On Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 12:04:57 AM UTC-7, Gerald Kelleher wrote:
The 'enlightened' are inclined to overstate the differences between Galileo
and the Church in cartoon terms even when Galileo pleads his case using a more
balanced view as a Catholic and a Christian -

Although there is some merit to the point you raise, surely you realize that
Galileo would plead his case in such a way so as not to offend those who were
judging him.

That the whole sad history of the Inquisition leads many to believe that the
First Amendment is the only right way - churches should be private
associations of people sharing certain personal beliefs, not having the
ability to make and enforce laws on everyone else - does not at all seem
unreasonable to me.

Our current task, in the post-9/11 era, is to make this a reality in the
Islamic world so that non-Muslim minorities are protected there.

John Savard