Dr. John Rao discusses the clash of the different Catholic and Protestant communities and creeds which were formalized in the 1500's and 1600's. Battles of these "confessions", both intellectual and bloody, engendered a reaction. Political leaders in particular began to hunt for a way to avoid having to give religion a primacy in social life. Taken from: Protestant Rebellion and Catholic Reform (1517-1648) - 1997 Von Hildebrand Institute