Copyright © By Dr. Adel Elsaie, Book Title: "History of Truth, The Truth about God and Religions"

Who was Newton's God?

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) used the avenues of science and logic to achieve total conviction in God. Newton began with an attempt to explain the universe, with God as the Creator of all the physical laws that govern the universe. Newton believed that all natural laws are the effects with God as the only Cause of all actions. In fact, he believed that gravity is a divine action; in effect, a stone fell because God’s finger was pushing it down. As Newton was investigating the universe, he became convinced that he had a solid proof of God’s existence. He wrote “Gravity may put the planets into motion, but without the divine power it could never put them into such a circulating motion as they have about the sun, and therefore, for this as well as other reasons, I am compelled to ascribe the frame of this system to an intelligent Agent.” God who had designed all this so perfectly, had to be a supremely intelligent “Mechanick” and extremely powerful to manage this huge universe. In Newton’s Principia, he concluded that humans know God only by examining the evidences of His creations:

“This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being. He is eternal and infinite, omnipotent and omniscient; that is his duration reaches from eternity to eternity; his presence from infinity to infinity; he governs all things, and knows all things that are or can be done. We know him only by his most wise and excellent contrivances of things, and final causes; we admire him for his perfection; but we reverence and adore him on account of his dominion; for we adore him as his servants.

According to “A History of God” by Karen Armstrong, 1993 and “Anti-Trinitarian Biographies,” Vol. III, 1850 by A. Wallace, Newton rejected the divinity of Jesus and the doctrine of the trinity.  He attributed these doctrines to the corruption of the New Testament. Newton came to the conclusion that the Fathers of the Church had imposed their doctrines on the Church in a misleading bid for pagan converts. He believed that the concept of the "three in heaven" was never once thought of. The verses of the New Testament that were used to “prove” these doctrines were erroneous. In 1690, He wrote a manuscript on the corruption of the New Testament concerning I John 5:7 and Timothy 3:16. It was entitled, "A Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture."

Newton became obsessed with clearing the Christian faith. He believed that Noah had founded the original religion - a Gentile faith - that had been simple and free from mysticism. Noah advocated the unity of God. Later generations had corrupted this pure religion with weird mixtures of idolatry and superstition. Thus God had sent a succession of prophets to put humanity back on course. Newton’s approach to monotheism was as close as it can be to the Islamic teachings.

 Newton on I John 5:7

I John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one”

Newton states that this verse appeared for the first time in the third edition of Erasmus's New Testament.

"When they got the Trinity; into his edition they threw by their manuscript, if they had one, as an almanac out of date. And can such shuffling dealings satisfy considering men?....It is rather a danger in religion than an advantage to make it now lean on a broken reed.”

"In all the vehement universal and lasting controversy about the Trinity in Jerome's time and both before and long enough after it, this text of the "three in heaven" was never once thought of. It is now in everybody’s mouth and accounted the main text for the business and would assuredly have been so too with them, had it been in their books.”

"Let them make good sense of it who are able. For my part, I can make none. If it be said that we are not to determine what is Scripture what not by our private judgments, I confess it in places not controverted, but in disputed places I love to take up with what I can best understand. It is the temper of the hot and superstitious art of mankind in matters of religion ever to be fond of mysteries, and for that reason to like best what they understand least. Such men may use the Apostle John as they please, but I have that honour for him as to believe that he wrote good sense and therefore take that to be his which is the best."

 

Newton on I Timothy 3:16

I Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

"In all the times of the hot and lasting Arian controversy it never came into play . . . they that read "God manifested in the flesh" think it one of the most obvious and pertinent texts for the business."

"The word Deity imports exercise of dominion over subordinate beings and the word God most frequently signifies Lord. Every lord is not God. The exercise of dominion in a spiritual being constitutes a God. If that dominion be real that being is the real God; if it be fictitious, a false God; if it be supreme, a supreme God."

      Newton also wrote a discussion on two other texts that Athanasius had attempted to corrupt. This work has not been preserved. He believed that not all the books of the Scriptures have the same authority.

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