Today in one of my history classes (a class about the history of religion in modern Europe) we were discussing the Age of Enlightenment, and one student asked our professor if the Enlightenment would have occurred without the Protestant Reformation. Our professor believed it would be unlikely. His reasoning was that the reformers' use of the printing press to spread their literature (especially the Bible translated into the vernacular) contributed to the proliferation of literacy in Europe and made it easier to spread new ideas, which in turn helped lead to the Enlightenment.
The parallels between the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment are obvious. Both saw the emergence of new ideas that challenged traditional authorities and revolutionized societies throughout Europe.
What do you folks think? Could the Enlightenment have occurred without the Reformation? If so, would it have been delayed or brought about by different events?