Good Example Of What Role Did The Church Play In The Daily Lives Of The Medieval Public? Essay

In the medieval times, the church played a major role in the daily lives of the medieval public. Almost all the activities that were done by the general public were dominated by the church. Apart from acting as a form of authority to the medieval lives, the church provided religion.
The impacts can be divided in terms of the effects of the control that the church had in the towns and the people. All the people during the time were taught that the only way to get to heaven was through the church. The Roman Catholic Church played a major role in that it acted as a form of authority as they informed the people that the church had the responsibility of allowing them to go to heaven. Most of the people were terrified by the stories that they had been told in case they went to hell. This was constantly repeated when the people attended the daily services in the church.
Most of the people during the medieval times were peasants. This was as a result of working on the church land for free. This time could have been spent better if they had been allowed to work on their lands. Additionally, the peasants were required to pay 10% of what they earned that was considered a tithe. The form of payment was either in the goods that the peasants produced on their farms or in money. The church stored the foodstuffs in barns and in most instances, the foodstuff were eaten by rats. In the event, that they failed to pay, the peasants were told that they will go to hell.
The other way that the church played a major role in shaping the lives of individuals is that the church did not allow couples to live together. This is because it was taught that living together as couples equaled sin and could result in not going to heaven. Individuals also had to pay for baptisms. If one was not baptized, then the individuals would not go to heaven. This led to the church being very wealthy.
In terms of religion, Christian rituals had to be performed by the church. This was a part of the everyday life of the Christians. The sacraments that the individuals received meant that they could have an everlasting life. The priests, on the other hand, provided guidance on the morals of the society and the sick and the needy were helped by the church. In terms of work, the few individual who were privileged to work in church buildings that included the residential areas of the peasants and the cathedral buildings meant that they were skilled. These few privileged individuals were considered as to have a gate pass to heaven as they assisted in church activities. Additionally the workers had the most important tools and in case of an accident during the buildings, one was guaranteed a place in heaven.
The churches provided an education that was religion based. The Protestants were considered as individuals who would go to hell. The food was provided for free for individuals who were willing to go to the catholic libraries. All in all the church played a major role in the lives of people in all areas. However, the use of religion was successful due to the fear that people had on what could occur to them if they failed to comply with the instructions of the church.

Works cited

Singman, Jeffrey L. Daily Life in Medieval Europe. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press, 1999. Print.