Before the invention of the printing press, the only way the common person could find out about religion was through the church. The first thing a person would see as they entered the church, was the stained glass windows, which told a story that the church wanted them to see, then they would sit and listen to the stories that the priest would tell. They had no way of knowing how accurate (or false) they teaching was that they were hearing. After the invention of the printing press, the common people had more access to The Bible and other religious teachings which decreased the Catholic churches hold over the masses.