Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist and astronomer, discovered that the Sun was at the center of the universe and that the Earth orbited on an axis around it. Because his beliefs and research went against the common belief that the universe was geocentric, he was criticized and forced to recant his beliefs. It was the Roman Catholic Church who made him recant his beliefs because the Church did not want any opposition that may weaken the power and influence they had over the people at that time. Reluctantly, Galileo did recant his beliefs and in retrospect many people have criticized him to be a heretic because of his opposition to the church and his level of confidence and pride in his work. However, closely examining and dissecting the words of Galileo himself and his actions, it is clear that he was a scientific martyr who was only interested in the truth. .
Firstly, Galileo is not a heretic because he signed the recantation that took back the beliefs he held. Although Galileo murmured under his breath, "Eppur si muove (But it [the earth] does move"(Galileo's Recantation:51) at the signing, he did sign the recantation. Someone who is a pure heretic would not comply with the church in anyway. If Galileo were a true heretic he would refuse to recant his beliefs in order to rebel and destroy the ideals of the Church. Furthermore, if Galileo was a religious heretic he would have found other ways to rebel against the church, such as refusing to go to church, gossiping about the clergy, raiding the church, or initiating violence, none of which he did. .
Many individuals who read the words of Galileo may believe he is trying to destroy the church by criticizing the church's methods. In the Letter To Christina Galileo expresses that he feels he is right and the church wrong. However, looking deeper into Galileo's words we see that he does not actually oppose anyone from disagreeing with him, he simply wishes to be heard before dismissed.