Why was Newton a theist?

[polymath257]

Don't forget that Newton lived in the late 1600's and early 1700's. Religious fanaticism was an aspect of English society at the time (which included killing a Catholic king).

Also, one of the reason's Newton is so revered is that be produced the *foundations* to a modern understanding of the universe. But, in many ways, he did not live to see the building made upon those foundations. Other people took his ideas in physics and developed them into an overarching way of looking at the universe.

I think it is incredibly anachronistic to ask why Newton was, for example, an alchemist. Remember that chemistry was not invented for another hundred years and the *dominant* view of the time inclined towards alchemy, not just in methods (which were quite innovative), but in terms of the mystical aspects of the procedures. In this context, Newton's interest in Christian mysticism seems much more 'normal' and even reasonable for someone of his time. The idea that the heavens have an influence on our day to day lives and that we can learn from the motions of the planets what will happen here on Earth has a long tradition.