Who is Your Role Model – Luther or Galileo?
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They had much in common. They were university professors, both lived in central Europe during the same century and both made astounding discoveries that would later change the world. But, in the end they chose to take separate responses to similar challenges to their faith and religious beliefs and their choices gave us a real life lesson in how to respond to the pressure of the world when our beliefs are challenged.
Galileo Galilei was the first to use a refracting telescope to make important astronomical discoveries. Galileo made a series of profound discoveries using his new telescope. As a professor of astronomy at University of Pisa, Galileo was required to teach the accepted theory of his time that the sun and all the planets revolved around the Earth. Galileo’s observations with his new telescope convinced him of the truth of a sun-centered planetary system. He is often referred to as the “father of astronomy.”
Galileo’s support for the heliocentric theory got him into trouble with the Roman Catholic Church. He was convicted of heresy and forced to recant and publicly withdraw his support of a theory that said the earth was not the center of the universe. He did so to save his life by simply proclaiming that his discoveries were simply untrue.
Martin Luther was a professor at the University of Whittenberg. He became convinced that the Bible was the true Word of God and had been abused by the Catholic Church. He appealed to the Pope to affirm the Gospel and later posted his 95 Thesis (really 95 points of error between the Gospel and its interpretation by the church) on the door of Castle Church. He sought not a breakaway from the church but a reformation from within.
Like Galileo, Luther was tried has a heretic and brought before the Diet of Worms where he was given the opportunity to recant and get in theological line with the church. He declined to do so saying, “On this I take my stand. I can do no other.” At Worms Luther stood for his beliefs. At Worms, Luther stood alone. At Worms Luther was true to his faith.
As I recently stood before the tomb of Galileo at Santa Croce Church in Florence, Italy, only a few days after kneeling at the grave of Luther in Whittenberg, suddenly the contrast of two similar, yet diametrically different men struck me. One stood at risk for his beliefs, while the other renounced truth and betrayed his faith for his personal safety. I was reminded of the admonition of Paul writing to the church at Corinth saying “Stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” I thought of what my church might be like if Luther had wimped on his faith like Galileo did. Luther stood firm in the faith.
The world tells us to compromise for our personal gain, but the Bible tells us to stand firm for our faith not matter what the world says. It is easy to compromise and conform. There is company in a crowd and it is often lonely to stand alone, but our faith tells us to stick to our ground and in the words of Martin Luther, “we can do no other.”
Question: Who would you say is your role model in your own life?
About this Author: John Grant
Charles, thank you for your comments. As others have pointed out, Luther did have his faults. Some of his later writings were sadly anti-Semitic, as thus those writings should be condemned. And assuming your quote is accurate, he did not embrace heliocentrism, although we should point out that at the time of Copernicus (and even Galileo) the theory was not yet provable given the scientific knowledge at the time, so most (or at least a great many) of the scholarly community was not fully convinced.
But I think the point the devotional author was trying to make was in the men’s different responses to challenges to their beliefs. Galileo was willing to capitulate to the demands of his interrogators, whereas Luther was willing to hold tightly to his beliefs, no matter what the cost. The author ends the devo by saying “The world tells us to compromise for our personal gain, but the Bible tells us to stand firm for our faith not matter what the world says.” That I think is his point.
This is what Luther wrote of Copernicus (Galileo was not born at the time): “The fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy upside-down. However, as Holy Scripture tells us, so did Joshua bid the sun to stand still and not the Earth.”
What Galileo stood for was not a faith but a reality. Unlike Luther, he could be certain that that reality would emerge, regardless of the church’s actions; that is why he could recant. Eventually the observation that the moons of Jupiter indeed revolve around that planet was confirmed by Jesuit astronomers and the Catholic church changed its view. Catholic teaching on science is strongly influenced by this, and it never again asserted the truth of its interpretation of scripture over observation – for example, it accepted the atomic theory, evolution, relativity, quantum theory, even though these challenged the understanding of scripture at the time. In 2000 it apologised for making Galileo recant. It has never apologised for excommunicating Luther, whose views are much more a matter of faith.
Luther was a man who took a stand. So was Galileo. Some of what Luther wrote, as was mentioned by Scott G, regarding the Jews, was only a small part. Luther’s REAL issue was their denial of Jesus being the Messiah. Luther never claimed to be perfect, but a sinner in need of God’s mercy. This attribute of humility makes him a hero in my book!
john grant isnt the best auther so have it and dont sulk to ur mummy like always
my role model is lewis hamilton so mine is the best blud so have it and urs arnt the best so dont go and sulk to ur mummy
This one bothers me quite a bit. It is true that Luther stood up to the Church and this in itself would take great courage, but the threat was excommunication and not Death.
Galileo was facing a death sentence, and given the circumstances, he was not able to turn to the Bible for support of his claims, and of course this was in the face of the Church itself, (which continues its aversion to scientific discovery today in so many ways they can’t be counted).
Half of the Christian church today, still believes that the earth was created 6000 years ago, and that there is no basis for evolution, though scientific discovery strongly supports both.
The other thing about Luther that Grant fails to mention is the controversy around his calls to seize the Jews wealth and possessions and to burn their homes down.
Not exactly the type of character I find in my heros.
Thanks, but I’ll take Galileo over the psychosis of Luther any day.