Isaac Newton, who practically invented physics and calculus, is easily one of the most intelligent people to have ever lived. But he was also a theologian and spent decades studying the bible, theology and church history. Why didn't he use his rationality to denounce Christianity and become an atheist? He lived before Darwin; is this sufficient to excuse his belief in the Christian god?

(March 7, 2018 at 10:20 pm)Alexmahone Wrote: Isaac Newton, who practically invented physics and calculus, is easily one of the most intelligent people to have ever lived. But he was also a theologian and spent decades studying the bible, theology and church history. Why didn't he use his rationality to denounce Christianity and become an atheist? He lived before Darwin; is this sufficient to excuse his belief in the Christian god?

A product of his time. See, Newton was still a human being. Also, he was a heretic in mainstream Christian eyes. But nobody talks about that one.

Newton was pretty crazy. I mean he also believed in alchemy.

(March 7, 2018 at 10:20 pm)Alexmahone Wrote: Isaac Newton, who practically invented physics and calculus, is easily one of the most intelligent people to have ever lived. But he was also a theologian and spent decades studying the bible, theology and church history. Why didn't he use his rationality to denounce Christianity and become an atheist? He lived before Darwin; is this sufficient to excuse his belief in the Christian god?

The received wisdom of the age said the gap between what can plausibly occur without intelligent design and what actually exists is so vast that intelligent design seem easily the less presumptious assumption.   It took another 150 years before careful study of what actually transpires in nature to illuminate the gap between what can be demonstrated and what is need for naturalistic origin of everything is much narrower and less clear cut then it previously seemed, while the implicit presumption of intelligent creator with no demonstrable backstory creation became ever more overreaching by comparison.

(March 7, 2018 at 10:32 pm)Cecelia Wrote: Newton was pretty crazy. I mean he also believed in alchemy.

I know! But is alchemy as ridiculuous as Christianity? Alchemy was concerned with discovering methods for transmuting baser metals into gold and finding a universal solvent. I think you need to be a chemist to discredit it.

One word, programming.

Two words, brain washing.

Maybe then as now:

path of least resistance ?

As was mentioned, he was a product of his time concerning religion, though the whole of his alchemical work was quite heretical for that time. Who is to say he was a theist? I think enough of his work had to be done with lines of thought quite outside the religious canon, and that we can't say what he thought, many centuries later.

Even smart people have brain farts.

Probably so he could do some work without people cutting his head off. (J/k)