In the Principia,
based on Democritus' atoms, Newton stated the law of gravitation: "Every
particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is
directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional
to the square of the distance between them."[2] Mathematically, Newton gave proof of the order
in the cosmos. He believed that
Pythagoras had already recognized this principle.[3] Newton also described the laws of motion with
such ideas as bodies at rest and uniform motion which can only be understood in
relation to absolute space and time.
Not only was Newton a diligent scientist, he also wrote the equivalent of 30 books on theological matters. Referring to Daniel 12:14. he predicted that in the end times man would travel over 50 miles per hour.[4] Voltaire later poked fun at this by declaring that any human would suffocate at 30 miles per hour. Newton disbelieved in the transmigration or souls which Plato described. The doctrine of the Trinity was another view he refused to accept. Concerning the world-wide flood of Noah's generation, Newton along with Edmond Halley held to William Whiston's (Newton's assistant) explanation in which a heavenly body passed near the earth producing a tidal catastrophe.[5] Of God's Word, Newton asserted, "We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authority in the Bible than in any profane history whatever."[6]
Newton used order seen in the world to point to the Designer, Universal Ruler, Unmoved Mover, Conserver, Lawgiver and First Cause of the universe. Teleological arguments were previously used by Aristotle and Aquinas. One incident in Newton's life is a fine example:
One day, as Newton sat
reading in his study with his [recently completed mechanical model of the
universe] on a large table near him, his infidel fiend stepped in. Scientist that he was, he recognized at a
glance what was before him. Stepping up
to it he slowly turned the crank, and with undisguised admiration watched the heavenly bodies all
move in their relative speed in their orbits. Standing off a few feet he exclaimed, "My!
What an exquisite thing this is! Who
made it?" Without looking up from
his book, Newton answered, "Nobody!"
Quickly turning to Newton, the
infidel said, "Evidently you did not understand my question. I asked who made this?" Looking up now, Newton solemnly assured him
that nobody made it, but that the aggregation of matter so such admired had
just happened to assume the form it was in.
But the astonished infidel replied with some heat, "You must think
I am a fool! Of course somebody made it,
and he is a genius, and I'd like to know to know who he is."
Laying his book aside,
Newton rose and laid a hand on his friend's shouIder "This thing is but a puny imitation of a
much grander system whose laws you know, and I am not able to convince you that
this mere toy is without a designer and maker; yet you profess to believe that
the great original from which the design is taken has come into being without
either designer or maker! Now tell me by what sort of reasoning do you reach
such an incongruous conclusion?[7]
By presenting the message of creation to the skeptical
mind, Newton takes after the Apostle Paul's action on Mar's Hill (Acts 17:18-24).
Paul confronted the atheistic Epicureans
and the pantheistic Stoics in addition to the Areopagus with the proclamation
that, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of
heaven and earth..." (Acts 17:24). Likewise,
in the first chapter of Romans, Paul announces,
For since the beginning of
the world the invisible attributes of God, e.g. his eternal power and divinity,
have been plainly discernible through things which he has made and which are
commonly seen and known, thus leaving these men without a rag of excuse. (Rom.
1:20, JB Phillips)
Is there truly a metaphorical relationship between man-made items and the natural world which is "commonly seen and known?" The use of metaphor, first described in Aristotle's Poetics is the source of virtually all our knowledge. As C.S. Lewis contends "If there is not, in fact, a kind of psycho-physical parallelism (or more) in the universe - then all our thinking is nonsensical.[8] Despite Hume's rejection of the metaphorical challenge from design, the Bible itself seems to use such reasoning: "Every house, of course, is built by someone - and God is the one who has built all things" (Heb. 3:4, TEV). In the judgment of Albrecht and Alexander,
Men cannot but stand in awe
of what they find in nature, from the celestial universe to the heart of the
atom. In the apparent absence of God, those
who have refused him have no choice but to attribute the eternity, power, and
deity which is visible in the world to the creation itself. Thus arises pantheism [as with the Stoics] and
ultimately monism - the most consistent and systematic attempt to explain the
supernatural qualities of the universe apart from its transcendent, personal
Creator. Sin and spiritual pride sever
our experiential contact with God; this simple yet devastating fact sets in
motion a progressive narrowing of philosophical options which virtually preordains
the world view that we see emerging... If
the search for an ultimate starts with just the data of consciousness. it will
by definition end with a rearrangement and reinterpretation of that same data;
the conclusion is bound (literally) to be that the fundamental principle of
existence is consciousness itself.[9]
Scripture portrays this condition quite accurately:
"They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what
God has created [the Creation]
instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised
forever! Amen" (Rom 1:25, TEV). Surely
Newton would agree,
** I originally wrote this paper in 1978 (as best as I
can figure).
my site: https://totalyouth.us
Notes:
1) Jerry Bergman, "The Law of Cause: An Examination
of the Need For Causal Factors, CRSQ,
June 1978, p. 41.
2) Konrad Krauskopf, Fundamentals
of Physical Science (New York, McGraw-Hill, 1959), p. 82.
3) Jacob Bronowski, The
Ascent of Man (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1973), p. 243.
4) H.L. WIllmington, That
Manuscript From Outer Space (Lynchburg, VA: Thomas Road Bible Institute, 1974), pp.
124,125.
https://archive.org/details/thatmanuscriptfr0000will
5) Donald Patten, The
Biblical Flood and the Ice Epoch (Seattle, WA: Pacific Meridian Pub.,
1966), pp. 31,184.
https://www.creationism.org/patten/PattenBiblFlood/
6) Dale Crowley, The
Bible Has the Answer (Wash., DC: National Bible Knowledge Assoc., 1948), p.
103.
7) "The Law of Cause and Cosmology" by Jerry
Bergman, CEN Technical Journal, Vol.
8, #2 (1994), p. 240.
https://dl0.creation.com/articles/p028/c02812/j08_2_238-245.pdf
8) Kathy Hutson, "Metaphor: An Evidence From Design
of the Creation Model" Creation
Social Science and Humanities Quarterly, Fall 1978, p. 9.
9) Mark Albrecht and Brooks Alexander, "The Sellout
of Science," Spiritual Counterfeits Project Journal, Aug. 1978, p. 25, emphasis
in the original.
https://arcapologetics.org/the-sellout-of-science/
And Now 4@ Word from the #LoyalOpposition ...
a song about #TELEOLOGY >>
** quote in top graphic is from Newton's Optics (Query 30, p.
374):
https://www.iliesi.cnr.it/iniziative/Letture/clericuzio_newton.pdf
** kudos for graphics:
https://slideplayer.com/slide/16253965/95/images/9/I+can+identify+a+metaphor..jpg
