Virtually All of the Early Scientists Were Devout Christians.
Almost every major branch of modern science can be traced back to 17th and 18th century Europe. If we open virtually any textbook on science and look at the men who founded and dominated each of these fields, we find that almost all were strong Christians. Christianity provided the intellectual framework for science to develop and grow but also motivated people to pursue scientific inquiry. That is, the Christian faith of these scientists made their science possible but it also made it desirable. The list of such scientists is much too long for this paper and can be found elsewhere, so only a few prominent examples are given here.
1) Nicholas Copernicus (Astronomy). Copernicus is most known for his work on establishing the heliocentric model for the solar system in De Revolutionibus. In addition to his scientific work, he served as a canon (religious office) and was an active churchman. He believed that the world “has been built for us by the Best and Most Orderly Workman of all” and so was worthy of study.
2) Galileo Galilei (Astronomy; Refracting telescope). Galileo wrote supporting Copernicus’ heliocentric model and developed the first working telescope with which he discovered the moons of Jupiter, sun spots, and moon craters. Galileo, along with Francis Bacon, played a central role in developing the scientific method. Central to Galileo’s thinking was that God reveals himself in two ways, through the Book of God’s word (Bible) and the Book of God’s works (creation) and so we must study both. He believed that there would never be a contradiction between the facts of nature and the Holy Scriptures.
3) Johannes Kepler (Astronomy). Kepler derived three laws of planetary motion based on observational data, which gave direct support for Copernicus’ heliocentric model. Originally, Kepler wanted to go into Christian ministry but financial problems forced him to pursue mathematics and eventually astronomy. Kepler later realized that this was God’s plan for him and that his work as an astronomer was a way that he could bring glory to God. He believed that the study of science was “thinking God’s thoughts after him” and that astronomers were “priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature.” It was Kepler’s faith that kept him working despite ill health, personal misfortunes, chronic financial woes, persecution, and arduous work.
4) Isaac Newton (Physics; Calculus; Gravitation law; Reflecting telescope). Newton formulated his famous three equations of motion, which were the basis for physics for the next 200 years and are still commonly used today. Newton also developed the law of gravity, revolutionized optics, and invented calculus (along with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz). Newton is unequivocally the greatest scientist of his time. In addition to his science, he was a faithful Anglican, helped plan for the building of churches, and wrote more than 1,300,000 words on Biblical subjects. While some of his beliefs may not have been completely orthodox, he certainly held to a personal God who created the universe and that “natural philosophy” (science) complimented and supported the words of the Bible.
5) Robert Boyle (Chemistry; Gas dynamics). Boyle laid the foundation for modern chemistry and studied the properties of gases. His contributions once and for all overthrew alchemy and established modern chemistry. He may have been the first researcher to confirm by experiment every scientific claim that he made. As a Christian, Boyle opened each day with a prayer and Bible reading, wrote and translated works on the gospels, and wrote books on apologetics. He spent time trying to communicate the advances in science to common folk showing how science gave evidence for the Christian faith. He co-founded the Royal Institute of London, which was the first scientific association in the world. In his will, he left money to found the Boyle lectures for proving the Christian religion.
6) Blaise Pascal (Hydrostatics; Barometer; Probability theory). Pascal is best known for his development of an adding machine, which would eventually be a forerunner of modern computing. He also made many advances in geometry, mathematics, fluid mechanics, and atmospheric studies. He was a devout Jansenite (a Calvinistic quasi-Protestant group within the Catholic church) and gave frequently to the needy. ?The Bible became his most important reading as he resolved to give first place in his life to the God of Jesus Christ. The laboratory became an upper room in which the Bible held the place of honor. ? His most celebrated non-scientific work is Pensées (”Thoughts”), a work on Christian apologetics that he didn’t finish writing before his death.
7) Carolus Linneaus (Taxonomy; Biological classification system). Linneaus was the son of a Lutheran minister and was raised around plants most of his life. His single greatest contribution was to develop a classification system for identifying plants, which is still in use today. He also developed the binomial nomenclature, where by any living thing is identified by its genus and species. (For example, humans are identified as Homo sapiens.) This replaced the confusing plethora of names that had existed with a single unified naming system. Linneaus was a student of the Bible and drew the term “species” from the Latin word for “kind” used to describe groups of living creatures in Genesis 1:21,24-25. He wrote, “One is completely stunned by the incredible resourcefulness of the Creator” and “I saw the infinite, all-knowing and all-powerful God from behind. I followed His footsteps over nature’s fields and saw everywhere an eternal wisdom and power, an inscrutable perfection.”
So what?
Practically all of them in that list were from prior to Darwin’s postulation of his famous theory. It would be interesting to discuss the individual stances of famous scientists who rose to fame before and after that occurrence.