Darwin’s theory of evolution is an example of discovery that is generally believed to be one of the most controversial of all, but it is forgotten that some of the earliest supporters of his theory were Christian clergymen Charles Kingsley and Frederick Temple (Brooke, That Modern Science has Secularized Western Culture 227). They suggested that a “God who could make things make themselves was more admirable than one who simply made things” (Brooke, That Modern Science has Secularized Western Culture 227). Another popularizer of Darwin’s theories, Thomas Huxley, saw science as neutral and “extra-Christian”, meaning it had a “scope and autonomy independent of religious interests” (Brooke, That Modern Science has Secularized Western Culture 226).
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First, the Syllabus of Errors written by Pope Pius XI condemned statements such as “every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true”. This pronouncement, along with claims for the infallibility of the pontiff, antagonized many, especially Protestants. However, hostility was not focused solely on Catholicism, but all of Christianity. Voltaire formulated a creed of “natural religion”, which he believed would be the religion for all people if not for the interference of the church (Brooke, Science and Religion 163). He commented that “reason, freed from its chains, will teach people that there is only one God, that this God is the universal father of all men…and they must reward virtue and punish crimes; surely…men will be better for it, and less superstitious” (Brooke, Science and Religion 163). This creed appealed to those who believed the church had too much political power, a major source of dissent during the Enlightenment. The priesthood was blamed for multiple problems, and in the early 18th century it was seen to provide support to a tyrannical monarchy (Brooke, Science and Religion 164). The Materialists went one step further and claimed that Christian morality was corrupt because it called for one to accept misfortune and suffering, which they correlated to the tyranny of the Kings of France (Brooke, Science and Religion 171). Even the idea that everything would be accounted for in the next life was despicable to this group of revolutionaries, who saw it as promoting “apathy to social reform” (Brooke, Science and Religion 172). Finally, the threat of religious intolerance by the churches was a major area of discontent, both among people belonging to a different religious denomination and among religious dissenters. This was increased in the reign of Louis XIV in France, who took
First, the Syllabus of Errors written by Pope Pius XI condemned statements such as “every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true”. This pronouncement, along with claims for the infallibility of the pontiff, antagonized many, especially Protestants. However, hostility was not focused solely on Catholicism, but all of Christianity. Voltaire formulated a creed of “natural religion”, which he believed would be the religion for all people if not for the interference of the church (Brooke, Science and Religion 163). He commented that “reason, freed from its chains, will teach people that there is only one God, that this God is the universal father of all men…and they must reward virtue and punish crimes; surely…men will be better for it, and less superstitious” (Brooke, Science and Religion 163). This creed appealed to those who believed the church had too much political power, a major source of dissent during the Enlightenment. The priesthood was blamed for multiple problems, and in the early 18th century it was seen to provide support to a tyrannical monarchy (Brooke, Science and Religion 164). The Materialists went one step further and claimed that Christian morality was corrupt because it called for one to accept misfortune and suffering, which they correlated to the tyranny of the Kings of France (Brooke, Science and Religion 171). Even the idea that everything would be accounted for in the next life was despicable to this group of revolutionaries, who saw it as promoting “apathy to social reform” (Brooke, Science and Religion 172). Finally, the threat of religious intolerance by the churches was a major area of discontent, both among people belonging to a different religious denomination and among religious dissenters. This was increased in the reign of Louis XIV in France, who took