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Sir Isaac Newton and God. Was Isaac Newton a Christian?

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    Arguments


  • he came from a Anglican family. He had a Christian faith that would not be considered orthodox by mainstream Christian's
  • MayCaesarMayCaesar 6678 Pts   -  
    A noble from the 17th-century England was a Christian?! What a shocker! And Archimedes believed that thunder was Zeus' rage. Being extremely intelligent does not make one into possessing knowledge from the future. Newton could not have possibly known that the Universe was over 13 billion years old, for instance, otherwise he certainly would reject the Biblical story.
    Factfinder
  • FactfinderFactfinder 1528 Pts   -  
    @MayCaesar

    Not to mention 17th century England was very much like the rest of Europe where atheism was concerned and considered them an enemy of the state. Anyone speaking in a public square with something to say would acknowledge theism and conformity no matter what they truly thought in private. Common knowledge to anyone who has studied history knows being labeled an atheist in Newton's time was an effective way of ridding oneself of political enemies if the label stuck. Bringing up charges like heresy and impiety.

    AI overview of a Google search: 

    Atheists in 17th century England were treated with hostility and often persecuted: 
    • Threat to the state
      Monarchs and their advisors viewed those who did not support the Church as a threat to the state and social order. 
    • Capital crime
      Atheism was a capital crime, and charges were often used as a political tool to eliminate enemies. 
    • Insult
      The term "atheist" was used as an insult and applied to a wide range of people, including those who opposed theological beliefs, committed suicide, or were immoral. 
    • Subversion of religion
      Charges of atheism were used similarly to charges of heresy and impiety. 
    The early modern period was characterized by intensified persecution, sectarian violence, and wars of religion. England renounced religious persecution in 1689, but it continued on the European continent. 
    • History of atheism - Wikipedia
      Historically, any person who did not believe in any deity supported by the state was fair game to accusations of atheism, a capita...
      Wikipedia
    • America as a Religious Refuge: The Seventeenth Century, Part 1
      ... persecuted Catholics, and in still others Catholics and Protestants persecuted wayward coreligionists. Although England renoun...
      The Library of Congress (.gov)
    • Persecution - UK Parliament
      Strict uniformity of religious worship among the people was a vital political priority during the 17th century. Those who did not ...
      UK Parliament
    • Show all
    Generative AI is experimental.
  • RickeyHoltsclawRickeyHoltsclaw 1096 Pts   -  
    @Brunchfastfordinner ; If he trusted in Jesus as Messiah...He is of faith and wise, prudent, intelligent.
  • FactfinderFactfinder 1528 Pts   -   edited October 22
    @RickeyHoltsclaw

    He was forced to declare faith as your ilk murdered those too smart for fairytales. But as knowledge grows your elf fairy god fades. You demonstrate daily the fact wisdom, prudence, and intelligence are NOT traits of Christianity as it starts by seeking out the gullible and the willfully ignorant as you project. 
  • MayCaesarMayCaesar 6678 Pts   -  

    I think that Newton was likely genuinely religious, rather than just playing a role. When you are surrounded by other intellectuals telling you about the importance of believing in god, it is pretty hard to be free from it, especially when the existing scientific knowledge is extremely limited.

    We are all products of our time, even the most forward-thinking of us. Chances are 200 years ago people will look back at me and you and marvel at how deluded we were about everything. Maybe our understanding of the history of the Universe will prove to be completely wrong and people of the future will wonder, "How come no one considered the possibility that the Universe is actually 87 trillion years old? How come everyone just blindly bought into the Big Bang theory?"

    What people pointing at Newton being religious get at is that it is somehow an argument in favor of that religion. Well, if so, then the fact that Archimedes believed that thunder was a product of Zeus' wrath suggests that we should think so too. Of course, these people will only apply this reasoning to those views that they themselves hold.
    Factfinder
  • FactfinderFactfinder 1528 Pts   -  
    @MayCaesar

    All true and I didn't mean to suggest Newton was just playing a religious role.  (Though who really knows the mind of another?)The social atmospheric realization of what happens to atheists who publically renounced religious beliefs was well known in Newton's time and the attitudes were prevalent so that no doubt helped convince folks of their religiosity as well. That was the point I wanted to make. And they well could of believed religion would provide answers for some things. It was just more dangerous to be an atheist then compared to now.
    MayCaesar
  • JulesKorngoldJulesKorngold 968 Pts   -  
    Argument Topic: Not Quite

    Newton rejected the doctrine of the Trinity, which is a central tenet of orthodox Christianity. He believed that this doctrine was a corruption introduced in the early centuries of Christianity.
  • RickeyHoltsclawRickeyHoltsclaw 1096 Pts   -  
    @JulesKorngold ; Yet Newton published his work in honor of our Creator...just stu-pid people deny the necessity for our Creator.
  • JulesKorngoldJulesKorngold 968 Pts   -  
    @RickeyHoltsclaw
    The doctrine of the Trinity is considered a central tenet of mainstream Christianity.  Many traditional Christian denominations hold that belief in the Trinity is essential to understanding the nature of God and the gospel. Denying the Trinity is often seen as a misunderstanding of who God is and, by extension, what it means to be a Christian.

    Newton was not a real Christian.
  • RickeyHoltsclawRickeyHoltsclaw 1096 Pts   -  
    @JulesKorngold ; Yet Newton believed in our Creator and noted the impossibility of nature void design and an omnipotent Designer. The fact is, Newton was not a stu-pid atheist.
  • JulesKorngoldJulesKorngold 968 Pts   -  
    @RickeyHoltsclaw
    Believing in God does not make you a Christian.
    Here is a list of religions that believe in God:

    1. **Christianity**: Believes in one eternal God who is the creator of all. Christians view God as loving and offering a personal relationship through Jesus Christ.

    2. **Islam**: Believes in one almighty God, Allah, who is the creator of the universe and transcendent from humankind.

    3. **Judaism**: Believes in one God who is the creator and ruler of the universe, emphasizing a covenantal relationship with the Jewish people.

    4. **Baháʼí Faith**: Emphasizes monotheism and believes in one eternal transcendent God. It acknowledges the prophets of major world religions as manifestations of God.

    5. **Sikhism**: Believes in one God who is formless, all-powerful, and eternal. Sikhs emphasize devotion to God through prayer and service.

    6. **Hinduism**: Worships one ultimate reality (Brahman) through various deities representing different aspects of the divine.

    7. **Zoroastrianism**: Believes in Ahura Mazda as the supreme creator and emphasizes the duality of good and evil forces.

    8. **Druze Faith**: A monotheistic religion that developed from Isma'ilism, emphasizing a combination of Gnostic principles and belief in a unique interpretation of God.

    9. **Mandaeism**: A Gnostic religion that believes in a supreme deity and reveres John the Baptist as its chief prophet.

    10. **Kimbanguism**: A Christian denomination that believes in salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection, with additional emphasis on spiritual purity.

    Citations:
  • RickeyHoltsclawRickeyHoltsclaw 1096 Pts   -  
    @JulesKorngold ; Never said that believing in God makes one a Christian...I don't know where Newton stood on the Truth of Christianity at the end of his life, the point is...Newton was not a stu-pid atheist.
  • JulesKorngoldJulesKorngold 968 Pts   -  
    @RickeyHoltsclaw
    Your debate title asks if Newton was a Christian.  I say NO.  What do you say?
  • RickeyHoltsclawRickeyHoltsclaw 1096 Pts   -  
    @JulesKorngold ; If Newton rejected the Trinity and thus the deity of Jesus, He is and was NOT a Christian but yet he did believe in a Creator and his writings under girded this truism...yet I don't know how Newton's faith matured before he perished in body...so we really don't know...the point is...Newton was NOT a stu-pid atheist but understood the necessity for our Creator.
  • FactfinderFactfinder 1528 Pts   -  
    @JulesKorngold ; Yet Newton believed in our Creator and noted the impossibility of nature void design and an omnipotent Designer. The fact is, Newton was not a stu-pid atheist.
    He was an intelligent atheist towards your trinity elf god fairytale but held on to the common thought of the day during his time, "some" creator did it. But of course in modern times people with brains today like Newton had in his day would reject gods all together as they were only needed during humanities infancy, before fairytales were outgrown. 
  • 21CenturyIconoclast21CenturyIconoclast 462 Pts   -   edited October 23
    @RickeyHoltsclaw ;

    How dare our number one BIBLE FOOL RickeyHoltsclaw bring up the Trinity Doctrine when I proposed to him an example of the Triune as shown below, where in turn, RickeyHoltsclaw ran away from it and went into HIDING again!  LOL!

    I simply had asked Rickey specifically to tell the Atheist if the following structure shown below is correct in each and every notion relative to his comical Trinity Doctrine, but he ran away!  :(

    There are three divine persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Yet these three divine persons are distinct from one another: the Father is not the Son, the Father is not the Holy Spirit, and the Son is not the Holy Spirit.  However, there is exactly one God (1 Timothy 2:5), therefore Christ is His own Father and His own Son. The Holy Ghost is neither Father nor Son, but both in spirit. The Son was begotten by the Father, but existed before He was begotten. Christ is just as old as his Father, and the Father is just as young as his Son. The Holy Ghost proceeded from the Father and Son, but He is of the same age as the other two! 


    Since I own Rickey's Christianity as an Atheist, he refuses to engage me anymore to save further embarrassment that he would occur if he did! Therefore shown BIBLICALLY above is a part of the Trinity Doctrine that Rickey could not verify as a simple-minded pseudo-christian!  :(





    JESUS TESTING RICKEYS FAITH REGARDING HIS DAUGHTER!






    .


  • @RickeyHoltsclaw


    RICKEYHOLTSCLAW OUTRIGHT "LIES" AGAIN IN MENTIONING JESUS AS THE MESSIAH!:  " If he trusted in Jesus as Messiah...He is of faith and wise, prudent, intelligent. "
    https://www.debateisland.com/discussion/comment/193587/#Comment_193587


    Poor Rickey will never accept BIBLICAL TRUTH that shows Jesus was NOT the Messiah as shown in this link:
    https://www.debateisland.com/discussion/comment/190890/#Comment_190890


    Since Rickey LIES that Jesus is the Messiah when he is NOT, he will then go directly to HELL upon his demise as shown herewith:

    “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, AND ALL LIA*RS, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)







    .

  • just_sayinjust_sayin 1299 Pts   -  
    @21CenturyIconoclast
    When will you answer the questions you were asked?  Why do you continue to run away?

    1) How did a universe pop into existence from zero space?
    2) How did life pop into existence from non-life?

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