The famous Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was trialed and convicted in 1633 for publishing his evidence that supported the Copernican theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun. His research was instantly criticized by the Catholic Church for going against the established scripture that places Earth and not the Sun at the center of the universe.
Galileo was found “vehemently suspect of heresy” for his heliocentric views and was required to “abjure, curse and detest” his opinions. He was sentenced to house arrest, where he remained for the rest of his life and his offending texts were banned.
What can we learn from this piece of history? Although it’s nearly 500 years old, people around the world, in many countries, are still being executed for their beliefs, sexual orientation, religious opinion, or political views. The ongoing social topics and current events change but the dogma remains the same. It is the perception that “the majority is right, and the minority is (an outcast, and) presumably wrong”.
If you look at history throughout the ages, you will always see did the religious institutions banned and suppressed any progress and advance. And I’m not talking only about Christianity, even though they have the most prominent examples of “executions in the name of Christ” and “burning at stake for heresy”.
If God is a kind and loving father, as it is referred to in the Holy Bible, is it really necessary to encourage patient suffering or burn people alive, if there is a slight suspicion that they are not worshiping this kind father?
Don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to discredit Christianity or offend anyone. Moreover, the actions of some individuals in the ruling class of religious institutions has nothing to do with the initial philosophy Christianity try to promote 2000 years ago.
What bothers me personally, is the fact that Christian philosophy not only transformed but also deformed and even mutated throughout the ages. If you read the Bible you will not find a single line calling for the public execution of non-believers. Same as you won’t find evidence of jihad and killing of innocent yet non-Muslim people in the Quran. I believe most religions, at least in their original state, what kind philosophies that called for a union between people.
Yet here we are in the year 2019, and look at our society today. We are divided, unhappy, and emotionally enslaved. We lost our faith and inspiration, we are in the rat race where “dog eat dog world” is a default norm.
Galileo wasn’t the only example of religious institutions banning and suppressing progress, that isn’t in line with the current scheme of things. The list also includes Henry Oldenburg (1619-1677), Michael Servetus (1511-1553), and even Albert Einstein, who wasn’t suppressed by the Catholic church, like the others mentioned in this article, but when Hitler came to power in January 1933, Einstein was in California and was almost immediately deprived of his posts in Berlin and his membership of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. His property was seized and his books were burned in public.
As I already mentioned, there is no difference between religious and political dogma…
What you, as an individual, can do about it? No, I am not calling for a rebel, anarchy, or overthrowing the power. While it was a common practice to take over palaces and throw the ruling class out of the window or cut their heads off in public, where did this practice lead us? Ruling classes change, but problems remain. So I am most definitely not advocating any violent solution even to the most outrageously suppressing regimes.
What you can do, as an individual, is to educate yourself (and ideally others), about the real scheme of Universal Laws, how they operate and how YOU can tap into them instead of constantly swimming against the current, wasting all your energy along the way.
If you will truly and thoroughly comprehend the power of constructive mental work (also known as “thinking”), you will no longer feel trapped and abused, because you will have found the Freedom within, which in due time, will set you free in the outside world.
Furthermore, let us be open to new ideas. Don’t dwell upon old beliefs, just because you believed in them all your life if new discoveries are being made. Keep your mind open, yet guard it carefully.
Question everything without blindly relying on a single source of information.