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Newton proposed his theory of universal gravitation in 1686 and it soon became the bedrock of astronomy and terrestrial physics and engineering.
By the late 19th century though, a problem had arisen with the observed motion of Mercury. Prior to this Newton's gravitation theory was more or less accepted as "fact" just as many regard evolution today as a "fact".
Newton's theory had been tested, verified checked and cross checked for over three hundred years and never found to be in error until the Mercury orbit problem began to undermine it.
How did scientists react? They did not rise to defend the theory, they did not attack those few who questioned it, they did not turn physics into a religion by condemning all critics of Newton, they did not ridicule those experimenters who cast doubt on Newton.
They accepted reality, they acted like scientists should and searched for the truth, accepted that the theory was in fact wrong even though it was called a "fact" for three hundred years, they did not let their emotions drive them.
Contrast this with evolution today; it is called a "fact" too and any attempt to express doubt, examine difficult observational issues and so on, is not met by rational and scientific honesty but by an almost religious fanaticism that is hostile to skepticism and ruthless in its attack on free and rational thought.
The militant atheists are a religion themselves, yet they can't see the wood for the trees. Such people claim to reject and disparage "religion" yet they share the very same attitudes that some theistic religions do of intolerance for ideas that do not fit in with their personal definition of absolute truth.
They are the source of truth and
they cannot be questioned without the skeptics being attacked and silenced by all manner of pseudo scientific arguments.