Before the advent of Christianity, separate religious and political orders were not clearly defined in most civilizations. People worshiped the gods of the particular state in which they lived, religion being but a department of the state.
When Christianity became the religion of the empire, the emphasis on the primacy of the spiritual was strong. The Church insisted upon the independence of the church and the right of the church to judge the actions of the ruler.
With the decline of the Roman Empire in the West, civil authority fell into the hands of the only educated class that remained—the churchmen. The church, which formed the only organized institution, became the seat of governmental as well as spiritual power
The following centuries were marked by a dramatic struggle of emperors and kings with the popes. During the 12th and 13th centuries, papal power greatly increased. The struggle between secular and religious power came to a climax in the 14th century with the rise of nationalism.
Throughout the Middle Ages the Pope claimed the right to depose the Catholic kings of Western Europe, and tried to exercise it, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Push back resulted in consolidation of power with the monarch, rise of state, rise of professional standing armies, professional bureaucracies, the codification of state laws, and the rise of ideologies that justify the absolutist monarchy. This push was assisted in large part by new innovations in science which challenged church authority.
Chief among these new ideas was Copernicus' major work on heliocentric theory. He had formulated his theory by 1510 but it was not published until his death in 1543. Copernicus refused to publish as he did not want to face astronomical objections, or have a fight with the church. But upon publication it did not cause any controversy or gain followers.
It was only a half century later with the work of Kepler and Galileo that any substantial evidence defending Copernicanism appeared, starting from the time when Galileo formulated the principle of inertia. This theory explained why everything would not fall off the earth if it were in motion. Once Isaac Newton formulated the universal law of gravitation and the laws of mechanics, the heliocentric view was generally accepted.
This theory had the direct effect of undermining church authority because it challenged the biblical narrative in a way that had never been done. It is not surprising that political forces of the time would welcome such a development - perhaps even plan or encourage it. In a time where secret societies of political intrigue were growing, many agendas were in play. In any event the effect on church authority was undeniable. Coincidence?
Now the concept has come full circle to the point where the "Law of Gravity" - here in 2018 - nearly 500 years after its "discovery" is no longer a universally accepted theory, let alone a law. This is simply because modern physics has raised substantial questions about the accuracy and scope of Newton's - and also Einsteins - conclusions. This parallels many other fundamental changes in physics currently being forced upon the science community.
Science is just now discovering that valid conclusions about the fundamental forces of matter and energy are far more elusive than they had supposed. If gravity is not as it has been as believed for these many centuries then basic science has to go back to the drawing board.
In this age of distrust of media and government institutions, this means a return to the scientific method to retest and validate basic assumptions in an open and credible process.
Case in point - the shape of the earth itself. Already many scientists are saying the earth is not round. Gravity has been questioned. Now, the concept of flat earth has enjoyed a comeback - the first really since the turn of the 20th century. Proponents have raised legitimate questions. These questions have not been answered. The questions are many - beyond the scope of this essay. But once again history repeats itself as religious fundamentalists hope that the Biblical view of the earth may once again reign supreme and restore moral and political authority to the church. What are we waiting for?