Science and Religion - The Birth of a Conflict (The Watchtower, April 1, 2005)

Magazine cover

Article dealing with the conflict between science and religion, arisen with the innovative heliocentric model of Nicholaus Copernicus (the sun as centre of our planetary system). In 1543, Copernicus launched the work On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. In it, he said that the sun, not the earth, was the point around which the planets revolved, opposing the popular opinion and the official concept of the Roman Catholic Church.

In good truth, Copernicus did not suffer any type of opposition. At first, the heliocentric view did not look like a threat to the Catholic Church. Even the pope himself urged Copernicus to publish his work. Only later did the Church start to pursue those who rejected the geocentric concept (the earth as centre of the system). Perhaps for fear, even Copernicus’ publisher mentioned that the heliocentric theory “was a mathematical ideal, not necessarily an astronomical truth”.

Portuguese edition of
Nicholas Copernicus’ book

Come the time of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), the conflict increased. Galileo invented lenses that let him observe with more detail the celestial bodies (like the sun) and he came to conclude that Copernicus was correct. Galileo defended his ideas with vehemence within a “hostile environment”, because the Catholic Church had taken a position totally opposed to Copernicus’ theory, forbidding contrary divulging. It said that the heliocentric theory clashed with the teachings of the Bible.

In his turn, Galileo tried to argue with the religious of the time, explaining that the heliocentric model was not only correct, but also it did not contradict the Scriptures in any way. This generated hatred in his opponents, for by his agile and convict defence he seemed to assume the position of an expert in religion, specifically “expert in the Bible”. That was inadmissible, as only the Church had the divine prerogative of interpreting the Sacred Text.

In 1616, Galileo went to Rome, the Catholics’ world headquarters, to defend himself before the “specialists” of the Church. But it was to no avail and he was forced to silence. The silence however was interrupted in 1632, when he published a work in support of Copernicus called “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems”, where he criticized the 1616 edict of the Roman Inquisition, who censured the book of Copernicus. In 1633 he was condemned to life imprisonment, commuted later to house arrest, out of consideration for his age. It is said that Galileo’s punishment was not more rigorous only because he knew influential people who protected him (this detail is not mentioned in the article).

Portuguese edition of Galileo Galilei’s book

Because of the above account, many say that Science won over the Bible and religion, revealing itself as more satisfactory. This edition of The Watchtower approaches also this aspect in a second article, called “Science and the Bible – do they really contradict each other?” In this text, the Watch Tower (publisher of the magazine) states that it was the Church that was wrong, not the Bible. In fact the Church thought that its opinion had the same weight as the Biblical text, and did not admit that someone would prove the Church wrong in any detail.

 

To reflect on

The history of the Church, especially in the Middle Ages, is a lesson that should be learned by all who occupy positions of religious leadership. Unhappily, though, many do not admit that they show the same dogmatic spirit as evidenced in the conflict between the Church and the heliocentrists. There are vivid and contemporary examples of this mistake. Notice one such case, by reading this article. (If you are a Jehovah’s Witness read here beforehand). See how a religion does not give up an erroneous concept (that contradicts both the Bible and science), and still says that it is in harmony with the Scriptures. Those who prove that the concept is wrong are scorned for not having the same “skill” as the “Church”, nor being “spokesmen” of God, as supposedly the Church is. Should they persist in contradicting the “official teaching of God” they are punished.

The Catholic Church took about 359 years to admit it has erred in the judgment of Galileo (The Watchtower, April 01, 2005, p. 5). What to say of the example mentioned in the above link? Only time will tell.

 

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