ABSTRACT
Reason and sensory observation are, of course, particularly associated with the sciences, and the Enlightenment period saw an advancement of science. By this time the Church had already come to terms with Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), and Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), who had demonstrated, contrary to the traditional belief, that the earth was not the centre of the universe around which the celestial bodies moved. is was a conclusion that cut humanity down to size: if this were the case, was the earth really the centre of God’s providential plan? Science in the Enlightenment era included further advancements in astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry and medicine, heralding the eclipse of alchemy and astrology. Advances in these disciplines did not have a direct effect on religion, but were part of the Zeitgeist, encouraging scientific critical thought to become transposed to the field of religion and religious scholarship. Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), the first scientist to isolate oxygen, was as much a theologian as a scientist: a Unitarian by commitment, much of his writing was directed to arguing for the unreasonableness of the doctrine of the Trinity.
