Copernicus

Darwin's challenge was preceded by the Protestant reformation 1517. Martin Luther, protested against the Roman Catholic Tradition by attacking the excesses within the church, stating that people should be free to interpret scripture as they please
Copernicus challenged the church by stating that the earth was not the centre of the universe and in fact revolves around the sun. (Heliocentric Planetary Theory)
This was an Internal Challenge
The clashed with acceptance of the popular Aristotelian Ptolemaic/Geocentric system
the earth stood still, never to be moved” ( 1 Chronicles 16:30)
1514 the Lateran council requested of Copernicus that he reform the ecclesiastical calender and such he created the Georgian Calendar
Contradicted beliefs and sacred texts relating to earth’s centrality and how Gods interplay in creation was affected.
Joshua 10:13 “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon. So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped”
Response: Branded Heretic, March 1616 books placed upon index, Reaffirmed beliefs
His supporters faced prosecution by the church
Churches Authority did not come into question as a result of the Copernicus challenge

Galileo

Galileo's invention of the telescope brought back Copernicus theory with proof
This was another internal challenge
Thought he could prove Copernicus Heliocentric Theory as he witnessed the universe through his telescope
However it only disproved the Ptolemaic system
Galileo taught the theory as fact which forced the church to make Galileo promise to teach only as hypothesis
RCT was ruthless in its public shaming and silencing of Galileo
Galileo was branded as anti-scriptual, heretical, placed under house arrest and his works determined to be forbidden by the index
The Church in the uneducated societies eyes was proven false and they begun to question it's literality
Galileo's challenge became a point of humiliation for the church and the shadow of Galileo remains to the current day

	Created by Winbaj08 about 11 years ago

VCE Religion and Society (Historical Challenge to Religion (Darwinism)) Note on U4AOS1, created by Winbaj08 on 09/09/2013.