How do atheists explain that Isaac Newton, the greatest scientist of all was not an atheist ?

Question

But atually devoted more than half of his life to religion! while setting the foundations of modern math, physics, astronomy and optics.

Why was he not an atheist considering that atheists have been with us from the beginning, always in miniscule numbers ?

Epicurus, Democritus, and Lucretius were ancient atheist writers.
(Epicurus put forward the theory of "materialism": The only things that exist are bodies and the space between them. Epicurus taught that the soul is also made of material objects, and so when the body dies the soul dies with it. There is no afterlife.)

Why did Newton develop elaborate discoveries of religious codes in the Bible ?

Answer 1

Science does not preclude a belief in gods or religions. Science has nothing to say on the subject. Many great scientists are or have been religious people.

Answer 2

Probably because people aren't simplistic, they are quite complex. It's possible for a person to be brilliant in one area yet typical or odd in others. Just because someone is a brilliant scientist doesn't mean that he applies those scientific principles to his whole life.

Newton was a genius. Many intelligent people have been theists. But that doesn't mean that they were right about their conclusions about God. There's a good chance that you yourself, for instance, don't accept Newton's unitarian conclusions even though you probably accept the general utility of his work in physics.

In fact, you'd expect that if there really was a good reason to believe in gods, these brilliant minds that were able to demonstrate their scientific principles would have been able to come up with some sort of strong evidence for gods existing. But they didn't. Belief in any gods still boils down to subjective faith. Thermodynamics doesn't.

How do I explain the fact that Einstein, perhaps the most brilliant scientist of the last hundred years or so, was a terrible family man? It is a disappointment, but I don't expect everyone to be perfect in every part of their lives just because I admire some of their thoughts or work.

Are you sure you aren't just trotting out the old argument from authority? That Newton was a theist is no reason for me to be one. He is famous for his physics because his physics has held up pretty well to empirical verification. I'm disappointed he wasted so much of his life on mystical goals that have not benefited anyone.

Answer 3

Hello, anyone home? All Atheists are not scientists! I know, kind of a shocker for you, but there you have it.

Atheists do not believe in god, and generally find reason far more satisfying than belief in invisible flying things, or living on a cloud playing a harp.

That does not make us all knowing about every bloody scientific discovery since time began. Yes a higher percentage have a more than passing interest in science and philosophy, but thats all.

Answer 4

Newton was also an alchemist and spent a lot of time trying to further the study of alchemy. There still is no Philosopher's Stone, so he obviously wasn't right about everything. Just because he advanced science doesn't mean he was right about everything.

Answer 5

Sir Isaac also believed in the existence of something that could transform lead into gold. He believed it mostly because all the smart guys before him believed it. He continued to believe in it even after a lifetime of fruitless searching for it.

It's not necessarily wise to allow oneself to be guided by the beliefs of others, not even the beliefs of geniuses -- not even if you're a genius yourself.

Newton was a man of his time. If he had lived in our time, imagine what he could have done with a computer -- or even the most basic encyclopedia.

Answer 6

Wanna know a secret? Science and religion are completely separate! Not all religious fanatics are narrow-minded enough to interpret the Bible literally for scientific information.

Answer 7

Atheism is a belief just as religion is. I suggest you look into Einstein's views on religion just as well as Gandhi's. The work of both of these men still resonate in society and both were known to be pretty non-religious.

Answer 8

He also computed the date of Jesus' crusifiction, which I don't totally agree with!

Since he was interested in the crisification of Jesus, I would say that makes him somewhat of a Christian, not a simple Diest.

And he was a very great scientist, one of the greatest of our times.

Had the concepts of Relativity, which came later in time, be fully known in his days he might have taken that into account with gravity.

Answer 9

He was a deist, it doesn't matter if Newton was an atheist or not, his work wasn't derived from any religious belief. Just like all other scientist, whether Einstein was a deist or not, E=mc2 will remain as E=mc2.

Answer 10

Newton was a nutter, seriously weird, he also devoted half his life to alchemy, I wouldn't pin your hopes on him.

But... if he were alive today it is almost certain he would be an atheist, at most some sort of deist, you see we have come quite along way in the last two hundred and fifty years.