Letter to The Editor - the Copernican revolution demanded a change in cosmological understanding

to THE AUSTRALIAN
     Tony Abbott sees a main cause of ‘our civilisational self-doubt and the collapse of cultural self-confidence’ as being a ‘decline in belief’ (‘New conservative activists may be key to defending our fragile rights’, 2/11). Yes and no. If he means a loss of conviction in the reality of the transcendental, he is right. However, if he means a failure of belief in ‘orthodox’ theology, he is wrong.
     The Western world has reached a turning point from which there can be no going back. ‘Belief’ that Christianity is the only way to salvation, buttressed by false claims about the authority of ‘the Church’ or the authority of the Bible, must be revised, just as the Copernican revolution demanded a change in cosmological understanding.
     NJ, Belgrave, Vic