“In 1633, Galileo was tried before the Roman Inquisition. He was ordered to “abjure, curse, and detest” his life’s work. His publications were banned and he was placed under house arrest. While this is certainly unfortunate”
Unfortunate? Baloney.. The idea of a church, conducting a trail and placing him under house arrest is what people are generally disgusted by.
There are all kinds of games to evade responsibility, but yes, the Church was despotic at that time. Bur it was hundreds of years ago, so it is the worst kind of apologetics to “unpack” it and pretend that it really wasn’t that bad.
If Galileo would have had a Glock, he would have been fully justified in producing it and shooting his way out of the room.
Huzzah!
If he'd been ordered to "unpack" his life's work, he'd have been justified in nuking the place.
Look, I'm Protestant so you're not going to find me defending the Catholic church, especially during Inquisition times. But I'm reacting to the extreme exaggeration and untrue lore surrounding Galileo that carries the implication that he was persecuted because Christianity as a whole is a superstition that was threatened by the discovery of a heliocentric universe. THAT needs to be debunked, because the story is way more complicated.
(I also try to discourage against "heroes and villains" narratives in history as much as possible--things are rarely so black and white).