Why do you think church authorities forced Galileo to deny his ideas on the universe? To point out, Galileo was the first guy who believed that the universe was heliocentric, and when he tried to convince others, he was tortured, so he took back his words and his theory and said that the universe is geocentric... So do you know why church authorities didn't want to agree with him? Pleasssee helppp!
http://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/28/science/scholars-are-still-embattled-over-the-case-of-galileo-madisonwisc.html?sec=technology&spon=&pagewanted=all
Read that first sentence carefully.
http://www.cs.rutgers.edu/pub/soc.religion.christian/faq/galileo
Interesting.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/historical-notes-galileo-insulted-the-pope-not-the-church-1084369.html
Very interesting!
http://books.google.com/books?id=HPDqaTLKOEEC&pg=PA113&lpg=PA113&dq=why+church+authorities+didn't+agree+with+galileo&source=bl&ots=kAWSTdfDCP&sig=nJMwbDiUHFMdKXj2HUY_OatfWy4&hl=en&ei=4fMbSs-gDInYMaTA4dUN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
A book (or section of one) you may want to read.
Wait no! I really messed this up... Copernicus was the one who first came up with heliocentrism... and then he was tortured... So now the question is, why do you think church authorities forced Capernicus to deny his ideas on the universe? I apologize for the mistake! Thanks :]
You can re-conduct the search by going to http://www.google.com and entering the following:
why church authorities didn't agree with copernicus
Sometimes folks in authority cannot take dissent. In Copernicus' case, his head was removed. In the case of Valerie Plume, she lost her career.
Because Europeans started questioning their religion and the popes did not like that
The Church authorities' opposition to Galileo's ideas on the heliocentric model of the universe was primarily rooted in a complex interplay of factors, including religious doctrine, political power, and the prevailing scientific understanding of the time.
1. Religious Doctrine: The Church's understanding of the universe was heavily influenced by the prevailing interpretation of biblical texts, such as Joshua 10:13, which describes the sun standing still, suggesting a geocentric model. The Church authorities firmly believed in the geocentric model as it aligned with their interpretation of Scripture and theological teachings.
2. Threat to Authority: Galileo's heliocentric model challenged the Church's established authority and cosmological worldview. The Church held great influence over society, and any deviation from their teachings could be seen as a threat to their power. Accepting Galileo's ideas would have required a significant shift in the Church's understanding of the nature of the world, which they were reluctant to support.
3. Lack of Empirical Evidence: At the time, Galileo's heliocentric model was not supported by concrete scientific evidence. The prevailing Aristotelian worldview, which placed Earth at the center of the universe, had been widely accepted for centuries. Galileo's theories lacked substantial empirical evidence to convince the Church authorities at that time.
4. Personal Politics: Galileo's methods of presenting his ideas and his confrontational approach with Church authorities may have also contributed to their resistance. He openly criticized the Church, including Pope Urban VIII, and his writings were seen as mocking the established beliefs, which further strained the relationship between Galileo and the Church.
It's important to note that while Galileo faced opposition and was initially tortured, he did not fully recant his heliocentric views. Instead, under pressure from the Church, he publicly renounced heliocentrism and was placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life.
Understanding the historical, religious, and scientific factors at play helps to shed light on why the Church authorities were resistant to accepting Galileo's ideas.