Answer three of the following questions:
Q: What did the Albigensians believe?
A: The Albigensians believed that everything flesh is bad, and everything spirit is good. At first, this doesn’t seem like it would cause too many problems; the Apostle Paul talked a lot about the evil nature of the flesh. However, they took this concept to such an extreme that they believed that anything physical must be evil. This went against what we find in Genesis, where God said his creation was good, and resulted in there being major disputes between the Albigensians and the catholic church over matters such as the sacraments and the incarnation of Christ. They also rejected oath-taking, which put them at odds with the political system of the time.
Q: Describe the mendicant orders of the thirteenth century.
A: The mendicant orders consisted of the Franciscans and the Dominicans. The followers of Saint Francis of Assisi, Franciscans, put an emphasis on living in poverty for Christ. They relied entirely on others to meet their physical needs and rather than working a job, spent their time preaching the gospel. Dominicans were like the Franciscans, but prioritized education as well.
Q: What was the significance of the Magna Carta?
A: When King John I of England started getting out of control, there was a big need for some boundaries to be introduced. The Magna Carta put restrictions on the king and made it clear that the king was under the law too. For example, he couldn’t just increase taxes whenever he wanted, sell land in the kingdom that was rightfully someone else’s, or act like a tyrant in any other way. This was a big step towards the kinds of current political systems we have now. Everyone recognizes the king, but everyone also recognizes that there are boundaries the king should not cross. Parliament was established to keep the king within these boundaries. Unfortunately, the governments of most countries today have gone far past the rightful boundaries and are more tyrannical than any Medieval English King ever was.
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