A recent news article highlights the insanity inherent in religion as well as its deleterious effect on the progress of mankind. There is apparently a movement afoot amongst conservative Catholics to declare that Galileo was wrong and the church right regarding the Earth being the center of the universe.
The goal of such people is, of course, to protect the church's reputation and to restore the church to world dominance as this quotation from one of their leaders makes clear:
The proponents of this historical and scientific revisionism, of course, see the heliocentric view of the universe as a conspiracy of sorts by the church's political enemies to squelch the church's influence.
As long as ridiculous worldviews are given preferential treatment and shielded from criticism and inquiry, then there is no limit to how ridiculous they can get. Even to the point of denying well established facts and persecuting those who dare to speak the truth.
The goal of such people is, of course, to protect the church's reputation and to restore the church to world dominance as this quotation from one of their leaders makes clear:
"Heliocentrism becomes dangerous if it is being propped up as the true system when, in fact, it is a false system," said Robert Sungenis, leader of a budding movement to get scientists to reconsider. "False information leads to false ideas, and false ideas lead to illicit and immoral actions — thus the state of the world today.… Prior to Galileo, the church was in full command of the world, and governments and academia were subservient to her."
The proponents of this historical and scientific revisionism, of course, see the heliocentric view of the universe as a conspiracy of sorts by the church's political enemies to squelch the church's influence.
As long as ridiculous worldviews are given preferential treatment and shielded from criticism and inquiry, then there is no limit to how ridiculous they can get. Even to the point of denying well established facts and persecuting those who dare to speak the truth.