Theists and science - a history

Post by **K. A. Pital** » 2006-10-02 02:20am

Today many people doubt that theism, and especially monotheism, has since long eons been an opponent of progress and science, because theists try to claim "progressiveness" of their religion over all others (particulary true of Islam and Christianity). Many try to exclude some forms of theism, some argue that <pet religion> was science-friendly. But a rough history shows that the relations between theists and scientists have always been pretty bad.

411 b. OE - philosopher and scientists Protagor is convicted of atheism and driven out of Athens. His work "Of gods" was burned in presence of the public on the city's main square.

391 - Christians destroy almost all the remains of the burned-up in 48 b.OE collection of texts of Alexandria.

1000-1002 - the persecution of Ibn Sina (Avicenna) by the Muslim clergy. He didn't even deny God - merely questioned his attributes.

1160 - Ibn Sina's works are burned in public in Baghdad on the order of Caliph Mosthangir.

1163 - Pope Alexander III's bull, which prohibited "the study of physics or the laws of nature".

1195-1198 - persecution of Ibn Rushad by the Muslim clergy (Averreroas), who created the theory of "dual truth" - the independence of scientific data from religion.

1449 - the murder of a Uzbek astronomer and mathematician Ugulbek in a plot by the Muslim clergy.

1553 - on Calvin's order the spanish scientist Servetus is burned on the stake.

1559 - the high Catholic clergy created the first index of banned books. Bruno's books were only stricken out from this index in 1948.

1564 - on Zante island in the Mediterranean dies the greatest anathom of the Renaissance Vesalius. For anathomizing dead bodies he was sent to Jerusalem for a punitive prayer. His ship crashed on an uninhabited island during the trip.

1566 - the first Russian typography of Ivan Fedorov in Moscow is destroyed by the Othrodox clergy-inspired mob.

1600 - Bruno burned in Rome.

1619 - italian philosopher Vanini is burned in Tolouse.

1633 - Galileo indicted for supporting Copernicus' heliocentric system. He is forced to deny his works.

1633 - Descartes escapes France, hearing about Galileo's trial, and stops the publishing of his work "The World", which argued that the heliocentric system is true.

1642 - in Uutrech, Descartes works are banned by the order of the Clergy.

1656 - Spinoza is damned.

1714 - William Harvey is excommunicated from the Church.

1740 - Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle's work "On the multitude of worlds" is destroyed by the order of the Clergy.

1749-1753 - Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon is persecuted by the parisian clergy.

1751 - the arrest and the indiction of a theology bachelor de Prada, who demanded logical proof for the assertions of the Church.

1751-1772 - the authors of "Encyclopaedia" are persecuted by the Church.

1756 - the holy Sinod (Othrodox clergy) demands censorship in the Petersburg Academy of Science.

1757 - the holy Sinod (Othrodox clergy) demands that M. Lomonosov be put in prison for anti-clerical statements.

1764 - the burning of professor Anichkov's books in Moscow by the clergy, because they included thoughts about the origins of religion.

1791 - Joseph Priestley's chemical laboratory and library are destroyed by the mob of believers.

1798 - the persecution of Edward Jenner for the introduction of vaccine.

1828 - Russian Emperor Nicholas I introduces the "Ustav of censorship and print" which forbids publishing books that "contain thought that may shatter the teaching of the Othrodox church".

1836 - Dyadkovski is accused of blasphemy and forced to leave the University of Moscow.

1852 - Carl Rulier's lections about the natural origins of animals and plants are strictly prohibited.

1860 - the Oxford clergy accuses Darwin for "Origin of Species"

1863 - Sechenov's book "The attempt to introduce physiological foundations for pshychic processes" is explicitly banned.

1864 - Pius IX publishes the infamous "Quanta cura", which had the "Syllabus" attached - a list of "major misconceptions of our time". Democracy, socialism and freedom of speech are among the list.

1866 - Sechenov's book "Reflexes of the brain" is explicitly banned.

1901 - Tolstoy is excommunicated by the Othrodox clergy.

1903 - Mechnikov's book "Etudes on the nature of man" are banned because they undermine the belief in afterlife.

1909 - the "Biblical commission" of the Vatican states that the biblical creation legend is historical truth. In 1948 Pius XII reinstated that the Bible is "inerrant in the matters of the creation of the world".

1925 - Scopes "Monkey" trial.

1931 - the sanctification of Cardinal Roberto Bellarmina, who sentenced Bruno to death by fire.

1961 - the persecution of Petrucchi for his experiments on the forming of living organisms.

1965 - Paul VI of Vatican states that the War On Atheism has begun. This in fact means a war on science and scientific viewpoint on the world.

I'm sure that people could include much more here, so this is just a starting point.

Boyish-Tigerlilly · Post by **Boyish-Tigerlilly** » 2006-10-02 04:06am

That's a pretty comprehensive list of the major points already, but I would add 2007 when the "creation museum" opens up. I bet that's going to do some damage to reality.

I thought it was a joke at first, but it's not. It should do a great disservice to to people who are too young to know it's nonense. Apparently, it's part of a larger "conflict" with natural history museums.

Post by **K. A. Pital** » 2006-10-02 04:11am

I could've added Bush's stem cell veto and support for ID. That's certainly a theist in high power crapping on science way.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2006-10-02 07:51am

That's really cool, definately going to use that somewhere.

mr friendly guy · Post by **mr friendly guy** » 2006-10-02 11:58am

But... but its the religious people who created the scientific method, and scientific advances.

I second Rye's statement. I am saving this, as I am sure it would come in useful sometime down the line.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2006-10-02 12:07pm

Big one you've missed out:

In 399 B.C. Socrates was accused of "impiety" and of "neglect of the Gods whom the city worships and the practise of religious novelties" and of the "corruption of the young," and subsequently executed.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2006-10-02 12:21pm

I also just found out about another good greek philosopher that was imprisoned (but not killed) for impiety prior to Socrates.

ANAXAGORAS (500-428 BCE), Greek philosopher who introduced the notion of nous (Gr., "mind" or "reason") into the philosophy of origins; previous philosophers had studied the elements (earth, air, fire, water) as ultimate reality. He was also one of the first atomists.

Anaxagoras had taught in Athens for about 30 years when he was imprisoned for impiety for suggesting that the sun is a hot stone and the moon made of earth.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2006-10-02 02:15pm

There's also the murder of Hypatia of Alexandria by a mob of Bishop Cyril's followers prior to the burning of the library.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2006-10-02 03:16pm

What, no mention of how batshit the Church went over the printing press, and how they actually collected Bibles and burned them?

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2006-10-02 08:20pm

Boyish-Tigerlilly wrote:That's a pretty comprehensive list of the major points already, but I would add 2007 when the "creation museum" opens up. I bet that's going to do some damage to reality.

Why? Hasn't the ICR had a museum for several years now? It doesn't seem to have had much effect. About the only people who visit it are already fundies and as such are already beyond hope.

spikenigma · Post by **spikenigma** » 2006-10-03 02:08am

question: have any popes ever made ex-cathedra proclaimations on matters relating to creationism?