Conflict between Religion and Science
The relationship between science and religion has often been a turbulent one. Historically scientists have scorned the advent of religious ideas seeing them as in conflict with rational thinking. Much of this prejudice has stemmed from opposition by religious authorities to new scientific discoveries in the past. Christendom in particular displays a history of confrontations between the Church and scientists. This conflicting situation made the Bible subject to adulterations. The European Bishops mutilated its teachings, changed its concepts and beliefs and added philosophy to it. Scientific errors were also assorted in it. The Christian followers adopted that belief as their own, which in fact was not theirs but was an outcome of the wrong concepts added by the priests. When the scientists, after having researched, raised voice against such wrong concepts, the priests started thinking that the scientists were negating religion as against science. So they started giving the verdict of infidelity against such scientists. Scientists were tortured and tormented. Countless scientists were buried alive as a result of their prejudiced laws.
In the Sixteenth century the Polish philosopher Copernicus came to know of the Heliocentric Hypothesis, that the earth and other planets revolved around the sun, but was frightened to publish his findings for fear of Papal disapproval. However, it was Copernicus’s successor Galileo who suffered the full force of the Church’s disapproval. When he published his work “The Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems”, a masterful piece agreeing with the Copernican theory, Galileo was brought to trial by the Inquisition in Rome in 1632. He died in prison. These actions laid the foundations of a continuous struggle between scientific discoveries and church authorities. During the Renaissance period scientists inevitably took their revenge, which is still evident today.
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