AmericanPapist Comments
I used to wonder about the Galileo trial, too. Then I read this article by Dinesh D'Souza that debunks the most common of the myths.
Turns out that Galileo was put on trial because he had promised not to teach particular topics that hadn't been proven sufficiently in a scientific manner. Until they had better proof, the Church asked that he not teach it as fact. He agreed and then taught it anyway.
His house arrest wasn't exactly a bad deal, either, as he was put up in an ecclisial palace. And let out for Mass. And to see his daughter. And was allowed to have guests.
Catholics should be proud of the scietific roots that are in the Church. It wasn't until about a year ago that I learned that Gregor Mendel was a priest! (My public school teachers never seemed to think that was an important fact.) The Church was long the sponsor of scientists. As I tell my girls, science is all about trying to figure out God's Creation. When astronomers hypothesize on the Big Bang, they are searching for what happened when God spoke the universe into existance. Science cannot disprove God, so we mustn't be afraid of it!
And of course, the supposed 'anti-reason' abuse charge they lay at the feet of the Church for the Galileo affair is EXACTLY the sort of action they call on "science" to do to those peers who doubt man-made global warming!
Galileo was challenging the accepted and majority view of his scientific peers. And he did NOT have the 'smoking gun' evidence required to prove his theory (like, say, discovery of a stellar paralax). Of course, neither did the majority have a slam-dunk case either (since their theory didn't totally explain Mars and Venus' orbits).
Then as now with the latest Man-made global warming craze, much more data was required and better arguments not a rush to judgment.
So what are these modern-day "rationalists" telling the Church to do? To respect JUST THE FACTS as can be proven or to just bow down to the politically expedient 'memes' or 'narratives' that can help some group achieve a social/political end?
If the former, then Benedict can (and has) provided air-tight reasoning to show why Catholic moral teaching is far more cogent and plausible than the current European philosophy of moral relativism.
If the latter....then what's their problem? If truth can't be known objectively and everyone is entitled to their own opinion (and moral view) then their outrage is contradictory and their 'argument' is self-defeating.
This is why, given the incoate rage of people like this, many of us regard them as mentally difficient. Insane. This is not an insult - and indeed from our perspective it actually lessens their moral guilt in that they really don't know what it is they are doing.
The funny thing is, for them, everything is either fawning praise or completely unjust criticism. To paraphrase a joke, one may very well find it easier to negotiate with terrorists than with ideologues like these protesters.
What I find interesting is that no one can find any other "Catholic oppression" since Galileo. Hey guys, if the Church is really that terrible howcum nothing's happened since then? I don't recall Charles Darwin or the Wright brothers going on trial.
As for the Church on science in general and Galileo in particular, I would suggest reading Thomas E. Woods' How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization. I find some of his comments to be a bit of a stretch (could the Benedictines really have thousands of canonized saints by the 14th century? I think not...), but his chapter on science (about 50 pages) and the section on Galileo (about 10 of those 50) are extraordinary and quite well-written. As the above comments suggest, the popular understanding of the Galileo controversy is entirely off.
I suppose it's wise to remember that hate is fueled by fear. When groups are comfortable in their own mindset they often become close-minded to other light. They want their own light to be the shining star, not anyone else's.
That's what happens when God is not at the center of one's reason.
There's something very Christ-like in this situation - just like the run-up to the Holy Father's apostolic voyage to Turkey ... remember the protests prior to his coming?
I think of Jesus before the crowds of pharisees and the mobs. It's all in God's hands and I'm sure our Holy Father, like the little lion he is, is quite calm.
"More than 60 professors have written to the university rector, saying they are offended and humiliated by the Pope's views."
Gives a different feel if you say "less than 65" doesn't it?
Hi there,
these stage managed protests against Benedict XVI are tiresome false flag protests and serve to fool the majority of Catholics that Benedict is a traditional pope.
It helps keep everyone on board.
His last appearance at a university in Germany was more of the same.
A pity that a nun had to get killed as a result of this elaborate choreography.
Please notice that this "cardboard protester" is flashing the devils sign as do most of the worlds leaders.
Open your eyes to the facts.
Dean, right: "less than 65" seems even less impressive than "63 out of 4,500."
once again we witness how the media managed to disinform and create confusion! The "protesters" were the vast vast minority of the university, which is one of the largest in Europe, the academic staff which wrote the letter against Popes were 63 out of 4000!!! Also I believe that who looses from all of this are the thousands of students which eagerly awaited the pope for months, there was also a special website created for the event http://ilpapaallasapienza.wordpress.com/
The media managed to turn this minor despicable protest in a well staged security threat, of course it is also the university's fault who didn't manage to control the idiotic action of a small group of spoiled kids!
But the real question is where is the catholic media? why nobody speaks the truth?
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