Heliocentric and Religion: History - Essay Example

Institute Heliocentric and Religion: History Heliocentric mindset damaged the Church’s reputation more than the devil. Devil was also a part of the religion. The scientific movement praising and upholding the beliefs and the theories that it is the earth that orbits the sun and not the other way around put a question mark on the church’s credibility. The two famous researchers Galileo Galilee and Nicholas Copernicus came under a lot of pressure from religious clerics. In fact, the theories they proposed could mean the first organized revolt against the teachings of the Church. The theories caused a stir among the people and caused a social turmoil. If a list is to be made of the people that caused this stir in the social order, the name of the Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno will always be there. It is their struggle and the resoluteness that gave strength to the renaissance era and later the age of enlightenment. Louis Bayard’s The School of Night: A Novel tells this account by blending fact and fiction. It is for such efforts that science in today’s world enjoys an authoritarian status. Catholic Church was the center of religious activities and released guides and Biblical interpretations. The Church was so powerful before the 16th century that the kings and queens had to get guidance from the church before making a move. The core biblical beliefs rest on the claim that the astronomy gives the necessary perspective or the outlook of the world and the universe. This view is held by both the Protestants and the Catholics (Dobrzycki 86). The Church proposed its geocentric view that considered the earth as the center of the universe. The assertion that everything in the cosmos is created for humans so that god would test them formed the basis for this theory. The scientists and philosophers challenged this view as the evidence suggested that the earth was merely a planet. When the heliocentric theory became the hot topic of debate, the Church came under a lot of pressure as science was rejecting an outright biblical claim. In response, in 1616, the pope declared that the heliocentric view of the universe was unacceptable scientifically and was considered a heresy (Chryssides 35). Cardinal Robert Bellarmine was an acquaintance to Galileo; he advised Galileo not to defend his theory and to ‘reinterpret’ it to harmonize with the scriptures (Chryssides 35). Galileo refused this offer and, as a result, he stood in the trial and house arrested as punishment. Almost a century later, in 1758, Galileo’s Dialogue was withdrawn from the Catholic Church’s list of forbidden books (Chryssides 35). Today the church is in complete agreement of the heliocentric theory. The School of Night is the name for the group of men that discussed ideas on atheism, science and astrology in the Elizabethan era. The group is based on Sir Walter Raleigh. It was also referred to as the School of Atheism. This poses a direct threat to this group and their teachings. The School of Night: A Novel by Louis Bayard depicts this fictional account. It portrays how the scholars and mathematicians disagreed with the claims of the Church. For instance, it is transcribed in the book that Mathew Roydon disagreed with the Church’s claim that the earth was six thousand years old, he said that the it was closer to being sixteen thousand years old (Bayard 60). The Church would want to defend its dogma, and therefore such accounts that undermine the Church’s authority are repulsive to the Church. Similarly, Christopher Marlowe was declared a heretic by the Church for stating that Moses was, in fact, a juggler (Bayard 60). The School of Night group was anti religion and denied the existence of god. It posed a serious threat to the religious dogma that the Church relied on. The School of Night: A Novel mentions many scholars in it. For instance, the prime highlight of the book is the talk on Sir Walter Raleigh. He was an English poet and a soldier. Raleigh lived in the Elizabethan Era under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Ward 8). The religious turmoil of Raleigh began with the unusual circumstances when the queen’s father King Henry the VIII established the Church of England (Ward 8). This church formed the basis of a sect of Christianity called Protestantism, and it broke England’s ties with the Roman Catholic Church. When he was elected the burgess of Mitchell, Cornwall, it was his last formal post as he later retired. He was charged with atheism for having a heated debate at the dinner table. Later 1618, he was executed on the charges of treason. Thomas Harriot had a close association with Sir Walter Raleigh (Loker 20). This friendship had given him the opportunity to meet many exciting people. Whatever heresy Raleigh was blamed for, Harriot was considered his partner in blasphemy crimes. When Father Robert Parson charged Queen Elizabeth with heresy, the denouncement also charged Thomas Harriot and Sir Walter Raleigh. Referring to Harriot as “Master” in his complaint, he said that their School of Atheism was misguiding young men and luring them towards heresy (Loker 21). The church did not need individual targets for heresy. Any person who proved a threat for the church was categorized as a heretic. It was the church standing against the class of people who would deny the existence of god and ultimately the authority of the church. It is true that most of the scholar’s work was somehow related to religion. The Catholic Church called them atheists as they contradicted the teaching of the church. The church stood as the supreme authority in all the matters of life. It was the pope who told and interpreted the Bible on how to live, behave, think and dress. The followers had to live by a complete code of life. Life was good for the church as the church staff collected money so the father could rid the masses of their sins. Any voice that challenged this social norm had to meet the fury of the church. Scientists and researchers were afraid to put forward any theory that contradicted the teachings of the church. Copernican book De Revolutionbus Orbium Coelestium was tagged heretic by the church (Thomsett 8). The church claimed that such a theory was incompatible with the divine revelation of which the Church is the custodian (Daly 39). This heliocentric theory (proposed by Copernicus) was later confirmed by Galileo in his publication. The church rejected it but ironically, the scientists had already accepted this theory almost a century prior to Galileo’s publication (Thomsett 8). Apparently there is no connection between a scientific theory such as the axis and orbit of the earth, but it became a matter of concern for the church because of the contradiction. For this reason, the works of many scholars somehow get connected with religion. Free thinking is a great concept as it does not give pre-conceived notions to an idea. Copernicus’s discovery could not have been possible without free thinking. If he were trying to prove the Church’s geocentric theory then, the truth would not have been discovered at that time. Free thinking is the “whole duty” (Collins 33) of a man. Such attitude toward understanding life gives the courage and curiosity to discover the truth. Probably humans have remained confused throughout history about science and religion, about logic and spirituality. Alchemy, which is considered to be a stepping stone for establishing modern science, was also founded in spiritual beliefs. In the earliest Hindu scriptures, Rig Veda, the mentioning of the Soma has been made so profound that it is related to a form of god, a condensed god. And by extracting and drinking the juice in it, one awakens the god within oneself (Heinrich 10). But such ‘chemistry’ was practiced with spiritual motives. It was Isaac Newton’s study that found alchemists to be practitioners of piety and morality (Dobbs 15). It is the man’s nature to incorporate and be fascinated by the spirituality. This paper is a classical description of the turmoil that the works of scientists and philosophers caused in the Catholic dominant societies of Europe. Books like Bayard’s The School of Night: A Novel, and thinkers like Giordano Bruno, Thomas Harriot, and Sir Walter Raleigh, have all challenged the status quo. They all challenge the conventional thinking dictated by the religious preaching. Alchemy was the start of the evolution, of incorporating science into fantasy or spirituality. Later, after the age of enlightenment, science has become profound and accepted by the world. References Bayard, Louis. The School of Night: A Novel. New York: Henry Holt, 2010. Print. Chryssides, George D. Christianity Today An Introduction. London: Bloomsbury, 2010. Print. Collins, Anthony. Discourse of Free-thinking, Occasiond by the Rise and Growth of a Sect. S.l.: Gale Ecco, Print Editions, 2010. Print. Daly, John, S. The Theological Status of Heliocentrism. 1997. Print. Dobbs, Betty Jo Teeter. The Foundations of Newtons Alchemy: Or, "The Hunting of the Greene Lyon" Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1975. Print. Dobrzycki, Jerzy. The Reception of Copernicus’ Heliocentric Theory. Dordrecht: D. Reidel Pub., 1972. Print. Heinrich, Clark. Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy. Rochester, VT: Park Street, 2002. Print. Loker, Aleck. Profiles in Colonial History. Williamsburg, VA: Solitude, 2008. Print. Thomsett, Michael C. Heresy in the Roman Catholic Church: A History. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011. Print. Ward, Nancy. Sir Walter Raleigh: Founding the Virginia Colony. New York: Crabtree Pub., 2006. Print. Read More