Are your still adhering to 16th century thinking? That was the Renaissance Period, a time when the arts (with the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo) and sciences (for example, think Galileo and Paracelsus) blossomed and critical thinking sprouted from the (then) new communication mechanism or device of the time, namely the printing press.
Parts of the ruling establishment of that time were "not impressed." In fact, they tried their best to suppress and root out the cause(s), printing press, open discussion and free speech. How could it be allowed for common folks to even read the Bible--without the required "divine" interpretation and guidance?