> One example is the big bang theory being proposed by a Catholic astronomer who didn't like the then prevaling idea that the universe did not have a beginning or end because it went against his religious beliefs.

This actually came from the skeptics [0]. They were unwilling to believe a Catholic priest proposing a scientific theory too similar to his religious beliefs, about God creating the whole universe in an instant.

When the cosmic background radiation was discovered in 1964, the Big Bang was accepted by (mostly) everyone.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang#Development