History Of Conflict Between Religion And Science

[Guest ApostleKnight]

This book was fascinating to me. John William Draper, M.D., LL.D., is the author. Not at all flattering to Roman Catholics in particular and Christians in general, this book documents how, to paraphrase it crudely, the Roman Catholic church was responsible for the Dark Ages. Whether the reader agrees that this is the case on a macrocosmic scale, the book is full of evidence and historical data. Here is a list of the chapter headings, to give you an idea of the content:

Chapter 1 THE ORIGIN OF SCIENCE.

Chapter 2 THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY.--ITS TRANSFORMATION ON ATTAINING IMPERIAL POWER.--ITS RELATIONS TO SCIENCE.

Chapter 3 CONFLICT RESPECTING THE DOCTRINE OF THE UNITY OF GOD.--THE FIRST OR SOUTHERN REFORMATION.

Chapter 4 THE RESTORATION OF SCIENCE IN THE SOUTH.

Chapter 5 CONFLICT RESPECTING THE NATURE OF THE SOUL.--DOCTRINE OF EMANATION AND ABSORPTION.

Chapter 6 CONFLICT RESPECTING THE NATURE OF THE WORLD.

Chapter 7 CONTROVERSY RESPECTING THE AGE OF THE EARTH.

Chapter 8 CONFLICT RESPECTING THE CRITERION OF TRUTH.

Chapter 9 CONTROVERSY RESPECTING THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNIVERSE.

Chapter 10 LATIN CHRISTIANITY IN RELATION TO MODERN CIVILIZATION.

Chapter 11 SCIENCE IN RELATION TO MODERN CIVILIZATION.

Chapter 12 THE IMPENDING CRISIS.

I'd recommend this book highly, very interesting historical and religious information that's worth knowing I think, regardless of the author's undisguised contempt for religion (and after reading his book, you'll understand why he, as a professor at New York University in the 1800's, despised the knowledge and wisdom lost during the Dark Ages presumable because of religion, a.k.a. the Roman Catholic Church mainly).

You can get an e-text version of it (and many, many other classics) here:

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DraHist.html

[Snow]

Originally posted by ApostleKnight@Oct 25 2005, 12:49 AM

John William Draper, M.D., LL.D., is the author. Not at all flattering to Roman Catholics in particular and Christians in general, this book documents how, to paraphrase it crudely, the Roman Catholic church was responsible for the Dark Ages...

I'd recommend this book highly, very interesting historical and religious information that's worth knowing I think, regardless of the author's undisguised contempt for religion (and after reading his book, you'll understand why he, as a professor at New York University in the 1800's, despised the knowledge and wisdom lost during the Dark Ages presumable because of religion, a.k.a. the Roman Catholic Church mainly). 

You can get an e-text version of it (and many, many other classics) here:

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I'm not sure I would be interested - not because it's anti-Christian/religion, but because it's wrong. The middle or 'dark' ages happened because Rome fell and literacy was lost. There are two causes to the fall of Rome - 1. The invasion of the barbarian hordes, sweeping across the frozen Rhine in 406... and within 70 years (give or take a decade) the empire would be only a memory; and 2. The internal causes left the empire unable or unwilling to defend itself against the Huns, the Goths, Avers and the like.

Some may blame the Christian Church for promoting virtues like patience and pusillanimity and devoting resources to charity and devotion instead of to a vigilant military but then one could just as easily blame vice-encumbered paganism. As the great Edward Gibbon put it is his masterful The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776) "The decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness."

In fact, it was the Catholic Church, via the Irish monasteries, that preserved and re-introduced classical learning; without whom the 'dark' ages would have been truly dark. That's not to say that the Catholic Church does not have giga-tons to atone for but causing the the middles ages is too big of a stretch.

I just don't have much time to devote to miseducation but even outdated stuff may have some good material so thanks for the link.

[Guest ApostleKnight]

Originally posted by Snow@Oct 25 2005, 11:59 PM

In fact, it was the Catholic Church, via the Irish monasteries, that preserved and re-introduced classical learning; without whom the 'dark' ages would have been truly dark. That's not to say that the Catholic Church does not have giga-tons to atone for but causing the the middles ages is too big of a stretch.

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The book actually deals with what you mentioned (minus the Irish monastaries, but he doesn't dispute that). When I said catholic church, I meant key leaders. For example, he talks about how christian "philosophers" disagreed with certain Greek philosophers and essentially burned over half of the library at Alexandria.

He contrasts this behavior with Islam interestingly enough which he shows to be more tolerant to scientific ideas and diversity (though of course militant when it came to proselyting, as it were). Other famous examples are the whole Galileo gag-order by the Pope, but this guy really did his homework and there's alot of fascinating history showing how prideful or philosophically xenophobic catholic popes/cardinals physically destroyed the only traces of much of the wisdom/learning of centuries before, since it didn't fit with their conceptions of God and the world (the earth is FLAT I tell you!!! hehehe).

To be honest Snow, judging from your posts I'd say you'd like this book, I'm probably not doing justice in reviewing or paraphrasing it...the author doesn't hate religion...just the religious men who destroyed so much knowledge. In that sense he agrees with you on one cause of the dark ages...loss of learning...and he has intriguing historical facts showing that the early Catholic leadership put the Nazis to shame with their book-burning (again, my paraphrase, not his).

[Snow]

You're probably right that I would like the book. I just don't think that the Catholic Church was THE cause of the middle ages.