Galileo Galilei Religion Quotes & Sayings

The doctrine that the earth is neither the center of the universe nor immovable, but moves even with a daily rotation, is absurd, and both philosophically and theologically false, and at the least an error of faith. — Galileo Galilei

I esteem myself happy to have as great an ally as you in my search for truth. I will read your work ... all the more willingly because I have for many years been a partisan of the Copernican view because it reveals to me the causes of many natural phenomena that are entirely incomprehensible in the light of the generally accepted hypothesis. To refute the latter I have collected many proofs, but I do not publish them, because I am deterred by the fate of our teacher Copernicus who, although he had won immortal fame with a few, was ridiculed and condemned by countless people (for very great is the number of the stupid).

{Letter to fellow revolutionary astronomer Johannes Kepelr} — Galileo Galilei

They know that it is human nature to take up causes whereby a man may oppress his neighbor, no matter how unjustly ... Hence they have had no trouble in finding men who would preach the damnability and heresy of the new doctrine from the very pulpit ... — Galileo Galilei

I am not very impressed with theological arguments whatever they may be used to support. Such arguments have often been found unsatisfactory in the past. In the time of Galileo it was argued that the texts, 'And the sun stood still ... and hasted not to go down about a whole day' (Joshua x. 13) and 'He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not move at any time' (Psalm cv. 5) were an adequate refutation of the Copernican theory. — Alan Turing

To command their professors of astronomy to refute their own observations is to command them not to see what they do see and not to understand what they do understand. — Galileo Galilei

The Bible shows the way to go to heaven, not the way the heavens go. — Galileo Galilei