Why Galileo

Is the Catholic Church opposed to science? Did the Pope believe that the sun rotated around the earth and tortured Galileo in order to silence him? Did any of the Popes ever oppose Darwinism? Science and Religion have been uneasy handmaidens for thousands of years but rarely were they in opposition. The great universities of the middle ages were founded by religious organizations. Many of the great advancements of science were carried out by religious men. The founding father of genetics was an Augustinian Monk. The author of the "big bang theory" was an Augustinian Priest. A Jesuit priest was one of the first scientists to study fossils. The idea of a war between religion and science began out of misunderstanding about Catholic doctrine by a scientist in the 19th century. "Why Galileo" details the long history of the relationship between religion and science in many early cultures including Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China. It then examines the relationship between education, university studies, and the development of the scientific theory that began in the early middle ages and culminated during the time of Galileo. Finally it explores the present age including such theories as "intelligent design," the role religion should have in an age of science, and whether a conscientious scientist can be religious at all.