Preview

Science and Religion: Two Separate Entities

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1086 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Science and Religion: Two Separate Entities
Science and Religion: Two Separate Entities

As a result of many new astronomical discoveries throughout the seventeenth century, it was clear science and religion greatly contradicted each other. Followed by the questioned findings of Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei believed the sun was situated motionless in the center of the universe while the earth rotated on its axis, all the while revolving around the sun. This idea, though scientifically proven to be correct, completely opposed the underlying structure of the universe and heavens as originally stated in the Holy Bible. In his “Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina,” Galileo explained to his subject how what was found true through physical findings were not in fact directly coincided with matters of faith. Unlike what was stated in the Bible, Galileo felt as though faith and science were two separate entities, and should be kept apart. Naturally, Galileo’s scientific findings sent the Catholic world into an uproar. As a result of the craziness that ensued from his astronomical discoveries within the theologian society, Galileo believed theologians should not have been allowed to be involved in the world of science during the 17th century in his “Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina.” Up until the 17th century, the Bible appeared to be the sole thing defining what the Earth’s creation was and what the heavens were like. As astronomers like Galileo and Copernicus emerged onto the scene with plausible findings, it was evident to many Europeans the Bible may not have been correct about every aspect of life. In the “Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina,” Galileo discusses the role of accommodationism in the Bible. It was clear the word choice and language used was accommodated for the common people for whom it was originally intended. As opposed to diminishing belief in the common people, the Bible has multiple passages within it that were “on one occasion expressed a proposition in words of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Church had a great deal of control over science at this point in history, as shown by Galileo’s…

    • 901 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He states that God has provided man “with senses, language, and intellect” which should be applied to acquire knowledge about this earth. Galileo recognizes that a small section of the text addresses astronomy, but not “the names of all the planets.” This incomplete set of information instigates man to further exploration and gain more knowledge. Additionally, these discoveries need to be backed by facts and experiments. However, Galileo states that doctrines surrounding faith and salvation “are firm enough that there is no danger of any valid and effective doctrine ever rising against…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In his Letter to Grand Duchess Christiana, Galileo made an attempt to explain his discoveries and defended that they do not discredit the Church or religion. He insisted that science and religion could coexist. He explained how and why. He expressed his personal opinion on the reasons why certain people did not believe him and his discoveries. Galileo expressed confidence in his knowledge, sarcasm in some regards, and the letter’s overall tone seemed to upset many.…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Still during the sixteenth and seventeenth century, religious and the Church played a great role in the ways of people. Till the time of the Scientific Revolution, many things were not questioned, but once scientists began to question the traditional beliefs, many people of the church were outraged and spoke openly against it. Even people like Copernicus, who was the great contributor to the heliocentric idea, denied himself and submitted to the church even dedicating a part of his book to Pope III which showed his fear and actions in pleasing the pope to avoid condemnation. (doc. 1) His situation greatly exemplified how the Scientific Revolution although was growing but many times stunted because of fear from the disapproval from the Church. Italian monk Giovanni Ciampoli also expressed his disapproval in a letter to Galileo stating with much urgency that the nature of the world should just be left alone for the Scripture to explain it and that man should not go about their ways to reason why. (doc. 3) Similar to Copernicus, Walter Charleton a English doctor and natural philosopher who studied the balance of science and religious. He makes it clear that science is only possible with religion. Although he does not completely push the idea of scientific studies, he does believe it is only possible with the power of God. (doc. 8) The conclusion as you interpret out of Charleton is that no matter what man upholds through science or ideas…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ever since the end of the Middle Ages (which coincides with the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in the early 16th century), some Christians have had problems accepting the teachings of science. The origins of modern scientific thought go back to the Renaissance, when people rediscovered the teachings, art, and thought of the ancient Greeks and, of equal importance, began to see the importance of thinking for themselves, outside the restrictions of external authority structures.…

    • 14026 Words
    • 57 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Religion has had a significant role in the beliefs of individuals as far as various issues touching on individuals’ life are concerned. Arguably, scientific discoveries have ignited several controversies within the Roman Church. This cuts across from issues of vaccines and nature specifically the matters concerning the being of planet Earth. The conflict is illuminated in the life and discoveries of Galileo. These revelations brought conflict between him and the Roman Church and to an extension of the philosophers.…

    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Galileo Heretic Essay

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Cardinal Bellarmine’s letter to Foscarini, he claims that “ We would rather have to say that we did not understand the Scripture than to say that something was false which has been demonstrated.”. The Cardinal states that if what the Church was wrong then, the Church would claim that they interpreted the Bible wrong rather than say that the Bible was wrong. Although it is possible that the Church is wrong about how they interpreted the Bible, Galileo still went against the Church’s specific belief which then causes him to be a heretic. Galileo also admits that he would be a heretic if he relied on the Church’s interpretation. In the letter to Duchess Christina of Tuscany in 1615 by Galileo “...it follows that anyone who claims that the sun is motionless and the earth movable takes and erroneous and heretical position”. Although Galileo does try to disprove the statement by claiming that the Bible is complex and hard to understand, the Church has already determined their specific stance that anybody who disagrees with their interpretation is heretic. In the letter to Foscarini by Cardinal Bellarmine, he declares “..., the Council [of Trent] prohibits interpreting the Scriptures contrary to the common agreement of the holy Fathers.”. Both Galileo and the Cardinal know that it is prohibited to interpret the Bible other than what the Church…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Religion and science both serve different purposes in the world, however their purpose produce the same goal depending on what one believes in. Christians believe that the world was created by God in seven days while scientists believe in the Big Bang Theory. Jane Goodall, known for her study of chimpanzees, expresses her belief that oneness with nature is best achieved through first hand observation in her essay, “In the Forest of Gombe.” On the other hand, Barbara Kingsolver views science, especially Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, as the only answer to understanding the environment. In her essay, “A Fist in the Eye of God,” Kingsolver examines the concept of genetic engineering and presents the reader with the dangers of this scientific concept. Goodall and Kingsolver both discuss nature, evolution, science and religion. Although they have different views about how nature came about, they both believe that the natural world should be left alone. For Goodall a connection exists between science and religion yet Kingsolver feels that the theory of evolution should be taught to children instead of religion.…

    • 1030 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    [Bronowski 1973 pg. 204]. Galileo reconciles the conflict between science and religion by saying that to “abandon reason and the evidence of our senses in favor of some biblical passage” would be “contrary to the sense of the Bible and the intention of the holy Fathers” [Galileo quoted from Drake pg. 179]. Galileo points out that Copernicus never mentions matters of religion and faith, nor does…

    • 1507 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Whereas the Religious theory is word of mouth and the Bible, science has facts to prove that it is right.…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scientific beliefs have a basis of solid evidence and can been proven using the scientific method and through extensive research. But there is no “scientific method” for proving religious beliefs. That is, there is no way one could know that a particular, or any religion is “true” or “false.” That therefore, raises a question, “are religious beliefs true in the same sense that scientific beliefs are true?”…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This content is not dependable in demonstrating Copernicus' actual convictions since it is composed to pick up the Pope's backing. Copernicus recognizes that the Pope is intense, in this way obliging Copernicus to pick up the Pope's backing all together for his work to be best. On the off chance that the Church had as of now seen science emphatically, this piece in Copernicus' book, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, would not be fundamental. This portrays how the Pope and the Catholic Church contrarily influenced these scientists. Furthermore, others lower on the Church's chain of command forcefully followed science also. One monk, Giovanni Ciampoli, even kept in touch with Galileo saying, "It is indispensable, therefore, to remove the possibility of malignant rumors by repeatedly showing your willingness to defer to the authority of those who have jurisdiction over the human intellect, in matters of the interpretation of Scripture" (Doc 3). This composition is exceptionally solid because of the way that it is an individual correspondence, so Ciampoli's most genuine sentiments are destined to appear. This letter shows how researchers were seen contrarily by the Catholic Church who,…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The World has its own history of how and when it was created and sometimes is hard to believe what is real about that history. Science exposes the truth with arguments based on experiments. However, religion, specifically christian, explain this history by believing in faith. Both paths are fair and justified, but still, science highlights more.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There will always be a battle between religion and science, it is a truth universally acknowledged. Galileo attempted to make the two compatible by suggesting that the truth can only be sought out if the notion under consideration can be accurately tested and if the opposing view can be founded as false. Galileo’s goes into depth about the truth of scripture and the sciences, intertwined with the reason of man, in his letter to Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany. Early on in the letter Galileo, infers from St Augustine that the Holy Ghost did not intend to teach “how heaven goes” rather “how one goes to heaven”. Galileo interprets this as the underlying basis for the “common” people to believe that man should not concern themselves with science and that it is against the Bible, and therefore blasphemous. Furthermore this misconception is continued, as Galileo believes that the “common” people understand the truth in the Bible is largely to do with one’s salvation and other physical things such as whether the Sun or Earth are mobile, are irrelevant. From this Galileo leads on to discuss that “physical problems” are able to be solved through “sense-experiences” and reason, as well as the “authority of scriptural passages” highlighting that either are valid to contain the truth.…

    • 1648 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was a believer of Copernicus's heliocentric theory. His discovery of the telescope (1609) allowed him to confirm the theory and his own beliefs. Galileo was first criticized by Friar Lorini. The Friar said that Copernicus's theory violated the scripture. Galileo responded with the Letter to Castelli, hoping it will give back some hope and trust in science. However, it did the opposite, and Lorini, sent a copy of the letter to the Inquisition (1615). On February 1616, Galileo was warned by Cardinal Bellarmine to keep quiet of his ideas or else stronger measures would be taken.…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays