Man has constantly feared two things throughout history: change and the unknown. During the 16th century the church became the direct and indirect authority at multiple levels that influenced the daily lives of all citizens. So, in a strange way, for everyone good religion is responsible for stability, cohesion, harmony, uniformity and general guidance; the same could be said of all the misery created. It is fair to say that the church is responsible for civil wars, revolutionary wars, impeding the progress of science, political, social and cultural achievements, and murders up until the age of the Enlightenment. During the years of the Enlightenment, the Church evolved from an undisputed divine authority to an authority lacking credibility, thus creating a more tolerable and understanding institution due to indisputable facts and ambiguous interpretations. The purpose of this article is to highlight the contradiction of religion from the 16th century to the years of the Enlightenment and to answer the question: did greed and power motivate religious leaders to maintain power or was it fear of change? Throughout Europe the church was seen as a source of infinite power and wisdom. Since kings were anointed by the church, this ensured that the monarchy had a higher power to answer to and recognized by all citizens. Kings were recognized as divine representatives because the oil used to anoint them was blessed by the church. Having the monarchy as a recognized subordinate, and given the various forms of government practiced by various kings, for example absolutism; the church directly or indirectly influenced politics, science and culture. As King Louis XIV practiced absolutism and his religious leaders, through a thin medium of paper......allowed these men and others the freedom to openly practice and teach their ideas. These pioneers steered the chariot of the Enlightenment out of the clutches of primitive authority into an undiscovered new country, full of optimistic promise. In conclusion, one can only imagine how much further forward we would be today if it weren't for the Church handcuffing progress; we could have a person living on Mars, the formula for traveling at the speed of light, or a cure for cancer, blindness, and diabetes. In the beginning the church was considered the universal source of power, knowledge and all that is right. Fear of change has motivated religious leaders to maintain power by manipulating scientists, political, cultural and social leaders. But as time went on people relied less on the church and moved towards a more tolerable and forward-thinking society.