Why did the Protestant Reformation most likely encourage the persecution of Jews? They represented another challenge to Christia
n teachings. They weakened religious power over secular rulers. They enabled reformers to fund splinter groups. They refused to support the reform of the Catholic Church.
Martin Luther was recognized as a key figure during the Protestant Reformation, and his teachings were highly estimated by the Protestant Christians. Luther did not like Judaism very much because he thought the Jews represented another challenge to Christian teachings. So, on many of his writings he commented it was good to forbid rabbis to teach about Judaism and to persecute Jews. Likewise, Luther commented it was necessary to set fire to their synagogues, to destroy their houses, to punish them economically and to force them to do forced labor.
Kings and Princes in Northern Europe resented the power of the Catholic Church. In Western Europe, a major immediate effect of the Reformation was a. decline in religious unity and in the power of the Catholic Church.
The search for religious freedom played a crucial role in the settlement of America, since the main reason the Puritans left England for America was to escape religious persecution.
