Why was Newton a theist?

[Anomalocaris]

This may be news to you, but smart people can be theist too. The guy who proposed the big bang theory was as well.

There is not any perfect correlation between intelligence and the desire to undelude oneself for its own sake.  Intelligence is a tool at the command of a person's desires, it can inform a person's desires, but it does not command a person's desires.

Theism in modern society is just as likely a reflection of the low standards against which a person sets his desires, or the lack of critical analysis of his desires, as it is an indication of a lack of intelligence or knowledge to effectively inform his desires.

Theism could also be an indication of cynical opportunism, exploiting the fact that presenting oneself as a fellow theist allows one to better exploit the part of the society that is less resistant to self delusion and are thus more easily deluded by others.  This form of opportunism is clearly effective enough to gain direct personal authority over half of the world's nuclear weapons, to say nothing of sports cars, private jets, and other bling of cheap wealth.

[RoadRunner79]

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.

He wrote quite a bit on Biblical/Theological topics.   I think that it would be difficult to say that he was just going through the motions, or playing along to get a long.
See http://www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk/texts/.../religious

Frankly I find this popular atheists myth, that science and region cannot get a long, and that if one would only be educated in the doctrines of Science; that they would give up religion, to be quite laughable.  To relegate so many's views to that of only superstition,is a misrepresentation.

 I always like to ask, what is it, that you think I need to learn, that would so definitely turn me away from my belief in God?  Which is when the dancing and the backing away of claims often begins!

[Fake Messiah]

Yeah Newton wasted a lot of time on religion. But he was Christian because it was also very useful. I mean look at his contemporary, Voltaire who was an atheist and also an activist that saved people (sometimes unsuccessfully) from being killed by Church and had to live in fear on the border in France, so he can escape to Switzerland when Christians decide to kill him.

[GrandizerII]

Newton also thought the Trinity doctrine was absurd.

[downbeatplumb]

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?

He was also an alchemist.

[Succubus]

...Frankly I find this popular atheists myth, that science and region cannot get a long, and that if one would only be educated in the doctrines of Science; that they would give up religion, to be quite laughable.  To relegate so many's views to that of only superstition,is a misrepresentation.

 I always like to ask, what is it, that you think I need to learn, that would so definitely turn me away from my belief in God?  Which is when the dancing and the backing away of claims often begins!

Doctrines of Science? How many times have you been told there are no doctrines, no beliefs in science, science is a methodology nothing more.
Science gets along with religion just fine via the simple expedient of ignoring everything religion and the religious has to say. As to the question of what would turn you away from you're beliefs, that's a question only you can answer. The laws by which the universe operates makes the god of the bible an impossibility but I'm quite certain that won't dent your armor the slightest bit.

[RoadRunner79]

...Frankly I find this popular atheists myth, that science and region cannot get a long, and that if one would only be educated in the doctrines of Science; that they would give up religion, to be quite laughable.  To relegate so many's views to that of only superstition,is a misrepresentation.

 I always like to ask, what is it, that you think I need to learn, that would so definitely turn me away from my belief in God?  Which is when the dancing and the backing away of claims often begins!

Doctrines of Science? How many times have you been told there are no doctrines, no beliefs in science, science is a methodology nothing more.
Science gets along with religion just fine via the simple expedient of ignoring everything religion and the religious has to say. As to the question of what would turn you away from you're beliefs, that's a question only you can answer. The laws by which the universe operates makes the god of the bible an impossibility but I'm quite certain that won't dent your armor the slightest bit.

That is exactly the kind of vague and worthless posturing that I have come to expect.   It really doesn't say anything (that can be falsified).

[Edwardo Piet]

He might not have actually believed in that shite. Newton was also a massive cunt, so we can't really trust anything about him besides his career lol.

[Succubus]

Doctrines of Science? How many times have you been told there are no doctrines, no beliefs in science, science is a methodology nothing more.
Science gets along with religion just fine via the simple expedient of ignoring everything religion and the religious has to say. As to the question of what would turn you away from you're beliefs, that's a question only you can answer. The laws by which the universe operates makes the god of the bible an impossibility but I'm quite certain that won't dent your armor the slightest bit.

That is exactly the kind of vague and worthless posturing that I have come to expect.   It really doesn't say anything (that can be falsified).

Of course it can be falsified, for starters show how god can wield more power than the universe contains.

[RoadRunner79]

That is exactly the kind of vague and worthless posturing that I have come to expect.   It really doesn't say anything (that can be falsified).

Of course it can be falsified, for starters show how god can wield more power than the universe contains.

You didn't mention anything about power before?
And it is going to depend on how you define universe.  I normally think of it, as the thing that scientist say is 14 billion years old, in which I don't see where you would have an issue.  Those who imagine the universe as part a greater multiverse, also likely wouldn't have an issue with.   It only seems that this is an issue, if you define the universe as everything which exists (including God), that this statement may have issues.