pete was wrong when he claimed that the main opposition to Galileo came from other scientists. Astronomers of the time could have ignored him, or attempted to refute his findings, or ridiculed him. But only the Churches had the power to burn him, as the Catholic Church did Giordiano Bruno (among many others). The Protestant churches were little better: read the horrifying story of the execution for heresy of Edward Wightman in 1612.

But Galileo is such an appropriate exemplar: the creationists are in exactly the position of the established astronomers who refused to look through the telescope and see the evidence for themselves. Surrounded by the wonders of nature, they open their book and close their minds.

And hasn't our pete been getting voluble lately? This chap who a few hundred posts ago couldn't string a couple of sentences together now posts whole creeds (stet). It couldn't possibly be that someone else is prompting him, could it?