As I reflected on my previous post about great scientific minds and belief in Intelligent Design, I realized that it lucked facts and references so to speak ( something I personally always look in posts, publications, etc.), but since it dealt with my personal experiences and referred to private conversations, general statement on what was my experience was all I could offer…
As I thought on that though, I felt that it would be a disservice not to bring into this discussion a comparison to my personal experience, however documented with facts, references and figures. I usually would not have a chance to write much, and probably would not visit back to this thread for at least a few days if not more ( life with the babe and travelling), but here are some pretty neat facts, that I felt would be interesting to share, on great minds and Intelligent Design. ( Forgive me for typos, if there will be any)
[b]Isaac Newton [/b] (1642-1727), who discovered the law of gravity, formulated the three laws of motion, developed calculus, constructed the first reflecting telescope, and whom many consider the greatest scientist who ever lived, wrote an estimated 1,400,000 words on religion--more than on physics or astronomy. He wrote papers refuting atheism and defending the Bible; he believed in the Flood, a literal six-day creation, and the Ussher chronology (which dated Earth as a few thousand years old). Here are a few quotes from him:
I[i][b] have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.
All my discoveries have been made in answer to prayer.
We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.[/b][/i]
How about [b]astronomer Johannes Kepler [/b] (1571-1630)? Reasoning that the universe must be orderly if designed by God, he discovered the laws of planetary motion and conclusively demonstrated that the sun is the solar system's center. He explained that he was merely "thinking God's thoughts after Him" and said:
[b][i]I had the intention of becoming a theologian … but now I see how God is, by my endeavors, also glorified in astronomy, for "the heavens declare the glory of God."[/i][/b]
And:
[b][i]Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature, it befits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God.[/i][/b]
What of [b]Robert Boyle [/b] (1627-1691), regarded as the father of modern chemistry, and whose name is wedded to the fundamental law of gas pressures? He determined that gases consist of particles, made early discoveries concerning vacuums, and even invented the first match.
Boyle also read the Bible daily, was governor of a missionary organization, wrote The Christian Virtuoso to show that studying nature is a religious duty, and in his will established the "Boyle lectures" for the proving of Christianity.
Then there was [b]Francis Bacon[/b] (1561-1626), credited with developing the scientific method. He said:
[b][i]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.[/i][/b]
[b]Carolus Linnaeus [/b] (1707-1778), who laid the foundations of modern taxonomy, still known as the Linnaean system. He too was a believer. Isaac Asimov acknowledged that "[b][i]Linnaeus himself fought the whole idea of evolution stubbornly[/i][/b]." The Dictionary of Scientific Biography says of him:
[b][i]His view of nature was deeply religious; central to all his work was God's omnipotence…. "I saw," he wrote in the later editions of Systema natura, "the infinite, all-knowing and all-powerful God…. I followed his footsteps over nature's fields and saw everywhere an eternal wisdom and power, an inscrutable perfection."[/i][/b]
Astronomer Sir William Herschel (1738-1822) discovered Uranus and built the greatest reflecting telescopes of his day. He said: "The undevout astronomer must be mad."
His son, John Frederick Herschel, who discovered more than 500 stars and nebulae, declared:
[b][i]All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truths that come from on high and are contained in the sacred writings."[/i][/b]
[b]John Flamsteed [/b] (1646-1719), who made the first great map of the stars, was founder of the famous Greenwich Observatory, first Astronomer Royal of England--and a clergyman.
Besides being a great statesman, [b]Benjamin Franklin[/b] (1706-1790) invented the lightning rod, rocking chair, Franklin stove, and bifocal glasses. He organized the first U.S. postal service and first fire department. Some count Franklin as an unbeliever, but although he poked fun at dour ministers and entertained some doubts about the divinity of Christ, his belief in God was uncompromising. He stated:
[b][i]Here is my creed. I believe in one god, the Creator of the universe. That He governs it by His providence. That He ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable service we render to Him is in doing good to His other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this.[/i][/b]
He declared before the Constitutional Convention:
[b][i]I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth--that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?…
I therefore beg leave to move--that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business….[/i][/b]
Some evolutionists like to call creationists "flat earthers." This is ironic since [b]Christopher Columbus[/b], famed for showing the world round, wrote:
[b][i]I prayed to the most merciful Lord about my heart's great desire, and He gave me the spirit and the intelligence for the task: seafaring, astronomy, geometry, arithmetic, skill in drafting spherical maps and placing correctly the cities, rivers, mountains and ports. I also studied cosmology, history, chronology, and philosophy.
It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me. There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because he comforted me with rays of marvelous illumination from the Holy Scriptures….[/i][/b]
Shall we add to the list of believers [b][i]Cotton Mather[/i][/b] (1663-1728), the clergyman/Harvard president who introduced a smallpox inoculation; [b]Jean Deluc[/b] (1727-1817), the Swiss naturalist who coined the word "geology"; or [b]James Parkinson [/b] (1755-1824), the first physician to recognize the dangers of a perforated appendix, and to describe the disease named for him? We could also mention [b]John Dalton[/b] (1766-1844), who revolutionized chemistry by developing the atomic theory; [b]Benjamin Barton[/b] (1766-1815), who wrote the first U.S. textbook on botany; and chemist-physiologist [b]William Prout [/b] (1785-1850), who was the first to identify basic foodstuffs as fats, proteins and carbohydrates. And does the famous painting The Last Supper not convey the faith of [b]Leonardo da Vinci[/b] (1452-1519), considered by many the father of modern science?
I hear some saying, "OK, OK, maybe a few of those old dudes had some smarts, but they were only religious because that was the prevailing view in their day. They lived before Darwin. If they had read The Origin of Species, they would have seen things totally different."
But hold on.[b][i][i][u] Most scientists in Darwin's time weren't thrilled with his theory either. Contrary to the popular impression, it was scientists, not theologians, who primarily opposed evolution in the nineteenth century[/u][/i][/i][/b].
The Catholic church, still smarting from its wrongful condemnation of Galileo, wanted no risk of another embarrassment. Although the church maintained an index of forbidden books, The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man were never placed on it. When Darwin died, the Anglican church even insisted he be given a hero’s funeral and state burial at Westminster Abbey.
On the other hand, [b]717 scientists, including 86 members of the Royal Society [/b] (Britain's most prestigious scientific organization), signed a manifesto entitled [b][i]"The Declaration of the Students of the Natural and Physical Sciences."[/i][/b] Issued in London in 1864, it affirmed their confidence in the Bible's scientific integrity.
Of course there were several scientists whom evolution failed to convince. There were many others whose faith it could not shake.
Louis Pasteur (1822-95) probably saved more lives than any other scientist. He established the germ theory of disease and the process of sterilization; he isolated pathogens and developed vaccines to combat them–including rabies, diphtheria and anthrax. He also introduced milk pasteurization, which is named for him.
Pasteur was also a humble Christian. He did not patent his discoveries, but gave them to society freely. Though tragedy marked his life–three of his children died young–faith sustained him. “Science,” he said, "brings man nearer to God." And he observed, “The more I study nature,” the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator." In a series of experiments, Pasteur disproved the false notion, then pushed by evolutionists, that bacteria “spontaneously generate.”
[b]Lord Kelvin[/b] (1824-1907) was, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "foremost among the small group of British scientists who helped to lay the foundation of modern physics." He established a scale of absolute temperatures, with degrees "kelvin" named for him; supervised laying of the first Atlantic cable, for which he was knighted; held 21 honorary doctorates, published more than 600 scientific papers, and patented 70 inventions.
As Chairman of England's Christian Evidence Society, Lord Kelvin said:
[i][b]I have long felt that there was a general impression in the non-scientific world that the scientific world believes Science has discovered ways of explaining all the facts of nature without adopting any definite belief in a Creator. I have never doubted that that impression was utterly groundless[/b][/i]. [Lord Kelvin, address of 23 May 1889, quoted in Stephen Abbott Northrop, A Cloud of Witnesses (c. 1899; reprint, San Antonio: Mantle Ministries, 1988), 460.]
Kevin opposed Darwinism and published a paper refuting uniformitarian geology. He said: "[b][i]Over-whelmingly strong proofs of intelligent and benevolent design lie around us … the atheistic idea is so nonsensical that I cannot put it into words. [/i] [/b] And:
[b][i]Mathematics and dynamics fail us when we contemplate the earth, fitted for life but lifeless, and try to imagine the commencement of life upon it. This certainly did not take place by any action of chemistry, or electricity, or crystalline grouping of molecules under the influence of force, or by any possible kind of fortuitous concourse of atoms. We must pause, face to face with the mystery and miracle of creation of living creatures. [/i] [/b] [Mathematical and Physical Papers, Lord Kelvin (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1911), quoted in Thomas G. Barnes, "Physics: A Challenge to 'Geologic Time,'" Impact 16 (July 1974): 1-2.]
[b]Joseph Lister[/b] (1827-1912) saved countless lives by developing antiseptic surgery through the use of disinfectants. ("Listerine" is named after him.) He invented dissolving stitches and the wiring of broken bones. He was knighted, made president of the Royal Society and president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Lister was the son of devout Quakers, and would declare "I[i][b] have no hesitation in saying that in my opinion there is no antagonism between the Religion of Jesus Christ and any fact scientifically established."[/b][/i]
[b] Samuel F.B. Morse [/b] (1791-1872) invented the tele¬graph and Morse Code, built the first camera in America, and founded the National Academy of Design.
A dedicated Christian, Morse established one of America's first Sunday schools and supported missionaries. He said:
The only gleam of hope, and I cannot underrate it, is from confidence in God. When I look upward it calms my apprehensions for the future, and I seem to hear a voice saying, “If I clothe the lilies of the field, shall I not also clothe you?” Here is my strong confidence, and I will wait patiently for the direction of Providence. [Northrop, 327.]
The first message he sent by telegraph was: "What hath God wrought."
Through experiments, [b]James Joule[/b] (1818-1889) proved the law of energy conservation, and determined the mathematic relationship between an electric current's energy and the heat it gives off. The joule, a unit of energy measurement, is named for him. He said: "[i][b]It is evident that an acquaintance with natural laws means no less tthan an acquaintance with the mind of God therein expressed[/b][/i]."
Though born a slave, [b]George Washington Carver[/b] (1864-1943) became one of the world's greatest agricultural scientists. Working at the Tuskegee Institute, an Alabama school for Afro-Americans, he developed over 300 products from the peanut and 118 from the sweet potato. He showed both black and white farmers how to better utilize land, and revitalized the South's economy. He did much to improve race relations, and was also an accomplished artist.
Like Pasteur, Carver patented none of his discoveries, but gave them away. He turned down an offer from Thomas Edison to leave Tuskegee and work at 60 times his pay. In 1940 he donated his life savings to the Institute. A devout Christian, Carver taught his students from the Bible, in a class that met on Sundays from 1907 until his death. He said:
[b][i]The secret of my success? It is simple. It is found in the Bible, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths." [/i] [/b] [William J. Federer, America's God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations (Coppell, Tex.: Fame Publishing, 1994), 98]
So to figure out that science harmonizes with the Bible, you don't have to be a rocket scientist--but you might ask one. [b]Wernher von Braun[/b] (1912-1977) was director of NASA's flight center; he oversaw the team of scientists that sent the first American into space, and masterminded the moon landing.
An active Christian, von Braun prayed for the safety of those on the manned missions he planned. He observed: "[b][i]There are those who argue that the universe evolved out of a random process, but what random process could produce the brain of man or the system of the human eye?" He would not have agreed with the whip hand given evolution in today's classrooms: "To be forced to believe only one conclusion--that everything in the universe happened by chance--would violate the very objectivity of science itself."[/i][/b]
Physicist [b]David Brewster[/b] (1781-1868) began the science of optical mineralogy, invented the kaleido-scope, and was founder and president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He said: [b][i]"Knowledge, indeed, is at once the handmaid and the companion of true religion. They mutually adorn and support each other[/i][/b]." On his tombstone was written: "The Lord is my Light."
Shall we add [b]Joseph Henry[/b] (1797-1878), who invented the electromagnetic motor and galvanometer, was first secretary and director of the Smithsonian Institution, [b]president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science-[/b]-and always prayed for divine guidance during any experiment? Or Nobel Prize winner [b]Lord Rayleigh [/b] (1842-1919), co-discoverer of argon, helium, and the other "noble" gases, who wrote: "[b][i]The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." [/i] [/b] Nobel Prize-winning physicist [b]Robert A. Millikan [/b] (1868-1953), though critical of fundamentalism, said he would still choose it over atheism: "[b][i]The God of science is the Spirit of rational order, and of orderly development. Atheism as I understand it is the denial of the existence of this spirit. Nothing could be more antagonistic to the whole spirit of science."[/i][/b]
These are just a sampling of a few great minds, and it illustrates the point that I was trying to make earlier but through their own words and actions…
Sorry, if it was a long 
, !
Hope it helps…