Abstract
When reading about Isaac Newton, he is presented as a physicist and mathematician. One whom through his exquisite work formulated, amongst other; the laws of motion, universal gravity, and is considered one of the founders of calculus. Although his work has been widely accepted as major stepping stones in what became known as the scientific revolution, the significance of religion in Isaac’s life can often be overshadowed by his accomplishments. This paper seeks to explore the religious views of Isaac Newton and how these views helped shape him into the legendary scientist he was to become. In order to understand the significance of Isaac Newton the Christian, we must first indulge ourselves in the times that he lived his life. His views tended to steer away from popular belief, which forced him to become very private and elusive about his faith. But, if we are to understand how a mind like Newton’s could change the course of history, we must begin with the man behind the book, and the religious views that drove him.
Keywords: Newton, Christianity, Science, Heresy, Principa
Isaac Newton and Religion

Isaac Newton, the Christian
Despite being born into an Angelistic household, Isaac Newton never seemed to be overly fond of attending church or strictly following the Angelic faith. He even went so far as to at a point question the King James Bible on, amongst other things, the “three in heaven”, as he claimed that the older Greek Bibles did not mention such a thing.
Being born in 1642, Newton did not have the same opportunities to express his criticism of the established church as much as one would be able to do today. Not only did England at the time have heresy laws (penalties could stretch from losing all of your property and belongings, to death), but deviating from the religious norm was also met by a, at times, devastating opposition from the public. Both risks that would force the Isaac Newton, whom was a quite public figure, to hold his tongue about his religious convictions.
The Work of Isaac Newton
Despite his mother’s wishes to have Isaac become a farmer, he received his Master of Arts from Trinity College in Cambridge, England, in 1667. It was during his studies here that Newton’s devotion to science bloomed, and it can be argued that it was here that he also started to question the accuracy of many religious beliefs. This theory is argued by Richard S. Westfall, who in his biography of Isaac Newton stated that Newton “read himself into heresy” while attending Trinity College. While it is a common trait amongst non-believers in today’s society to use science to disprove the possibility of an all-mighty creator, Isaac Newton viewed it from a different approach. Instead of using science to disprove God, he used God to prove science. The undisputable mile-stone of Isaac Newton’s career was his publication of ‘Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica’ (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) in 1687. The book is more commonly referred to as simply “Principia” and it offers an exact quantitative description of bodies in motion in three basic laws; 1) “A stationary body will stay stationary unless an external force is applied to it; 2) Force is equal to mass times acceleration, and a change in motion is proportional to the force applied; and 3) For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. These three basic laws helped explain nearly every motion in the universe. How a physical body is affected by a force, thus telling us how planets are kept in orbit by the pull of the sun’s gravity, and how our moon is kept in orbit by the gravity of the earth. And by extension, Newton could use these laws to calculate, amongst other things, the mass of each planet. Needless to say, these discoveries forever changed the human perception of physics, and are well-known by most. What is less known, however, is the religious aspects of the publication. In Principa, Newton also writes that “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being”.
Religious Publications. Newton is widely known for his work in science, but not nearly as known for his work with theology. To help further explain Newton’s views on religion, and Christianity in particular, an important fact to remember is that he did in fact produce more work about theology than he ever did about science. An explanation for why this is may be is that these facts were largely hidden from the public eye until 1936. In 1963, a vast legacy of his nonscientific publications came to light, more than two centuries after his death in 1727.
Newton could spend hours, days, and even weeks at a time, carefully studying the bible. He took it upon himself to trace the authorship for certain parts of the bible, with his sights specifically on miracles and prophecy. Through vigorous readings and careful calculations, he worked to discover authorship in the Old Testament. This led to him eventually writing his own chronology of the events in the times of Christ. All of Newton’s discoveries were accredited to God, and he saw himself as nothing more than a chosen deliverer of information about the world of God. He saw it as his duty to use his knowledge to explain the world to his compatriots, and he condemned the “folly of interpreters who foretell times and things by prophecy,” since the purpose of prophecy was to demonstrate God’s providence in history when “after [prophecies] were fulfilled, they might be interpreted by events.”
Conclusion. In his time, Isaac Newton was a prominent scientist whom made discoveries and led efforts that would come to lay the foundation of some of the biggest scientific and technological advances ever made by the human race. But even with all the knowledge we have of the man behind it, we must remember what also drove this man to do all the great things he did. With an astonishing 1.3 million words written on biblical subjects, it is fair to assume that Isaac Newton was a man who lived his life with a God driven purpose. But also acknowledge the sort of religious rebel he was. Although he attended the services of the Anglican Church, and participated in many church-related projects, he would in many regards become known as a heretic. And although he could not be too vocal about his religious beliefs, he made sure to put them in writing. And his writings reveal a man who is so compelled by the love of God, that he spent countless of hours trying to better to understand the world He left us, so that he could relay the information to the people around him. Through this, Isaac Newton was able to create connections to God that was previously unthought-of. References
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