Author: Mawlana Abdul Rahman Mu'tasimi
The Phenomenon of Atheism and Ways to Combat It (Part 9)
B: Establishing Conflict and Confrontation between Religion and Science in the Middle Ages
The Church had two unreasonable positions in dealing with non-Christian knowledge. Initially, in confronting knowledge such as Greek logic and philosophy, it adopted a stance of denial and rejected all of it; however, later, due to pressure from Greek culture, it was forced to submit and became excessively accommodating. To the extent that any attack on these sciences (including medicine, philosophy, logic, and Greek astronomy) was perceived as an attack on Christian beliefs. In such circumstances, the Church explained its superstitious beliefs and worthless theological discussions through Greek sciences, which is why these sciences were considered a threat to Christianity.
The Renaissance, which brought about a transformation in the thinking of Western people, led many to discredit Aristotelian logic in order to escape the acceptance of the superstitious beliefs of Christianity and to genuinely introduce other epistemological pathways, occasionally challenging it. In any case, as a result of the amalgamation of the ideas of Aristotle and Plato into Christian theology and the sanctification of these ideas, any research, innovation, or novelty in science that contradicted them was deemed heretical and blasphemous, which brought about punishment and retribution.
Therefore, during this period, in the year 1233 AD, the Inquisition courts were established by “Pope Gregory IX.” The appointment and dismissal of kings in European countries were carried out by the command of the Pope. Those who were condemned to death in the Inquisition court for disobedience were handed over to government officials for execution through a representative of the church. During this time, thousands of scholars and intellectuals were persecuted by the church and condemned to death for heresy in the courts of belief, resulting in their execution. In the following lines, a few examples of them will be mentioned:
1. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), the Polish astronomer, rejected the Ptolemaic theory after thousands of years and considered the sun to be the center of the solar system, which led to his persecution and condemnation by the church. Ptolemy had posited that the Earth was the center of the solar system.
2. Servetus, the physician and biologist who was a victim of the Inquisition.
3. Giordano Bruno, a tireless advocate of the heliocentric theory and the rotation of the Earth, which opposed the church’s doctrine. After his trial, he was burned alive.
4. Galileo: He continued the work of Copernicus and Bruno and discovered the law of falling bodies. He was tried several times in the Inquisition court and ultimately sentenced to house arrest, where he died.
5. La Mettrie (1709-1751), a famous French physician and philosopher, was declared an infidel by the church and condemned to death by the clergy.
6. Paracelsus, a renowned Swiss physician and chemist who was a staunch opponent of the church, faced persecution from it.
7. Vesalius, a Belgian scholar, physician, and founder of anatomy and dissection, and a professor at the University of Padua, was summoned by the church and condemned to death because he claimed that the number of ribs in men and women was equal after dissecting male and female bodies; this was contrary to the biblical assertion that God created Eve from one of Adam’s ribs, implying that men have one rib less.
8. Christopher Columbus, the astronomer and navigator who discovered the Americas, was summoned by the church and labeled a “heretic” when he stated that one could reach India by sea. They argued that there was a magnetic force in the depths of the ocean that would pull ships down, and that approaching the equator would result in burning. The clergy imprisoned him; however, he was released after some time.
In this manner, many scientists, philosophers, physicians, and scholars during the Middle Ages became victims of the crimes and tyranny of the Catholic Church due to their scientific and humanistic thoughts and theories. This tyranny and these crimes continued until the late 18th century, ultimately leading to the struggle against religious despotism and the absolute power of governments, which resulted in the great French Revolution and paved the way for the realization of human rights.
Continues…
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