The correct answer is option C, that is, spontaneous generation was supported by religious views of the day.
Cell theory was given by Rudolf Virchow and Louis Pasteur, according to which the cells arise from the pre-existing cells. Prior to cell theory, it was believed that life started due to spontaneous generation, that is, the origination of life started from non-living matter.
According to this theory, it was considered that dust creates fleas, maggot originates from the rotten meat, bread, and wheat left in the dark corner give rise to mice. Louis Pasteur was the first scientist to show that cells arise from the pre-existing cells that took hundreds of years to prove that.
