response 14 of 66:

Oct 9 23:06 UTC 2003

Certainly Katie has seized upon one of the key differences between 
Catholic ideology and Protestant ideology.  Remember that for the first
1400 or so years of the Christian faith, the idea that the average 
Christian would read the Bible herself was simply not imaginable.
Literacy was rare, and books were handwritten -- incredibly valuable
objects.
 
In the Catholic system of things, everything flows from the top down:
from God through the Pope and the church hierarchy down to the local
priest.  So yeah, the idea developed that only trained minds should 
read the Word of God directly, lest they form heretical independent ideas.
And this idea conformed to the available technology, for over a thousand
years.
 
The Protestant revolution required the invention of the printing press,
which was necessary before the idea that everyone should read the Word
of God themselves could take hold.   Disclaimer: I was raised Protestant,
Lutheran.
 
Many of the early people who translated the Bible into local languages 
were punished, often executed, for heresy.