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The Radical Reformation was a failure from its conception, with its contradicting views regarding the justification of violence committed by the supposedly pacifistic anabaptists; the desire of the Radicals to abolish hierarchy at the risk of complete social upheaval and chaos; their neurotic beliefs and radical theology (Hoffmans Christology of the celestial flesh) ; and the fact that many Anabaptists did not actually believe in the Bible, which was, according to Calvin:
"Gods only way of connecting with mankind. ... This eagerness to take things one step at a time was frustrating too many who had been enlightened by the prospect of reformation in the Church and were eager to abandon the old ways too hastily, mainly the Anabaptists. ... The Anabaptists lack of support from the Princes is definitely a key factor in their downfall, as they had no sense of order or authority, so they had no means of establishing themselves with another more influencial social group before attempting to force themselves onto society as a whole. ... "
The lack of unity within the Anabaptist groups is another key factor as to why the Radical Reformation failed. ... This lack of clarity in their theology was a reason why they never really gained a lot of support and why the movement never took off. ...
The idea of adult baptism, in which one is not baptised into the Catholic faith as a baby, but as a consenting adult, (after deliberately chosing to be) is a strong part of the Anabaptists beliefs and sparked outrage from all Catholics and Protestants, as it promoted free choice, which opposed their belief that God is always with his children and they should feel priviliged to be in His presence, not have the right to dismiss him. They were scandalised upon hearing that child baptism, one of the most important Sacraments, was labelled an abomination by the Anabaptists, whose opinion made them seem overtly extreme, as did the fact that they didnt even believe in any of the 7 Sacraments, which even the Protestants did- they kept two.
Approximate Word count = 1466
Approximate Pages = 5.9
(250 words per page double spaced)
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