Donne's Influence in Present Day Pacific

John Donne's transformation in his writing from Catholic to Protestant was characteristic of the changes that were taking place in Europe at the time.

Many questioned the Catholic Church. After going back to the original text in an Ad Fontes fashion, interpretations of the gospel that were contradictive to the Catholic teachings of the time. The idea of the human as an individual was one of the key contradictions that made so many question Catholicism. Individuality empowered Europeans to take responsibility for their souls. Their spiritual well being was no longer dictated by the amount of tithing that was paid but through careful reflection.

Donne's Holy Sonnet 14 is a perfect example of the type of self-reflection that took place:

"Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend; That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new... Take me to you, imprison me, for I. Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me." 

I served a church mission in the Central Pacific where everyone was affiliated with a religious group. The most common of the groups were Catholics and Protestants. In my discussions with people from both groups, I found that the people of the Central Pacific were influenced by these religions in the same way Europeans were in the Renaissance. The Catholics were fulfilled by their spiritual rituals, and the Protestants focused on their spirituality as individuals.

The fact that people on the opposite sidesof the world are still affected by the principles discussed by Donne, proves the magnitude of this enlightenment.