Why was Newton a theist?

[CapnAwesome]

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?

For one thing, he didn't believe in the Christian God. He rejected the idea of a trinity. Also he was a bit of a nut. He spent like, one year inventing calculus and 20 trying to alchemy a philosophers stone and doing numerology on bible code.

[vulcanlogician]

For one thing, he didn't believe in the Christian God.  He rejected the idea of a trinity.

There is a such thing as a unitarian or non-trinitarian Christian. Wasn't Newton just one of those?

[GrandizerII]

For one thing, he didn't believe in the Christian God.  He rejected the idea of a trinity.

There is a such thing as a unitarian or non-trinitarian Christian. Wasn't Newton just one of those?

That's what I was alluding to in my first post here when I said he was a heretic according to mainstream Christianity.

[Jehanne]

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I'm not saying it's impossible for a priest to turn atheist or be an in the closet athiest. Obviously, there exist all kinds of people.

What I'm saying is that from the looks of things, there's no reason to think Lemaitre's beliefs were anything other than what he claimed them to be.

It seems Jehanne is skeptical only because Lemaitre was intelligent. In which case he needs to examine his own prejudices and bigotry.

No, I am saying that Lemaitre was a product of his own day and time, and that, he may have been a closet atheist.

[Catholic_Lady]

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I'm not saying it's impossible for a priest to turn atheist or be an in the closet athiest. Obviously, there exist all kinds of people.

What I'm saying is that from the looks of things, there's no reason to think Lemaitre's beliefs were anything other than what he claimed them to be.

It seems Jehanne is skeptical only because Lemaitre was intelligent. In which case he needs to examine his own prejudices and bigotry.

No, I am saying that Lemaitre was a product of his own day and time, and that, he may have been a closet atheist.

Then anyone "might be a closet atheist", if you look at it that way. There's nothing distinctive about him that would make you doubt what he claims his beliefs are, except his intelligence.

[Jehanne]

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No, I am saying that Lemaitre was a product of his own day and time, and that, he may have been a closet atheist.

Then anyone "might be a closet atheist", if you look at it that way. There's nothing distinctive about him that would make you doubt what he claims his beliefs are, except his intelligence.

Well, if it's the IQ of (now dead) cosmologists that you are appealing to, you might as well become an atheist;

Why (Almost All) Cosmologists are Atheists