Until the 1500's, with rare exception, the Bible wasn't available in any language other than Latin. This meant that those who couldn't read Latin (the majority) had to let a priest serve as a translator and interpreter. The priest could put whatever spin on the information he wanted, and the congregation couldn't come up with counterarguments, because they couldn't understand the text. It wasn't until the Tyndale Translation that the masses could read the Bible for themselves and draw their own conclusions.

*looks over the wording of the propositions on this year's ballot* I know the feeling.