Catholic Answers School of Apologetics: The Galileo Affair Online Course

The Galileo Affair is the go-to event cited by enemies of the Catholic Church as hard evidence that she is opposed to scientific learning. The facts of the story do not support this narrative. Indeed, the Church throughout history has led the way in learning across all the academic disciplines including in the natural sciences. 

Catholics who want to defend the Church face a particular challenge when confronted with the Galileo Affair, or, more correctly, the public perception of the Galileo Affair. The challenge is how to have a peaceful conversation with a hostile person about an involved tale that does not summarize easily and has come to mean something that it does not.  

Christopher Check’s latest course, The Galileo Affair, will give you the understanding of the Galileo Affair and the facts of the story you need to equip yourself for this conversation. Among many other things, the student will learn how to:

• Talk about the historical context in which the event took place and why this context is critical

• Explain the Church’s actual teachings about the cosmos and about the interpretation of Scripture, as well as the Church’s genuine pastoral concerns and desire to avoid scandal

• Identify Galileo’s scientific contributions as well as the not-insignificant errors in his theories

• Answer with facts the abundant falsehoods that surround the Galileo Affair.

The student will also be able to talk about the personalities, temperaments, and motives, as well as the shortcomings and virtues, of Galileo and of the principal churchmen in the story. Apart from these, this story cannot be understood.

For too long, the alleged persecution of Galileo has been a stick used to beat the Church. Prepare yourself to defend the Church and talk with clarity and grace about what has become one of the most controversial events in Church history.

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