| | Newton was the first to demonstrate that the same laws that govern the motion of celestial objects also govern the motion of things on Earth. Newton contributed greatly to the advancement of science. His work also advanced the concept of heliocentrism (the belief that the Sun is at the center of the solar system). | | Newton was the first to demonstrate that the same laws that govern the motion of celestial objects also govern the motion of things on Earth. Newton contributed greatly to the advancement of science. His work also advanced the concept of heliocentrism (the belief that the Sun is at the center of the solar system). |
| − | Newton was a devout [[Christian]] who said his discoveries were inspired by [[God]].<ref>http://www.biblecodedigest.com/page.php/74</ref>. He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science, and more time in the pursuit of alchemy than to either. He said of himself, "I have a fundamental belief in the [[Bible]] as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref> Newton's beliefs differed in an heretical manner from that of the Anglican Church however; he did not believe Trinitarianism (one God in three persons). The majority opinion holds that Newton was a unitarian (one God) and an Arian (Jesus was divine but did not exist eternally and was created by God at some point before coming to Earth). Both are commonly regarded by conservative Christians as the most dangerous of heresies. This is illustrated by Newton in his theological notebooks by noting that "worshiping Christ as God" among a list of "[[idolatry|Idolatria]]".<ref> Entirely aside from this, he believed in God not as much as conscious interventionist, but as a mute supernatural creator who interfered little, or not at all with the doings of humans. Westfall, Richard S. The Life of Isaac Newton, Cambridge U Press, 1993, ISBN 0-521-47737-9, p. 124</ref> | + | Newton was a devout [[Christian]] who said his discoveries were inspired by [[God]].<ref>http://www.biblecodedigest.com/page.php/74</ref>. He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science, and more time in the pursuit of alchemy than to either. He said of himself, "I have a fundamental belief in the [[Bible]] as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref> |