finally a sane voice in the wilderness!Everyone has the will and determination to do what they want. If that were not true, then nothing would get accomplished. Of course, having the means to do whatever we want is another story altogether. Having the will and determination is not the same thing as having the means.
Newton was considered a heretic of his time, often referred to as a Nicodemite. And, while he believed God was gravity, he had no evidence of such a thing. But then, due to the Blasphemy Act of 1697, we'll never really know what he believed simply because it was against the law to say God had not created everything. You should really think about that one when you bring up Newton. Theists love to proclaim their free speech when it suits their agenda, but there was no such thing back then, yet somehow theists still bring up Newton to support their weak arguments.
The question I would then ask you is if Newton were alive today, free to speak his mind, would he still be a Christian? Or, if he understood what we now understand about the origins of our universe, would he even be a theist?
MY first thought when reading your post was that if he was a Christian under duress his theological work would have demonstrated that duress.
Do you have any evidence to suggests that his theological work was written under duress?
As any reformer knows, just like the overt hostility demonstrated on this board, heracy is a common call of those offended by being told that they may be mistaken and need to evolve towards a better position.
The theological out put threatened charges of heracy not because he was an atheist in disguise but because he threatened those orthodox views of the time would be my contention.
The current Pope Francis could have been charged with heracy due to his attempt to reform the Catholic diocese. Church politics being as they are in any large power driven bureaucracy.
That said, IMHO Isaac Newton was no more an atheist than Pope Francis is. Both theists, both devoted to their worship, both passionate about their love of God and both wishing for nothing more than the reform of the Church they belong to for the benefit of the congregation, and people every where.
Everyone has the will and determination to do what they want. If that were not true, then nothing would get accomplished. Of course, having the means to do whatever we want is another story altogether. Having the will and determination is not the same thing as having the means.
If someone declared that your attempts at self determination were an illusion, that every effort you have made to your own benefit, that everything that identifies you including your love and passion was a fraud, an illusion how would you feel about your next post?
Perhaps you would ask for evidence to support such a wild claim? ( there is none)
Perhaps you would ask for the rational to be explained? ( circular self defeating logic )
Perhaps you would find that any attempt to discuss it leads to shutting down of the complaint and arrogantly declaring a premise as "scientifically proven and logically valid" when no truth is evident and not even allowed under the very same rational. You see the rational leads to everything human ultimately is an illusion.
Perhaps though, you will just join the band of orthodoxy and scream "heracy!" at me even though you sacrifice your commitment to self determination in the process, just to avoid reform to a better place.
For over 3000 years this dispute has been going on, both in the Churches of the world and in the various scientific fields. Free will and self determination being incompatible with both extreme Orthodox religious views and the science of determinism ( cause and effect)
Any reasonable solution to this 3000 year dilemma will yield the accusation of heracy...