more general. Candles were burned before images, and prayers were offered to them. The most absurd and superstitious customs prevailed. The minds of men were so completely controlled by superstition that reason itself seemed to have lost its sway. While priests and bishops were themselves pleasure-loving, sensual, and corrupt, it could only be expected that the people who looked to them for guidance would be sunken in ignorance and vice. The Haughty Pontiff
How striking the contrast between the overbearing pride of this haughty pontiff and the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who represents Himself as pleading at the door of the heart for admittance, that He may come in to bring pardon and peace, and who taught His disciples: "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant" Matthew 20:27. |
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Those
were days of peril for the church of Christ. The gospel was lost sight of, but
the forms of religion were multiplied, and the people were burdened with
rigorous exactions. They were taught not only to look to the pope as their
mediator, but to trust to works of their own to atone for sin. Long pilgrimages,
acts of penance, the worship of relics, the erection of churches, shrines, and
altars, the payment of large sums to the church—these and many similar acts
were enjoined to appease the wrath of God or to secure His favor; as if God were
like men, to be angered at trifles, or pacified by gifts or acts of penance!
Another
step in papal assumption was taken, when, in the eleventh century, Pope Gregory
VII proclaimed the perfection of the Roman Church. Among the propositions which
he put forth was one declaring that the church had never erred, nor would it
ever err, according to the Scriptures. But the Scripture proofs did not
accompany the assertion. The proud pontiff also claimed the power to depose
emperors, and declared that no sentence which he pronounced could be reversed by
anyone, but that it was his prerogative to reverse the decisions of all others.