It is true that often the church and science have clashed bitterly, leaving both sides--and the rest of the world--with the sense that there will never be a way to compromise. One of the best examples of this clash was in the 17th century, when Galileo crossed the Catholic Church. Although history books teach that it was because of his scientific theories, there may have been more to it than that--he may have just offended the pope, Urban VIII, who had been his friend for many years. Whatever the cause, this clash brought the differences between science and religion into high relief, as well as the stress the Reformation was putting on the Holy Mother Church. Galileo, however, never said that religion was wrong and science was right. Although it would seem to be the way to placate the church, he truly believed it; however, it not only did not help his cause, it made it worse.
[...] Galileo tried to show church leaders that if the Bible was interpreted correctly, spoke through both scripture and the ‘book of nature,' that the two could not truly conflict, and that in physical matters authority should rest with reason and sense . principles clearly at odds with the spirit of the Council of Trent” (Lindberg, and Numbers 346; Stark). Instead of challenging scripture itself, he caused dissent about interpreting the Bible and further undermined the position of Holy Mother Church with regard to the Reformation. [...]
[...] Through this friendship and sponsorship of a patron Galileo enjoyed the freedom to pursue emerging theories, including that of a heliocentric system. However, by 1610 Galileo had constructed a telescope designed for viewing the heavens, and the first of his trials would come a mere six years later (Blackwell 24-25). Galileo was 47 by the time he made his second trip to Rome (1611), and was a well-respected professor and scientist. While there, he spoke during visits with church men and scientists alike of his evidence that the earth could rotate around the sun without losing its moon, despite arguments of the times to the contrary, by showing that Jupiter did it with four moons (whether it rotated around the sun or the earth didn't matter) (Shea, and Artigas 23). [...]
[...] "Science Finds God Newsweek Culture Newsweek.com." Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment and more . Newsweek.com Nov < http:>. Blackwell, Richard J. Science, Religion and Authority: Lessons from the Galileo Affair. Milwaukee: Marquette University Press Golden, Frederic , and Wilton Wynn. "Rehabilitating Galileo's Image - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com Nov < http:>. Lindberg, David C., and Ronald L. Numbers. "Beyond War and Peace: a Reappraisal of the Encounter Between Christianity [...]
[...] The church believed that this was a contradiction of transubstantiation on the basis that if sensory qualities were subjective-- secondary to the object's properties--then the transformative properties of the host were false (Shea, and Artigas 119). Unfortunately science had not progressed far enough to show that application of forces (whether seen or unseen) could change matter considerably, and that the mysteries of the Eucharist were not truly violated by the logic of atomic theory. It was providential that Cardinal Francesco Barberini's theologican, Giovanni di Guevara, was the investigator in the transubstantiation/atomic theory debacle--he decided there was nothing significant in the atomic theory conflict, especially since Barberini had become the new papal ambassador to France. [...]
[...] This may also imply that the hand of God is in the discoveries of the natural world as humans explore it, and guides researchers. For the devout it means that by asking questions about nature, they are asking questions about design, God, and the process that all creations experience over time and under certain conditions (Begley), and allows for clarifications as research technology catches up to the questions. It is through original inquiry into mysteries that humanity makes progress in the sciences, making religion and science natural allies for all time. [...]
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