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AnswerThe most famous person forced to recant, when his theories were contrary to Church doctrine, was Galileo. Galileo observed the planets and developed the theory of heliocentrism - that the earth and all the planets revolved around the sun. The Catholic Church was opposed to this theory because it was contrary to a literal reading of scriptures.

Today, the theory of heliocentrism is universally accepted, and Galileo is sometimes viewed as the "Father of Modern Science". The Church is now much more circumspect in opposing scientific theories that would force it to review its understanding of the scriptures.

Another PerspectiveApparently the Jesuits and many others within the Catholic Church were originally quite receptive to Galileo's ideas. The problem was not originated with the Catholic church as such but with the scientific community who were steadfastly committed to the old Ptolemaic earth-centered cosmology. These stood to lose a lot and so got the church 'heavyweights' on side in order to have their view prevail.

In addition, The Bible does not support the earth-centered view anyway, only using the 'language of appearance' which we still use today when we refer to sunrise and sunset, even though it is we that move.

Galileo's views were thus always going to 'win' the argument anyway, since they merely were describing the world as it is, as the Bible does, even when believers in un-scientific things insist the Bible is wrong. It is not, nor ever was when closely examined, an issue of Galileo and science versus the Bible and the Catholic church.

AnswerThat is revisionist junk history. Scientists didn't put him on trial under pain of torture and execution, the church did. AnswerGalileo recanted, after running into criticism from fellow scientists and some in the church. It's important to have a clear picture of what happened. "Another perspective" has summed up the historical facts clearly, and those facts are readily available on line. Galileo was, in fact, close friends with the Pope of the time, and died a devout Catholic. The church was the biggest funder of science and scientists in Europe before and throughout the middle ages. Galileo was proposing a theory that the earth moved, which was right, and that the sun was motionless, which was wrong, and without proof, his view was largely opposed by leading astronomers. Galileo's "Dialogue," and an overestimation of his own power in the politics of Rome exacerbated what followed.
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The most famous person forced to recant, when his theories were contrary to Church doctrine, was Galileo. Galileo observed the planets and developed the theory of heliocentrism - that the earth and all the planets revolved around the sun. The Catholic Church was opposed to this theory because it was contrary to a literal reading of scriptures.
Today, the theory of heliocentrism is universally accepted, and Galileo is sometimes viewed as the "Father of Modern Science". The Church is now much more circumspect in opposing scientific theories that would force it to review its understanding of the scriptures.

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Q: Who was forced to recant many of his ideas about the universe by the Catholic Church?
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Why is Galileo consedered as brave man?

Galileo placed his life in jeopardy when he announced that he discovered a moon circling Jupiter. The discovery went against the Catholic Churches belief that all heavenly bodies circle the Earth. Galileo was forced to recant his discovery and was placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life.


Why did Pope Leo X ask Martin Luther to recant his beliefs?

cause he was not being nice to the church and he was saying that the pope was doing stuff wrong cause he was not being nice to the church and he was saying that the pope was doing stuff wrong


What effect did Edict of Fontainebleau have on hugonauts?

The 1 million or so Huguenots were forced to recant their Protestant (specifically Calvinist) faith in favor of Catholicism. Some 200,000 fled the country, illegally, and settled in England, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, British America and South Africa - places where the three main Protestant faiths of the time were practiced. Some who refused to recant were killed, some simply had their children taken from them. Anyone who could not, at the very least, act like a Catholic was supposed to act in the early modern era was under suspicion. Basically, this was not a good time to be a Huguenot in France.


What event weakened the catholic church?

Martin Luther's private doubt that the pope had the authority to sell indulgences (paper documents that one could buy to free oneself from a sin) grew into a church debate after Luther nailed 95 theses against the church door in Wittenberg. This practice of displaying an invitation for a scholarly debate was normal at that time, particularly for a professor of theology, which is what Luther was. Luther's reluctance to believe in absolute papal authority was not a singular man's concern: there were numerous other scholars who challenged the grip of the Catholic clergy onto laypersons. Among the educated and/or well-to-do citizens, many felt that the Church was politically too powerful. The zeitgeist smacked of other things: mercantilism, humanism, the stirrings of individuality, a yearning for more freedom. Luther was forced to see the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but would not recant. A powerful duke (of Saxony) "kidnapped" Luther on his way home from the meeting with the emperor and hid him in his castle. There Luther translated the Bible into the German language -- breaking a thousand-year-old necessity to have Latin-trained clergy mediate biblical content to laity. Afterward, the people who protested the Catholic Church's monopoly on the relations between God and humans called themselves Lutherans or Protestants. This schism was the single most-weakening event in the Catholic Church.


What caused Henry the 8th to break with the catholic church?

England became a part of the reformation more through politics than theological debate. King Henry VIII (1509-47) needed an heir to the throne and with his wife was unable to produce one. The Pope would not grant a divorce and so Henry convinced Parliament to declare him head of the Church in England. Henry’s daughter, Mary Tudor was a staunch Catholic and persecuted the Protestants. When Henry’s other daughter, Elizabeth, inherited the throne, she tolerated the Protestants just enough so as not to irritate the Pope. When the English fleet defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, the Anglican Church permanently replaced the Catholic one in England.(Below is an excerpt from the biography of Henry VIII)In 1534 Henry VIII was declared head of the English Church. People had to swear an oath that in future they would obey Henry as head of the church. More refused and he was convicted of high treason. Still refusing to recant, he was executed at the Tower of London on 6 July 1535.The Pope and the Catholic church in Rome were horrified when they heard the news that Henry had destroyed St. Thomas Becket's Shrine. On 17 December 1538, the Pope announced to the Christian world that Henry VIII had been excommunicated from the Catholic church.

Related questions

What scientist was forced by the Catholic Church to recant his theory?

Galileo was not told to recant his theory. He was told to stop teaching it as fact, especially because he had no proof that it was, indeed, fact.


What was Leonardo da vinci's struggle?

He had many. The most notable was with the Catholic Church who threatened to torture him if he did not recant his belief that the earth is not the centre of the universe.


Who forced Galileo to recant many of his ideas?

Pope Paul V and Cardinal Bellarmine forced Galileo to recant many of his ideas. These ideas included the idea that the earth revolved around the sun.


Is it true of false that Luther refused to recant his criticism against the Catholic Church?

True.


Who were the people that Galileo got into trouble with?

Galileo got into trouble with the Catholic Church, specifically with the Roman Inquisition. They accused him of promoting the heliocentric theory proposed by Copernicus, which challenged the geocentric view of the Church. Galileo's ideas were viewed as heretical and he was forced to recant his views under threat of imprisonment.


How did Galileo's work come into conflict with the church and how was the that conflict resolved?

Galileo's work supporting the heliocentric model challenged the geocentric views held by the Catholic Church. The Church saw his ideas as heretical and forced him to recant his views under threat of excommunication. The conflict was resolved centuries later in 1992 when the Catholic Church formally acknowledged that Galileo was right and that the Church's judgment against him was a mistake.


Why did Galileo have to withdraw his theories about the earths rotation?

Galileo was forced to recant his theories about the Earth's rotation because of the Church. His theories went against the biblical scriptures and therefore he was forced by the Pope and the clergy to retract all his theories from society.


Why have authorities sometimes been a hindrance to scientific inquiry?

There have been many times in history where "organizations" or governments or churches have hindered scientific inquiries. To give well known example would be to recall what Galileo had to suffer in his day. As a scientist he was an outstanding man of his time. The Catholic Church in 17th century forced him to recant the Copernican concept of the universe. He was forced to do this because religous ideas of the time conflicted with scientific ones.


Why were the ideas of Copernicus rejected for so long?

Because the Roman Catholic church had enormous power at the time. They had decided that the earth was the center of the universe, and that any other theory was heresy. Anyone who expressed agreement with Copernicus was liable to be arrested by the Inquisition; he would then risk imprisonment, torture and burning at the stake. Galileo Galilei, the foremost Italian physicist of the day, was arrested for just this, and forced to recant.


Was forced to recant his scientific work which was placed on the Index?

Galileo


Did Martin Luther want to leave the Catholic Church?

He evidently did. When given the opportunity to recant his diatribe and work within the Catholic Church to reform it, he decided to go his own way and was excommunicated. That should have been little surprise to him.


Who is work was forced to recant his scientific work which was placed on the Index?

galileo