Christianity Quote by Seyyed Hossein Nasr
““In the West, the great problem that was created for Christianity from the 17th century onward and even earlier during the Renaissance was that religion began to retreat from one domain after another in order to accommodate the forces of modernism and secularism. One can point to the Galileo trial, after which the Church ‘‘lost the cosmos.’’ In fact, the Church was right in many ways, because what Galileo was saying did not concern astronomy alone, but also theology, which was quite something else. As a consequence of this trial, the Church withdrew from its concern with the sciences of nature and no longer challenged what kind of science was developed, and suf- fered the results of accepting the reductionism and materialistic views of modern science. This process resulted in the complete secularization of nature and the cosmos.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on Religion and Modernity, 2015
Modernism and secularism forced Christianity to retreat from domains like science, leading to a secular view of nature after events like the Galileo trial.
In simple terms: Religion withdrew from science, making nature seem purely secular.
Key Takeaway
Consider how faith can engage with science today.
Themes
religion
science
modernity
secularism
history
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic conferences
- interfaith dialogues
- educational curricula
- public policy debates
Key Concepts
theology
reductionism
materialism
Questions to Reflect On
- Can religion contribute positively to scientific discourse?
- What models show successful faith‑science collaboration?
A Different Perspective
Some argue that faith can coexist with scientific inquiry without conflict.
![“Muhammad sets the model for being a good statesman. He also sets the model for being a good warrior, for chivalry, of nobility, of all the things which the Quran and Hadith [The recorded collections of the sayings and traditions of the Prophet] says of treating your enemy with dignity and kindness.” quote by Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dda/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_chivalry_muhammad-sets-the-model-for-being-a-good_240170.jpg)
