The Condemnation of Galileo

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The Condemnation of Galileo

The condemnation of Galileo by the Catholic Church is a prime example of the vast dispute between religion and science. It is widely believed that his support of Copernicanism, the theory that the earth rotates on its own axis, led to his condemnation by the Catholic Church. However, modern historians disagree with this belief and as a matter of fact they do not believe that indeed there is warfare between religion and science. Under the content of condemnation of Galileo are subjects such as Copernicanism, Eucharist, Popes Paul 5 and atomism.

Galileo’s idea of atomism conflicts with the church‘s definition of the Eucharist. According to the church, bread and wine represent flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Aristotle’s theory, stating that the material of bread and wine changes but the quality does not, was used to affirm the Eucharist. In 1612, Galileo openly criticized Aristotle, saying his ideas were wrong and ridiculed Christopher Scheiner, a Jesuit scientist, over the idea of sunspots. These actions led to his widespread condemnation by the Roman Catholic Church. It was also observed that although Galileo had revealed that Aristotle’s ideas were inconsistent, he did not prove Copernican ideas that he readily supported. As a result, Pope Paul V warned and ordered Galileo to immediately stop supporting Copernican ideas.

Moreover, Pope Urban had affirmed that God had limited man’s understanding of the universe but Galileo had different thoughts. According to him, God gave man the explicit mandate to reason and discover the world. This statement was contrary to the belief that the Pope was not supposed to be disputed but Galileo had just done that. He was thus arrested and after trial, he was fo...

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...nature. This did not go down well with the Chinese emperor who banned Christianity and prohibited any of its followers from preaching in China. This act saw the rise of rebellion that was led by Hong Xiuquan, who had earlier been converted to Christianity. However, the rebellion was short-lived and it was trounced by the Qing army.

Works Cited

Fix, Andrew. “Radical Reformation and Second Reformation in Holland: The Intellectual Consequences of the Sixteenth-Century Religious Upheaval and the Coming of a Rational World View.” The Sixteenth Century Journal 18, no.1 (1987): 63-80.

Sarasohn, Lisa T. “French Reaction to the Condemnation of Galileo, 1632-1642.” The Catholic Historical Review 74, no.1 (2008): 34-54.

Waley-Cohen, Joanna. “China and Western Technology in the Late Eighteenth Century.” The American Historical Review 98, no.5 (1993): 1525-1544.

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