[2ndClassCitizen]

I would say that Henry VIII had little to do with it.

Martin Luther hit the nail on the head when he nailed his logic to the church door. The church was corrupt, even selling indulgences. The church, in that corrupt state, reminds me of the money changers in the temple, the ones that Jesus threw out.

Martin Luther started something big. The church and its corruption began to fragment as a result of this and many other forces. Attributing everything to Henry VIII is just not logical.

[MrsEmmaPeel]

I would further say it was the Protestant movement that started the scientific revolution. The Protestant countries were all making amazing discoveries that were not censured by their respective governments, whereas the Catholic countries were treating false ideas (Earth is the center of the solar system) as dogma, and therefore those who challenged these ideas were either tortured, imprisoned, or put to death. It is no accident that all the great advances came from protestant countries (Newton, Leibnitz, Huygens, Kepler). I credit the start of the Protestant movement with Martin Luther: the ability to question authority and live.

Henry VIII did not allow anyone to question him, nor did he foster that kind of environment. He merely didn't want to pay any more tax to the Pope, and he also wanted to get out of a marriage. Henry VIII made very little contribution, IMHO.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Martin Luther only proved what damage a paranoid, schizophrenic, anti-semitic, alcoholic who couldn't control his libido could cause when he put his mind to it.

Failing to admit that is, at best, disingenuous.

[abb]

The invention of movable type should be thrown into the mix, imo. The internet will have a similarly profound impact on civilization.