A View of Popish Abuses Yet Remaining in the English Church facts for kids

A View of Popish Abuses was an important book written by John Field in 1572. Field was a Puritan clergyman. He wrote this book to criticize the church services and priests in England during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. He especially disagreed with the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, which was how the Church of England was set up. Field wanted to change the Act of Uniformity 1558. This law made everyone follow certain church rules. He hoped his book would convince people to agree with his ideas. He wanted to remove parts of the church that he felt were too much like the Roman Catholic Church.

What John Field Criticized in the Church

John Field had several main complaints about how church services were run. He wrote about these issues in his book.

Lack of Focus During Services

Field believed that church services were not serious enough. He said that people often did not pay attention. They would talk among themselves, eat, or even sleep during the service. He felt there was not enough discipline.

Kneeling and Noise in Church

One specific complaint was about kneeling. People were asked to kneel when the name of Jesus was said. Field noted that this caused a lot of noise. This noise often made it hard to hear the next part of the service. He also found it strange that people did not have to kneel when the name of God was said. He thought this was disrespectful.

Concerns About Preaching

Field felt that what was called "preaching" was often just fast reading. He said that priests would read very quickly. He believed they did this to finish the service faster. This way, they could do other activities in the afternoon. Field wanted priests to give proper sermons and teach the Bible.

Need for Bible Education

Education was very important to John Field. He was upset that many churchgoers did not know much about the Bible. He noticed that people often thought the Gospels were more important than the Old Testament. Field believed everyone should understand the entire Bible.

Criticism of Cathedrals

Field also strongly criticized large churches called cathedrals. He called them "popish dens." This showed his strong dislike for anything he saw as too Roman Catholic.

The Book's Impact and John Field's Actions

A View of Popish Abuses was published outside of England. It was released along with another book, Admonition to the Parliament, written by Thomas Wilcox.

Consequences for Publishing

Because they published these books, Field and Wilcox faced problems. They were put in prison in the Tower of London for about a year. Their books were seen as breaking the Act of Uniformity 1558. This law set the rules for church services.

Field's Continued Efforts

Even after being in prison, John Field did not give up. He kept working to change the Church of England. He wanted more emphasis on preaching. He also wanted to remove anything that seemed too Roman Catholic. It is thought that he might have written some of the Marprelate Tracts later on. These were a series of pamphlets published in 1588.