Comments on: Superstition vs. Science

By: Whom Shall I Fear?

Whom Shall I Fear? — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:41:32 +0000

He was anti-Trinitarian, yes, but he was also accused by other, more “mechanistic” scientists of the time of having kept too much God in his vision of the universe. Specifically, gravity seemed to others to be an unexplained “occult force.” Had Newton not been inclined toward seeing mysteries in the world, he might not have discovered as much as he did.

Kepler and Copernicus were also religious men and more theologically orthodox.

By: Kate

Kate — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:30:30 +0000

It is misleading to describe Isaac Newton as a devout Christian. His personal beliefs were most likely antitrinitarian, and he dabbled in magic and the occult as well as attempts to interpret Biblical prophecies. [Fair enough. I probably overreached. It's worth keeping in mind though, that anyone who attended the kinds of churches that were around at the time he was alive (1642-1727) would be considered, if set in today's lukewarm, Laodicean context, wildly devout by virtue of their attendance alone and thus it's extremely difficult to calibrate. I'm also acutely aware (and convicted about) the fact that at any given point in my life, it would have be fair to characterize me as 'dabbling in the occult' and/or (for much longer stretches) both anti-Trinitarian and anti-Christian. Thank God for His Grace!! -ed.]

By: njartist

njartist — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:24:44 +0000

Sorry, the above was meant to go with your “anticipation” entry.

By: njartist

njartist — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:23:23 +0000

You’re an environmentalist: you keep the number of Black Swans to a minimum.

By: erica

erica — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:32:36 +0000

So Isaac Newton was a believer, eh? Funny how I never learned that in public school…:), a I recently listened to Bill Bryson read his “A Short History of Just About Everything” while on a road trip. While the science is fascinating, and he does a good job of putting things in terms a layman can understand, it was also amusing the way the story kept bumping up against the necessity of an intelligent creator, and he kept dancing away. He spoke at length about Newton’s incredible genius, without ever mentioning his faith. ( Also interesting was the chapter on what would happen if a giant meteor hit the earth — sounded exactly like biblical prophesy. Sudden, without warning, fire beyond imagining, the sun blotted out…all of the above. )

By: archangel

archangel — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:18:35 +0000

Several of the “scientists” from the past were actually priests within the Catholic church. But, as they say, never let a few facts get in the way of a good story.