h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm no Galileo expert, but as a man with a college education, I thought I'd correct the (h2g2) record on Galileo and his excommunication from the Catholic Church. As far as I understand, Galileo was not excommunicated simply because he asserted a heliocentric model of the solar system, but because he cited biblical evidence as proof. According to the Roman Church, no scientist may use the bible as evidence to support his theories. Galileo persisted in the practice nonetheless, and therefore, earned excommunication. I know such a revelation dims Galileo's halo as a brave martyr to the forces of superstition, but the truths of history rarely accomodate our modern conceits.

at second glance, I'm not sure whether his halo is actually dimmed by this. While Galileo was choosing his ground carefully, the church found itself outwitted in those theological discussions and reacted in the typical manner of some establishment being challenged decisively. The flexibility in the thinking of the church, however, was proven during WWII when it came to maintain the theological ideals against those Nazi conjections, among other things.