Replies

While we're at it, the Galileo case has been hugely twisted for liberal, anti-Catholic purposes. The Church had no objection to his publishing his findings as long as he presented them as theories. He finally got into trouble because he published them as a proven fact--that the earth's spinning and revolving around the sun was a fact. He thought he had proven his case with a discussion of the tides. In point of fact, his tidal argument was wrong. It was a couple of hundred years before a scientist actually proved for certain that the earth revolves around the sun.

Galileo wasn't treated that badly, either. He wasn't burned at the stake. In a time when thousands of accused witches were being burned in the Protestant north, he was put under house arrest in a very comfortable residence, and allowed to continue his work.

As it turned out, the Church was wrong about the solar system, but it did not "persecute" Galileo in any meaningful sense. Mostly, the whole affair was an academic argument between Galileo and his more stodgy astronomical colleagues.

Someone puts me under house arrest and I'll consider it meaningful persecution. True that others got much worse as you say, but that doesn't really change the issue. Separation of church and state is a GOOD thing.

While we're at it, the Galileo case has been hugely twisted for liberal, anti-Catholic purposes. The Church had no objection to his publishing his findings as long as he presented them as theories. He finally got into trouble because he published them as a proven fact--that the earth's spinning and revolving around the sun was a fact.

From my understanding, the reason he got in trouble was by seriously and repeatably mocking the Pope as a not too bright fellow, not because of any of his scientific observations.

When some propeller-head tries to unsuccessfully convince me of his whack theory, I sometimes get the, "They laughed at Galileo, too!" non-defense. I will first correct them by informing them that "they" did not laugh at Galileo but instead placed him under house arrest, then inform them that "They did, however, laugh at Bozo the Clown".

As far as Mr. Belisles goes: it's good to see him sink to the level he has. Kinda reminds me of Jimmy Swaggart's decline from top TV evangelist to shopping mall preacher.