Most people don’t realize there was a 1,000-year period when religion ruled the earth. This was generally known as the Dark Ages (5th through 15th century). Galileo’s trial occurred close to the end of that period. The Renaissance followed it.

Of course, religion is mostly based on accepting the “absolute truth” given to you by various past theologians of the church establishment. They just could not accept scientific facts that contradicted their truth, so they made proclaiming some of those scientific discoveries punishable by death. In Galileo’s case, because he proclaimed that the earth was not the center of the universe, it was house arrest for the last ten years of his life.

Thomas Jefferson was a strong advocate of the separation of church and State. Many think that is necessary to protect the church from the State, but in fact, he believed that, because of all the historical evidence, it was the other way around.