Effects On The Church
Why would the Church, knowing their intelligence and good faith feel obligated to step in and cease the spreading of the Copernicus Theory? Galileo never intended on challenging the Church’s authority with his new evidence. Galileo believed some of the passages in the Bible were not meant to be taken literally, and with this logic, his view did not challenge the Church’s authority. He wanted to present people with scientific evidence supporting Copernicus’s claims, yet from the Church’s perspective, this theory was not valid and it challenged the Bible’s claim of the Earth being the center of the Universe ( as God had created it). The Church held Aristotle’s ideas of the placement of Universe well over several centuries and this new theory challenged what the Church and God claimed to be true. Surely God was not a liar! The Church taught that Earth was placed in the center for a reason; human beings as God's children occupied a special placement in the Universe which was on Earth, and that the rest of the Universe revolved around them. Their teachings were supported in much biblical text (truths from God). The texts were not direct in saying this but according to the Church, there were “hints" that the Earth was not moving. For example in the book of Joshua 10:12–13 it says: "Then spoke Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon...and the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." As you see the text show that the sun is indeed moving which makes the Earth at the center point of the Universe. Now you see why Galileo disproving the Aristotelian theory did indeed seem to challenge the Church’s word and authority. The Church couldn't afford to undertake another Reformation, which left the Church wanting to stop this theory from spreading at any cost!