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Aug. 16, 2006 In the 16th century the officials of the powerful Roman Catholic Church recognized that belief in a sun-centered universe (solar system) was a threat to their authority. The Inquisition was established to root out these kinds of heretics and frighten them into submission. The church had everything to gain from these draconian actions and nothing to lose. Galileo was first denounced by the Inquisition in 1616 and commanded by Cardinal Bellarmine to "...abandon his heretical opinions about the earth, sun and stars..." For fifteen years Galileo remained relatively silent. With the election of a more liberal pope, Galileo decided to risk the publication of his famous work, the "Dialogue on the Two Chief Systems of the World." As a result he was denounced again to the Inquisition and summoned to Rome to stand trial in 1633. He was threatened with torture if he did not recant his scientific beliefs. So he confessed his "error" and stated, "I now declare and swear that the earth does not move around the sun." As he was being led away he remarked under his breath, "And yet it moves! (Eppur si muove!)" While it is true that the Catholic church actively persecuted inquiring minds, we cannot be certain that stories like this are absolutely true either. They make good entertainment but we must be careful to keep them in perspective as mere footnotes to history. Truth, after all, is paramount. It is the only thing in the universe that can be said to actually be sovereign. That privilege was once reserved for God but now his existence is in serious doubt. As a result, we are left wondering how we can ever come to terms with the meaning of life and our place in the universe. The answer can be found by examining the fact that mortality itself is what makes life precious. Therefore it only makes sense to work to make this life the very best that it can be. In other words, it's up to each individual to give meaning to their own lives. No one else can do it for them. So, find out what you love to do and what you are good at and let that define your life. Isn't that a lot simpler than religious ritual and meaningless traditions? It also takes the pressure off for those worried about performance standards. Do what you do and satisfy yourself as long as you don't hurt anyone else. If it makes you happy it will make the whole world happy because everyone will be doing what they love. And love, as we know, makes the world go 'round. Now, you may be wondering how I got from Galileo to love in a single article but I leave you to ponder that question all on your own. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at the e-mail address listed below. I welcome all honest inquiries into the meaning of life because that's the only way we will ever discover the truth. ------------ About the author: Keith Cantrell lives in a small town in Oregon where he was a fundamentalist, born-again, evangelical Christian for over 35 years. After many years of questioning and research he has finally become an agnostic. He has written a book entitled "The World's Most Dangerous Book" and it tells the history and origins of the Bible. It's the only book on the market that takes the Bible from cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation and explores who wrote it, where it came from and how it all got put together. It's the 21st century. Isn't it time you knew the truth about the Bible? This book is available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks and Amazon.com. Read it and tell me what you think! After all, I could be wrong! Email: kwcantrell@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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