The geocentric theory was never official RC doctrine
(i.e., dogma). It was just something (mistakenly) supported by the leadership of
the RC Church at a certain time in history (in response to what that leadership
-- again mistakenly -- perceived as a dire threat to the Catholic faith). I'm
not sure that the RC Church has "caught up with science" even now, but its
doctrine is not (and never has been) tied to any particular scientific
cosmology. There is a distinction between what leaders in the Church say from
time to time and what the official doctrine (dogma) of the Church
is.
The RC Church made its rapprochement with modern science long
before its official reconsideration of the Galileo affair in the 1980s and
1990s. For example, Pierre Duhem -- the great theoretical physicist and
philosopher and historian of science -- did his very modern work in science with
the complete imprimatur of the Church, and he lived from 1861 to 1916. See
his Aim and Structure of Physical Theory
(1914).
But that's enough from me. This is not an Indological subject.
I just don't think that we should be unfair to the RC Church (or any other
person or institution).
But I have already taken this too far. My
apologies.
GC
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 1999 6:54 PM
Subject: Re: Aryabhatt (Elder)
> george9252 <george9252@EMAIL.MSN.COM>
wrote:
>
> >Do you really mean that, Richard? You can't mean
that the RC Church
> >"adopted" Ptolemy's theory of epicycles as
official RC doctrine. If it had,
> >then, even today, the RC Church
would insist that its adherents accept the
> >Ptolemaic theory. It
doesn't.
>
> The Ptolemaic theory was certainly upheld by the Roman
Catholic church,
> mainly because of its geocentric nature. Heliocentric
theories were
> associated with the pagan worship of the sun. That was the
reason why
> Galileo was arrested and asked to recant his "heresy" in
championing the
> Copernican theory. The church finally caught up with
science only as late as
> 1992, when it officially accepted that it was
wrong for condemning Galileo.
> Official Catholic doctrine is subject to
change, but in its own sweet time.
>
>
Vidyasankar