On Atheism

The Newton Project ^ | 3-28-06

[Conservative Coulter Fan]

"Opposite to the first is Atheism in profession & Idolatry in practise. Atheism is so senseless & odious to mankind that it never had many professors. Can it be by accident that all birds beasts & men have their right side & left side alike shaped (except in their bowells) & just two eyes & no more on either side the face & just two ears on either side the head & a nose with two holes & no more between the eyes & one mouth under the nose & either two fore leggs or two wings or two arms on the sholders & two leggs on the hipps one on either side & no more? Whence arises this uniformity in all their outward shapes but from the counsel & contrivance of an Author? Whence is it that the eyes of all sorts of living creatures are transparent to the very bottom & the only transparent members in the body, having on the outside an hard transparent skin, & within transparent juyces with a crystalline Lens in the middle & a pupil before the Lens all of them so truly shaped & fitted for vision, that no Artist can mend them? Did blind chance know that there was light & what was its refraction & fit the eys of all creatures after the most curious manner to make use of it? These & such like considerations always have & ever will prevail with man kind to beleive that there is a being who made all things & has all things in his power & who is therfore to be feared." --Sir Issac Newton, 'A short Schem of the true Religion'

[From many - one.]

Thanks.

[dread78645]

I'm not sure exactly what Newton is arguing ...

He's arguing that the 'Johannine comma' in I John is a spurious alteration made by the Roman Church to support a false doctrine of the Trinity.

I have a Greek NT which has at 5:7 "that they are three who testify"

5:8 reads "the spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are one"

Yep. That was the original in Erasmus' 1st & 2nd editions. He was pressured to change it to (in brackets):
ὅτι τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες [ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Πατήρ, ὁ Λόγος, καὶ τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· καὶ οὗτοι οἱ τρεῖς ἔν εἰσι.
8 καὶ τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες ἐν τῇ γῇ] τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ αἷμα, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν.

In English, KJV:
7. For there are three that bear record [in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8. And there are three that bear witness in earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

Whether these two verses are about the Trinity may depend on which manuscript reading you accept.

Except the interpolation is spurious.
It's not in any Greek text until the 13th century. It wasn't in Jeromes Vulgate of Codex Fuldensis c. 545. It's not in any Eastern Orthodox versions, that I'm aware of, even today.
Nobody ever quoted anything like it until Priscillian in the late 4th century.

If the addition had been authentic, it would have been a very powerful argument against the Arian and Sabellian heresies, but nobody seemed to be aware of it.

[Hoodat]

It takes far more faith to be an atheist than it does to believe in a Creator.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Adding Atheists to your demons list will only garner more votes against Conservatives in November.

I'm an atheist and you don't speak for me. There is no such thing as an orthodox or ecumenical atheist...

Anything the Christians say will keep you going for months...

Morality and all of its associated concepts are from the belief some higher power defines what is correct in human behavior. Today, "morals" are a religious pagan philosophy of esoteric hobgoblins. Transfiguration is a pantheon of fantasies as the medium of infinitization. Others get derision for having an unwavering Judaic belief in Yahweh or Yeshua, although their critics and enemies will evangelize insertion of phantasmagoric fetishisms into secular law.

Today, "morals" are defined by a quasi-religious pagan philosophy based on esoteric hobgoblins. A greater number of "atheists" and "pagans" adopt the same hackneyed tenets of a false Judaic-Christian ideal (golden calf). They also subscribe to the Judaic fetishism of "sin," but will fight to their death in denial of it. Most of them are so wrapped up in their own polemics that they have become nothing more than pathetic anti-Christians with the same false hypocritical philosophy. They just slap a new label on it hoping nobody will notice - - they replace the idea of "avoiding sin" with "morals."

[mugs99]

I'm an atheist and you don't speak for me. There is no such thing as an orthodox or ecumenical atheist

Do you have a reading comprehension problem?
I speak for no one. Kooks are kooks be they any persuasion, including Atheist.
.

[Dimensio]

Do you have a reading comprehension problem?

Given that the poster to whom you are responding has made repeated statements claiming that those with whom he corresponds have professed claims that they have never made, I would speculate that Sir Francis Dashwood does, in fact, have a serious reading comprehension problem. For example, he once stated that I believed that the earth was central to the universe, when in fact I have never made such a claim.

[Dimensio]

It takes far more faith to be an atheist than it does to believe in a Creator.

Why?

[Dimensio]

"Newton wasn't a Real Scientist© "

Why do you believe that "Darwin Central" would make such a claim?

[Virginia-American]

"Newton wasn't a Real Scientist© "

This is a slander against "Darwin Central".

"Newton was a heretic."

This is true - he rejected the Trinity. Whether he was a Real Christian, I can't say.

[Tribune7]

Of Atheism

[Tribune7]

You don't think torture is never justified?

[Beckwith]

Atheists and gays.

All they want to do is talk about their atheism and gayness.

Who gives a rat's ass?

[muir_redwoods]

FWIW, Newton made most of his money in his career casting horoscopes

[mugs99]

You don't think torture is never justified?

Only if you're willing to accept responsibility personally. In other words, if you had information that my child's life depended on I would torture you to get it. But I would also accept the responsibility and pay the price.
.

[mugs99]

LOL!
I think his IQ test came out negative.
.

[Tribune7]

In other words, if you had information that my child's life depended on I would torture you to get it.

In other words. you think torture can be justified.

[mugs99]

In other words. you think torture can be justified

Just as murder can.
I quoted a survey. I do not personally claim any moral high ground. The difference is that I accept personal responsibility.
If torture is allowed as policy, there will be mission creep. Shall the FBI be allowed to torture you if somebody in your neighborhood sprays anti government grafitti on the mail truck?
. .

[Tribune7]

Just as murder can.

Not by me.

I quoted a survey. I do not personally claim any moral high ground.

So why did you quote the survey?

The difference is that I accept personal responsibility.

Why do you assume that others who hold your views don't?

[mugs99]

Not by me.
Do you think torture is justified?

So why did you quote the survey?
To make the point. Did you not read the italicized sentence?

Why do you assume that others who hold your views don't?
I don't make that assumption. I referred to torture as policy. Why have you not answered my questions?
.

[Tribune7]

Do you think torture is justified?

In some circumstances.

So why did you quote the survey? . . .To make the point.

That you have more to fear from people who agree with you?

I referred to torture as policy.

You posted a poll implying you had more to fear from Christians because a greater majority wouldn't say torture was never justified. There were no qualifications.