Science & Religion: Reconcilable vs. Irreconcilable

Science and religion are truly irreconcilable because they have completely different ways to look at the world, and it is impossible for these different views of the universe to achieve balance, because they oppose in almost every aspect. Take as an example the 17th century controversy generated by the heliocentric theory contradicting the geocentric theory. This is a great example of how science and religion can’t reconcile. Or look at a more resent controversy, in the 21st century, generated by evolutionary theory contradicting creationist beliefs. Science and religion have never reached an agreement and they never will.

A very big controversy created by science and religion clashing was the 17th century controversy generated by the heliocentric theory contradicting the geocentric theory. According to the Galileo Reading Packet: “Because he had explicitly supported the Copernican system in his book, Galileo was called to stand trial before the Roman Inquisition in 1633” (Page 8). The geocentric theory stated that the earth was the center of the universe and was supported by the church because this theory was supported by the bible. The heliocentric theory stated that the sun was the center of the universe and the church rejected this theory because it contradicted the bible. According to the bible, “Tremble before him, all earth; yea, the world stands firm, never to be moved.” (1 Chronicles 16:30). This fragment of the bible obviously contradicts the heliocentric theory. Galileo Galilei, one of the first scientist of the scientific revolution, a period in the 17th century in which people stopped looking for knowledge in writings o Greek philosophers and started using logic, mathematics and experimentation to describe the workings of nature. According to New World Ancient Texts by Anthony Grafton: “By the early seventeenth century (1600’s), knowledge had burst the bounds of the library. It now seemed as large and varied as the world itself. Knowledge now resided in astronomers’ reports of telescopic observations, philosophers’ reports on their meditations, sailors’ reports of voyages, and doctors’ reports of anatomies”(Page 2) Galileo thought that the geocentric theory was wrong and was determined to prove the heliocentric theory right. He invented the telescope and observed the skies and determined the heliocentric theory was correct. Then Galileo published his finding and the church accused him of hierarchy and he was imprisoned because his view of the universe was different. This is another example of how science and religion can’t reconcile.