The Church against Science (Facts and Facts only)

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleЦерковь против науки (факты и только факты)
3. Language term Russian
4. lemma author Asliturk, Miriam
5. lemma category Modes of interaction > Conflict - Modes of interaction > Antagonism - Modes of interaction > Orthodox critique of science
6. Publication date 05-12-2017
7. lemma work Aleksyri [Author]. Церковь против науки (факты и только факты)
8. lemma manifestations LiveInternet.Ru
9. Keywords Catholic Church - Russian Orthodox Church - Darwinism - Lomonosov, Mikhail Vasilyevich (1711-1765) - Repression
10. Url Click Here
11. Citations
    1. <p>Aleksyri, Церковь против науки (факты и только факты), <em>LiveInternet.Ru</em>, 2012. Retrieved from: <a href="http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/aleksyri/post245464639">http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/aleksyri/post245464639</a> </p>
12. Lemma body

    1. In this internet blog, the author stresses that the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), while not as radical as the Catholic Church in its persecution of science and scientists, did make its non-negligible contribution to the repression of science in Russia. The author mentions a number of facts to prove his point:

       • In 1740, the ROC seized and destroyed copies of Frontenelle’s Conversation on the Plurality of Worlds, published on the initiative of Lomonosov;
       • In 1756 it initiated a ban on Alexander Pope's poem "The Experience of Man", which the Church believed advocated “Copernicus' malicious ideas.”
       • In 1757, the ROC’s Synod demanded “to stop” Lomonosov’s scientific activity and put his scientific writings on fire.
       • In 1764 Lomonosov’s scientific and art journal "Monthly essays for the benefit and amusement of employees", which published articles on astronomy, was closed on the recommendation of the Church.

       The author points out that the ROC supported the publication of a school manual entitled "The Destruction of the Copernican System" until 1815. In 1819, all the exhibits of the anatomical study of Kazan University were ordered to be buried, because the ROC considered it “ugly and ungracious” to use God’s creations for anatomical preparations. Geological findings of the 1850s-1880s that went against the cosmogony of Moses were refuted by the Church and scientific works devoted to these discoveries were prohibited for publication. The Church also prohibited not only Darwin’s books, but also some scientific works that mentioned Darwin’s views (such as S. Albert or Haeckel).

       The author emphasizes that the ROC has criticized the heliocentric system of the world up to the beginning of the 20th century. The last work in which the heliocentric system was criticized was the book by the priest Job Nemtsev entitled “The Circle of the Earth is Motionless and the Sun Walks”, published in 1914.