Descartes, who was terrified when he heard of Galileo's condemnation in 1616, fled to Holland, where, though the theologians clamoured for his punishment, the Government adhered to its principle of religious toleration. Above all, the Protestant Churches were not hampered by the claim of infallibility. Though the Scriptures were accepted as verbally inspired, their interpretation was left to private judgment, which soon found ways of explaining away inconvenient texts.
Source: Religion and Science, 1935, chapt. 1.
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