Church of God Message
Call Us: 8133745451
DOES GOD EXIST?
CHAPTER 1
OPINIONS OF FAMOUS PIONEERS OF SCIENCE
Here are the views of the most famous scientists in the world, all pioneers in their respective fields of science.
Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543)
Copernicus was the Polish astronomer and mathematician who proposed a model of the universe that placed the Sun at the center of the universe rather than the Earth.
“Through steady observation and a meaningful contact with the divine order of the world’s structure, arranged by God’s wisdom, who would not be guided to admire the Builder who creates all!” (As quoted in “Life and Doctrine: How the Truth and Grace of Christian Story Change Everything” by Adam Mary p. 17)
“To know the mighty works of God, to comprehend His wisdom and majesty and power; to appreciate, in degree, the wonderful workings of His laws, surely all this must be a pleasing and acceptable mode of worship to the Most High, to whom ignorance cannot be more grateful than knowledge.” (As quoted in Poland: The Knight Among Nations (1907) by Louis E. Van Norman, p. 290; also in The Language of God (2006) by Francis Collins, pp. 230-31
Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1627)
Francis Bacon was known as the founder of the scientific method. In his book Advancement of Learning, Bacon wrote:
“God has, in fact, written two books, not just one. Of course, we are all familiar with the first book he wrote, namely Scripture. But he has written a second book called creation.
“One book is the Bible: The Book of God's Words. The other book is Nature: The Book of God's Works.”
“There are two books laid before us to study, to prevent our falling into error: first, the volume of the Scriptures, which reveal the will of God; then the volume of the Creatures, which express His power.” (As quoted in “America's God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations”, William J. Federer, William Joseph Federer - 1994, p.32).
“They that deny a God destroy man's nobility, for certainly man is of kin to the beasts by his body; and if he be not of kin to God by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble creature. “(Essays).
In an essay on Atheism Bacon wrote:
“God never wrought miracle to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it. It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion. For while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them, and go no further; but when it beholdeth the chain of them, confederate and linked together, it must needs fly to Providence and Deity.”
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
Kepler was a pious German Lutheran mathematician and astronomer, famous for discovering the laws of planetary motion. Here are his views on God and the universe:
“I propose to show that God, in creating the universe and arranging the spheres, had in view the five regular solids of geometry, and fixed by their dimensions the number, proportions and motions of the spheres” (As Quoted in "The Discovery of Kepler's Laws," Scientific American: Supplement (Apr 29, 1911) Vol. 71, No. 1843, p. 278.
“Geometry is unique and eternal, a reflection of the mind of God. That men are able to participate in it is one of the reasons why man is an image of God. (As quoted in Epilogue, The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man’s Changing Vision of the Universe (1959), 524, citing Letter (9 or 10 April 1599) to Herwart von Hohenburg).
“The wisdom of the Lord is infinite as are also His glory and His power. Ye heavens, sing His praises., sun, moon, and planets, glorify Him in your ineffable language! Praise Him, celestial harmonies, and all ye who can comprehend them! And thou, my soul, praise thy Creator! It is by Him and in Him that all exist.” (As quoted in Mathematics and the Physical World, by Morris Kline, 1981, p. 119).
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Galileo is most often remembered for his discovery of the telescope, his conflict with the Roman Catholic Church and his trial over his support for the idea that the earth revolved around the sun, which after the trial he was forbidden to teach.
In a letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, in Essays, published in 1615, Galileo wrote:
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forego their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them. He would not require us to deny sense and reason in physical matters which are set before our eyes and minds by direct experience or necessary demonstrations…This must be especially true of sciences of which but the faintest trace…is to be found in the Bible.” (As quoted in Orthodoxy, Liberalism, and Adaptation, 2011, by Bob Becking, p.257)
In a Letter to Benedetto Castelli, professor of mathematics at Pisa, as quoted in the Private Life of Galileo, p.83, by J.E. Potter, 1879, Galileo wrote:
"It seems to me that it was well said by Madama Serenissima, and insisted on by your reverence, that the Holy Scripture cannot err, and that the decrees therein contained are absolutely true and inviolable. But I should have in your place added that, though Scripture cannot err, its expounders and interpreters are liable to err in many ways; and one error in particular would be most grave and most frequent, if we always stopped short at the literal signification of the words.”
Galileo also stated:
“Of such are the mathematical sciences alone; that is, geometry and arithmetic, in which the Divine intellect indeed knows infinitely more propositions, since it knows all. But with regard to those few which the human intellect does understand, I believe its knowledge equals the Divine in objective certainty, for here it succeeds in understanding necessity [or comprehending their necessity], beyond which there can be no greater sureness.” (As quoted in Mathematics and the Divine: A Historical Study by Teun Koetsier, Luc Bergmans - 2004, p. 354, attributed to Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632) from the translations by Stilman Drake (1953).)
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
Descartes was a French Catholic mathematician, scientist and philosopher known as the father of modern philosophy. He did not want to confront the Catholic Church as he wanted to live in peace, as the following quote shows. But he left no doubt that he believed a supreme Creator God exists.
“No doubt you know that Galileo had been convicted not long ago by the Inquisition, and that his opinion on the movement of the Earth had been condemned as heresy. Now I will tell you that all things I explain in my treatise, among which is also that same opinion about the movement of the Earth, all depend on one another, and are based upon certain evident truths. Nevertheless, I will not for the world stand up against the authority of the Church. ...I have the desire to live in peace and to continue on the road on which I have started.” (As quoted in Pendulum: Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science By Amir D. Aczel, 2003, from a letter to Marin Mersenne (end of Feb., 1634).
“By 'God', I understand, a substance which is infinite, independent, supremely intelligent, supremely powerful, and which created both myself and everything else […] that exists. All these attributes are such that, the more carefully I concentrate on them, the less possible it seems that they could have originated from me alone. So, from what has been said it must be concluded that God necessarily exists” (As quoted in Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy: With Selections from the Objections and Replies, p.31, By René Descartes, Bernard Williams).
“It is thus quite certain that the constitution of the true religion, the ordinances of which are derived from God, must be incomparably superior to that of every other.” (As quoted in “The Method, Meditations and Philosophy of Descartes”, Translated by John Veitch, Ll.D, 1901.
“Nothing is created or nothing is made from nothing.” (as quoted in Descartes, by Marjorie Grene, p. 147)
“Be that as it may, there is fixed in my mind a certain opinion of long [21] standing, namely that there exists a God who is able to do anything and by whom I, such as I am, have been created.”(As quoted in Descartes: Philosophical Essays and Correspondence, by Roger Ariew, 2000, p. 106)
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
Pascal was a French mathematician who laid the foundations of probability theory. As a physicist he researched into atmospheric pressure and air pressure. He invented a mechanical calculator to perform addition and subtraction. Pascal had a narrow escape from death in 1654 which resulted in change of direction of his endeavors from science to theology resulting in his theological publications. He published a collection of 18 letters (Lettres Provinciales) in 1656; and collection of his unfinished notes titled Apologie de la religion Chrétienne (Defense of the Christian Religion) was published after his death as Pensees (means ‘Thoughts’ in French).
Here are Pascal’s views on God:
‘There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.’ (Pascal, B., quoted in: Bright, W., Jesus and the Intellectual, Campus Crusade for Christ International, Arrowhead Springs, San Bernardino, CA, 1968.)
Pascal believed ‘man’s wretchedness is explicable only as an effect of the Fall’ and that ‘For Pascal as for St Paul, Jesus Christ is the second Adam, inconceivable without the first. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition, 25:453, 1985.) Pascal thus believed in the events in Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
At the time of his recommitment to God after the accident in 1654, Pascal wrote:
“Certainty! Joy! Peace! I forget the world and everything but God! …‘I submit myself absolutely to Jesus Christ my Redeemer.” (As quoted in Boreham, F.W., A Faggot of Torches: Texts that Made History, Epworth Press, London, p. 211-212, 1926.)
“…the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of the Christians is a God of love and consolation.” (As quoted in Pascal, B., quoted in: Houston, J.M. (editor), The Mind of Fire: An Anthology of the Writings of Blaise Pascal, Multnomah Press, Portland, Oregon, p. 149, 1989).
As death approached, Pascal wrote: ‘And so I stretch forth my hands to my Redeemer, who came to earth to suffer and die for me.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition, p. 459, 1985.
“So I hold out my arms to my Redeemer, who, having been foretold for four thousand years, has come to suffer and to die for me on earth, at the time and under all the circumstances foretold. By His grace, I await death in peace, in the hope of being eternally united to Him. Yet I live with joy, whether in the prosperity which it pleases Him to bestow upon me, or in the adversity which He sends for my good, and which He has taught me to bear by His example.” (Blaise Pascal, Pascal’s Pensées, trans. W.F. Trotter (London & Toronto: Dent & Sons; New York: Dutton, 1931), 222-223.
Robert William Boyle (1627 – 1691)
Robert Boyle was known as the father of modern chemistry, after whom the Boyle’s Law of gases is named. The website www.adherents.com says about Boyle ([Sources:] Michael Hunter, Robert Boyle Reconsidered (1994), Jan Wojcik, Robert Boyle and the Limits of Reason (1991)):
Encyclopedia Britannica says of him: "By his will he endowed a series of Boyle lectures, or sermons, which still continue, 'for proving the Christian religion against notorious infidels...' As a devout Protestant, Boyle took a special interest in promoting the Christian religion abroad, giving money to translate and publish the New Testament into Irish and Turkish. In 1690 he developed his theological views in The Christian Virtuoso, which he wrote to show that the study of nature was a central religious duty." Boyle wrote against atheists in his day (the notion that atheism is a modern invention is a myth) and was clearly much more devoutly Christian than the average in his era.”
Here are some of his views on God:
“Doubtless, it shews the wisdom of God, to have so fram'd things at first, that there can seldom or never need any extraordinary interposition of his power; or the employing from, time to time, an intelligent overseer, to regulate, assist, and control the motions of matter.” (“A Free Inquiry into the Vulgar Notion of Nature," Sect.1 in The Philosophical Works of the Honourable Robert Boyle (1725) Vol.2)
“God [is] the Author of the universe & free Establisher of the Laws of motion, whose general Concourse is necessary to the conservation & Efficacy of every particular physical agent” (As quoted in The Philosophy of Robert Boyle by Peter R. Anstey, 2002, p.160).
“Whereas we ought, whenever we speak of God, and of His attributes, to stand in great awe, lest we be guilty of any misapprehension or misrepresentation of Him…” (As quoted in “Treatises on the High Veneration Man's Intellect Owes to God” By Robert Boyle, 1835, p.67).
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
Newton, an undisputed genius in mathematics, physics and optics, invented calculus, discovered the laws of gravity and motion, invented the reflecting telescope and was well known for his research in optics. He was also a deeply religious man who saw the handiwork of God in the laws he discovered. Here are some gems from his writings:
“There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history.” (As quoted in The Facts on the Bible, By John Ankerberg, John Weldon, Dillon Burroughs, p.80)
‘This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent Being. And if the fixed stars are the centers of other like systems, these, being formed by the like wise counsel, must be all subject to the dominion of One…This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all; and on account of his dominion he is wont to be called “Lord God”, or “Universal Ruler”. … The Supreme God is a Being eternal, infinite, absolutely perfect.’ (Principia, Book III; cited in; Newton’s Philosophy of Nature: Selections from his writings, p. 42, ed. H.S. Thayer, Hafner Library of Classics, NY, 1953, accessed at www.answersingenesis.org).
“How came the bodies of animals to be contrived with so much art, and for what ends were their several parts? Was the eye contrived without skill in Opticks, and the ear without knowledge of sounds? How do the motions follow from the will and whence is the instinct of animals?…and these things being rightly dispatch’d, does it not appear from phenomena that there is a Being incorporeal, living, intelligent...?” (“Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colors of Light" 4th Edition Corrected, 1730, By Isaac Newton, p.344-345).
“All my discoveries have been made in answer to prayer.” (As quoted in The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations, edited by Martin H. Manser, 2001, p. 287).
“I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.” (As quoted in the book by J.H. Tiner, Isaac Newton—Inventor, Scientist and Teacher, Mott Media, Milford (Michigan), 1975; accessed at www.answersingenesis.org).
‘Opposition to godliness is atheism in profession and idolatry in practice. Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind that it never had many professors.’ (As quoted in A Short Scheme of the True Religion, manuscript quoted in Memoirs of the Life, Writings and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by Sir David Brewster, Edinburgh, 1850; cited in Newton’s Philosophy of Nature: Selections From His Writings, p. 65, ed. H.S. Thayer, Hafner Library of Classics, NY, 1953, accessed at www.answersingenesis.org.)
I believe this quote from Newton was to have a major impact on atheists’ strategy to turn the world away from God. They would deliberately work diligently to pack all top universities with their people to make the teaching of atheism or evolution part of mainstream education. [They would contribute very little to actual research though they would be professors. Their contributions would be to atheistic arguments. But the most brilliant scientists who sought the truth would still not give up their belief in God].
Michael Faraday (1791-1867)
Michael Faraday, one of the greatest scientists of the nineteenth century was a chemist and a physicist. He discovered new organic compounds, including benzene. But his researches on electricity and magnetism revolutionized physics and he became the pioneer of electric motors and invented the dynamo. He was a devout Christian, was an elder in his church and regularly preached sermons.
When asked about his view on life after death, he said, quoting 2 Timothy 1:12: “Speculations? I have none. I am resting on certainties. ‘I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day’ (As quoted in The Homiletic Review (April 1896), p. 442).
“The book of nature which we have to read is written by the finger of God.” (Michael Faraday (1859). “Experimental Researches in Chemistry and Physics”, p.471)
“I am, I hope, very thankful that in the withdrawal of the powers and things of life, the good hope is left with me, which makes the contemplation of death a comfort — not a fear. Such peace is alone the gift of God, and as it is He who gives it, why should we be afraid? His unspeakable gift in His beloved Son is the ground of no doubtful hope.” (Letter to friend Auguste De la Rive, September 1861, as quoted in Michael Faraday: Sandemanian and Scientist: A Study of Science and Religion, By Geoffrey Cantor, 2016, p.81)
Samuel Morse (1791-1872)
Samuel Morse was the pioneer of the telegraph and the Morse code. When the first telegraph message was sent in 1844 it said, ‘What hath God wrought’. Samuel Morse said:
“It is HIS work… “Not unto us, but to Thy Name, O Lord, be all the praise”.”
“The nearer I approach to the end of my pilgrimage… the grandeur and sublimity of God’s remedy for fallen man are more appreciated.” (As quoted in Ann Lamont, 21 Great Scientists who believed the Bible, p.106-7, Creation Science Foundation, 1995
James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)
Maxwell was a Scottish scientist in the field of mathematical physics. His equations developed the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation which led to the technological revolution that made the invention of the radio, TV, X-rays, computers and many others. His views on God:
“Almighty God, who has created man in Thine own image, and made him a living soul that he might seek after Thee, and have dominion over Thy creatures, teach us to study the works of Thy hands, that we may subdue the earth to our use, and strengthen the reason for Thy service; so to receive Thy blessed Word, that we may believe on Him whom Thou has sent, to give us the knowledge of salvation and the remission of sins. All of which we ask in the name of the same Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (As quoted by Ann Lamont, 21 Great Scientists who believed the Bible, p.208, Creation Science Foundation, 1995.
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
Pasteur was a French biologist and chemist. Before Pasteur, scientists believed in ‘spontaneous generation’ which meant that life could generate from matter. But Pasteur demonstrated that life can come only from pre-existing life. This is called the Law of Biogenesis. His discoveries led to pasteurization and immunization.
“Science brings men nearer to God.” (As quoted in Letter to an Atheist (2007) by Michael Patrick Leahy, p. 61).
“Posterity will one day laugh at the foolishness of modern materialistic philosophers. The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. I pray while I am engaged at my work in the laboratory.” (As quoted in The Literary Digest (18 October 1902)
This is just a small sample of the beliefs about God of some of the early giants of science, all pioneers in new fields of science and medicine. Their belief in the existence of God and faith in Him increased as they made more scientific discoveries about His creation.
These great scientists acknowledged in their writings that there were atheists in their days. Atheism is not a modern phenomenon. There is nothing new about it. Even King David acknowledged in his psalms more than 3,000 years ago that there were atheists in his days. He wrote in Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'”. However, the number of atheists was not large, though a majority of the population throughout human history has not been very religious, because of limited access to Scriptures as copies were very expensive to produce.
So, what changed?
Then Came the Theory of Evolution
I have provided views of scientists, astronomers and medical pioneers who lived before and close to the time Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution in 1859 in his book On the Origin of Species. That is what changed. Darwin proposed a theory that seemingly offered an explanation for the existence of the creation without a Creator. It started the process of increasing the number of people who no longer strongly believed in the existence of God. Again, I say, Darwin’s book merely started the process of turning humans away from a strong belief in the existence of God. The ‘atheists’ had to wage a well-orchestrated campaign to popularize the concept of creation without a Creator.
Even though evolution has become mainstream today, still many leading scientists who made great discoveries and were awed by the wonders of nature knew that there was fantastic design behind creation, and only a Master Designer could have designed it and brought it into being. Here are the views of some of those scientists about God from 1860 onwards, after Darwin published his On the Origin of Species.
These quotes are taken from: https://christianheritageedinburgh.org.uk/category/science/quotes-from-famous-christians-in-science-and-medicine/
Sir William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)
Lord Kelvin discovered the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics.
“Do not be afraid of being free thinkers. If you think strongly enough you will be forced by science to the belief in God, which is the foundation of all Religion. You will find science not antagonistic, but helpful to Religion.” (As quoted in The Times, May 2, 1903, Lord Kelvin on Religion and Science, corrected by Lord Kelvin himself in The Life of William Thompson, Baron Kelvin of Largs, by S.P. Thompson).
Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1907) - pioneer of anesthetics.
“But again, I looked and saw Jesus, my substitute, scourged in my stead and dying on the cross for me. I looked and cried and was forgiven. And it seems to be my duty to tell you of that Savior, to see if you will not also look and live: How simple it all becomes when the Holy Spirit opens the eyes!” (From his own personal testimony, St Columba’s Free Church, Edinburgh, where he was an elder, reproduced by Sovereign Grace Union).
Lord Joseph Lister (1827-1912) - pioneer of antiseptics.
“I am a believer in the fundamental doctrines of Christianity.” (As quoted in Ann Lamont, 21 Great Scientists who believed the Bible, p.196, Creation Science Foundation, 1995).
Sir Ambrose Fleming (1849-1945) - pioneer of electronics
“There is abundant evidence that the Bible, though written by men, is not the product of the human mind. By countless multitudes it has always been revered as a communication to us from the Creator of the Universe.” (As quoted in Ann Lamont, 21 Great Scientists who believed the Bible, p.217, Creation Science Foundation, 1995).
George Washington Carver (1864-1943) - pioneer of agricultural chemistry
“Without my Savior I am nothing.”
“The Lord has guided me. He has shown me the way, just as he will show everyone who turns to Him.” (As quoted in Ann Lamont, 21 Great Scientists who believed the Bible, p.228, Creation Science Foundation, 1995)
Max Planck (1858-1947) - pioneer of quantum physics
Max Planck, was a German theoretical physicist whose discovery of energy quanta won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.
“Both religion and science need for their activities the belief in God, and moreover God stands for the former in the beginning, and for the latter at the end of the whole thinking. For the former, God represents the basis, for the latter – the crown of any reasoning concerning the world-view.” (Max Planck, Religion und Naturwissenschaft, Leipzig: Johann Ambrosius Barth Verlag, 1958, 27).
Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977) - pioneer of space rockets
“An outlook… at the vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator.”
“[Scientific concepts] exist only in the minds of men. Behind these concepts lies the reality which is being revealed to us, but only by the grace of God.” (As quoted in Ann Lamont, 21 Great Scientists who believed the Bible, p.250-1, Creation Science Foundation, 1995).
Many more quotes from scientists who worked after 1860 can be provided. Werner Von Braun died in 1977. Though no quotes from scientists after that have been included, this does not mean that the theory of evolution had won over all scientists by that time. Some prominent scientists after that who believed in God have been quoted later.
Thus, even though Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution in 1859, the evolutionists and atheists had to wage more than a century long, ‘loud’, vigorous campaign and propaganda to drown out the voices of creationists and believers in God, so that a majority of the world believes that evolution is true. It was not an easy task. But it was masterfully executed by the arch-deceiver Satan the devil through his primary human agents, the Germans and German masqueraders, who are people of German descent living in different countries for centuries, having assumed the common names of those countries.
Before I explain how this propaganda campaign was executed, let me first explain the German and other different views on the existence of God.
Copyright © Church of God Message. All rights reserved.