The original post: /r/ufos by /u/syndic8_xyz on 2024-12-31 17:22:56.

Original Title: Happy New Year to the UFOs, avoid fireworks and send truth in 2025, because Rulers won’t. Every time some new fact is found that makes Rulers less Powerful, they lie, hide and kill to cling to the past where they seemed better. Galileo and so many more!

At the turning of the year here’s a list of examples from history where new facts, capabilities and thinking was met with lies, gaslighting, censorship and even murder by Rulers who felt threatened by it.

We think we’ve come so far and are so advanced, but… maybe we aren’t!

Before Galileo:

  1. Socrates (5th century BCE) Socrates questioned the status quo of Athenian society, challenging the moral and intellectual authority of its leaders. For promoting critical thinking and “corrupting the youth,” he was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock. His execution stands as one of the earliest examples of suppressing inconvenient truths.
  2. Jesus of Nazareth (1st century CE) Jesus preached radical ideas of love, equality, and forgiveness that challenged the religious and political authorities of his time. His teachings undermined the power structures of both the Roman Empire and the Jewish authorities. He was ultimately executed by crucifixion, a punishment designed to suppress dissent and maintain control over the populace.
  3. Hypatia of Alexandria (4th-5th century CE) Hypatia, a brilliant philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer, was a prominent figure in Alexandria during a time of religious upheaval. Her teachings, including her defense of rationality and science, made her a target of political and religious factions. She was murdered by a mob, symbolizing the clash between knowledge and theocratic power.
  4. The Suppression of Heliocentrism (3rd century BCE onwards) Ancient Greek astronomers like Aristarchus of Samos proposed heliocentrism long before Copernicus, but their ideas were largely ignored or suppressed as they conflicted with the geocentric model, which aligned better with prevailing religious and political narratives.

Galileo (16th-17th century):

  1. Galileo Galilei Galileo championed the heliocentric model, building on Copernicus’s work, and used telescopic observations to provide evidence for it. This directly challenged the Church’s geocentric doctrine, leading to his trial by the Inquisition in 1633. He was forced to recant his findings and spent the rest of his life under house arrest, a stark reminder of the risks of challenging authority with scientific truth.

After Galileo:

  1. The Trial of Giordano Bruno (16th century) Bruno expanded on the idea of a heliocentric universe and went further, suggesting an infinite cosmos with countless inhabited worlds. His ideas directly threatened the Church’s conception of humanity’s unique place in the universe. He was burned at the stake for heresy in 1600.
  2. The Inquisition and the Index of Forbidden Books (16th-19th centuries) The Catholic Church systematically suppressed scientific and philosophical works that contradicted its teachings. The Index of Forbidden Books banned groundbreaking works like those of Copernicus and later Descartes and Darwin, delaying humanity’s progress in understanding the world.
  3. Charles Darwin and Evolution (19th century) When Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, it faced significant backlash from religious and social institutions. Evolution challenged the biblical creation narrative and the notion of humanity’s special place in the natural order. Even today, the debate over evolution persists in some circles.
  4. Ignaz Semmelweis and Germ Theory (19th century) Semmelweis discovered that handwashing could drastically reduce infections in hospitals, but his findings were ridiculed and dismissed by the medical establishment of his time, which resisted changing entrenched practices. It wasn’t until much later that germ theory vindicated him.