To be pitied, yes; and if I were him I would have been tempted to take to the naves, aisles, and apses with Molotovs. The scourge of corrupt religion. I don't put up with that shit.
Yet; I think about ~ out of respect and wonder ~ I imagine Galileo looking through his telescope at the Jupiter moons, and realizing what he was seeing. And then sensing, joyously, how blessed he was of all people on Earth. Nature, perhaps God, was revealing itself to him; personally. It must have seemed to him that he had been in some way chosen to receive this experience and truth. Even if it was only Discovery that brought him there.
Wow.
He must have felt more internally exalted than the church could ever inspire or destroy.
He was richly rewarded for his faith.
Without torture, knowledge gained, cannot be removed. Although they excelled at torture, undoubtedly for this end, he was spared it; and knew what was in the sky every time he looked up at it.
It was his.
I am so glad of it. Way to go, Gal. He's a hero. Even in his recantation, he was the winner and demonstrator of truth. |
