Was The Catholic Church Pro-Or Anti-Science Dbq

1068 Words5 Pages

During the 17th Century, the Catholic church came to face many questions, one of which was determining if the church was pro- or anti-science. Leading up to this period many ideas of secularism and humanism became more accepted ways of thinking during the 16th century. During the Renaissance, they focused on Greek and Roman ideas and accepted the Protestant Reformation which increased literacy with help from the printing press, which was invented by Gutenberg. The Protestant Church was very accepting of new scientific ideas which allowed thinkers such as Bacon and Descartes to share their ideas. The scientific revolution gave way to new ideas of observation and reason including the scientific method. While there is evidence that supports how …show more content…

He says that the bible is a metaphor but the pope still sees these ideals as a literal interpretation The church is opposed to this idea of science and the church due to it going against scripture. The Duchess and Galileo are secular thinkers opposing new scientific thoughts and religion together (Doc 4). Galileo was a Secular thinker who wrote to the secular leader. His intent was to prove that the church was wrong and wanted to convince the Grand Duchess that god supported science and the church as one (CAPP 3, Purpose). Galelios' Inquisition continues to show how the church is anti-science. After Galileo came out with his opinions on science and different ideas the church made him denounce his opinions Pope Paul VIII was the first person to second guest galileo and call for the inquisition. Galileo also refined the design of the telescope which developed a tool that could magnify eight times and caused controversy among science and the church. After having Galileo denounce his finding the church became more opposed to science due to …show more content…

A small number of Catholics were able to find a balance between science and religion. Christoph Griencberge, a Jesuit mathematics professor in Rome, Believed that new studies tended to be more accurate; he thought the church was just misinterpreting the bible(Doc 3). He supported scientific ideas. He was a highly educated, enlightened Jesuit who felt he could balance religion and science. Griencberge believed that science could benefit the catholic church once they had a better understanding of catholicism. Maria Celeste Galilei, a Catholic nun, and Galileo's daughter combined religious and scientific beliefs; she resolved faith and science together (Doc 5). She followed her father and the church which helped to create a balance of science in the church. Although she was conflicted she was able to find a solid ground where she could practice Catholicism with scientific impact. The illustration from a text on sunspots by Christoph Scheiner shows the international text and had some instances from the Catholic church (Doc 6). This illustration was for the public He was a German Jesuit astronomer who was a Catholic scientist. He found an even ground between science and religion which was able to benefit him. Some members of the catholic church believed scientific ideas would prove different religious aspects to be true. These sources show how some members of the church supported the development of