What do you think about these idiots that believe in God?

Johannes Kepler [1571-1630] Astronomy/Laws of Planetary Motion "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 am a Christian...I believe... only and alone in the service of Jesus Christ...In Him is all refuge, all solace." "Let my name perish if only the name of God the Father is thereby elevated." "[God] is the kind Creator who brought forth nature out of nothing." ___________________________________________________________________________ Blaise Pascal [1623-1662] Scientist noted for work in physics, hydrostatics, vacuums; inventor of mechanical calculator "Jesus Christ, I have separated myself from Him: I have fled from Him, denied Him, crucified Him. Let me never be separated from Him. We keep hold of Him only by the ways taught in the Gospel. Renunciation, total and sweet. Total submission to Jesus Christ..." {from a manuscript dated Monday November 23, 1654 and found in his own handwriting in his coat at his death} "Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness engenders pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God engenders despair." [Pascal - Pensees no 527] *Also famous for "Pascal's Wager"--a powerful defense of the Christian faith _____________________________________________________________________________ Robert Boyle [1627-1691] Founder of Modern Chemistry/Gas Dynamics Governor of Missionary organization for propagating the gospel in New England Personally financed the translation of the Bible into Irish, Turkish, and Arabic Author of "The Christian Virtuoso" reflecting on the study of nature for Christians Author of Christian devotional book, "Occasional Reflections" His will after his death financed the "Boyle Lectures" which were lectures in defense of Christianity "From a knowledge of His work, we shall know Him" "Christ's passion, His death, His resurrection and ascension, and all of those wonderful works which He did during His stay upon earth, in order to confirm mankind in the belief of His being God as well as man." ____________________________________________________________________________ Sir Isaac Newton [1642-1727] Mathematician, Physicist Inventor of calculus Law of universal gravitation Newton's three laws of motion: 1) Law of inertia 2) Force=mass*acceleration 3) Principle of action and reaction Published "Newton's Prophecies of Daniel" after his study and translation of the Book of Daniel [in the Bible] "About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition." "There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history." " This thing [a scale model of our solar system] is but a puny imitation of a much grander system whose laws you know, and I am not able to convince you that this mere toy is without a designer and maker; yet you, as an atheist, profess to believe that the great original from which the design is taken has come into being without either designer or maker! Now tell me by what sort of reasoning do you reach such an incongruous conclusion?" ____________________________________________________________________________ Sir William Herschel [1738-1822] Astronomist. Discovered Uranus, several nebulae, and binary stars. First to accurately describe the Milky Way Galaxy “All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more the Truths contained in the Sacred Scriptures.” "The undevout astronomer must be mad." _____________________________________________________________________ Samuel Morse [1791-1872] Inventor of the telegraph [Morse's sketch of the railway telegraph above] "Education without religion is in danger of substituting wild theories for the simple commonsense rules of Christianity." First message sent by the electric telegraph: "What hath God wrought" {This is found in the Bible; Numbers 23:23} {The message was sent from the Supreme Court Room in the Capitol to the railway depot at Baltimore; May 24, 1844} {In one letter, Samuel Morse wrote "What hath GOD wrought" by capitalizing and underlining "GOD" twice!} ______________________________________________________________ Michael Faraday [1791-1867] Inventor of the electric generator and the transformer Discovered Benzene--used to make plastics, nylon and dyes Produced the first test tubes Described Field Theory *Hailed by Albert Einstein as the foundation for his own scientific discoveries* Elder in his church for over 20 years "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.'" "A Christian finds his guide in the Word of God, and commits the keeping of his soul into the hands of God. He looks for no assurance beyond what the Word can give him, and if his mind is troubled by the cares and fears which assail him, he can go nowhere but in prayer to the throne of grace and to Scripture." "Since peace is alone in 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." --[1861 letter] "The Bible, and it alone, with nothing added to it nor taken away from it by man, is the sole and sufficient guide for each individual, at all times and in all circumstances…For faith in the divinity and work of Christ is the gift of God, and the evidence of this faith is obedience to the commandment of Christ." ____________________________________________________________________________ Matthew Maury [1806-1873] The "Father" of oceanography Aided in the laying of the first trans-Atlantic cable Maury believed Psalm 8:8, which speaks of the "paths of the seas" , and he discovered "oceanic currents" Maury described atmospheric circulation and showed that it was already described in Ecclesiastes 1:6 Maury showed Job 28:25 to be true with respect to the weight of the winds. "The Bible is true and science is true, and therefore each, if truly read, but proves the truth of the other." _____________________________________________________________________________ James Prescott Joule [1818-1889] Described the First Law of Thermodynamics: The Law of Conservation of Energy [American Biochemist Isaac Asimov said that the First Law of Thermodynamics is "one of the most important generalizations in the history of science"] Kinetic Theory of Gases "Joule-Thomson" effect--the basis of refrigeration A unit of energy [work] in physics is now called a "joule" "It is evident that an acquaintance with natural laws means no less than an acquaintance with the mind of God therein expressed." "Order is manifestly maintained in the universe...governed by the sovereign will of God" "After the knowledge of, and obedience to, the will of God, the next aim must be to know something of His attributes of wisdom, power, and goodness as evidenced by His handiwork." _____________________________________________________________________________ James Clerk Maxwell [1831-1879] Statistical Thermodynamics, Field equations of electricity, magnetism, light " No theory of evolution can be formed to account for the similarity of molecules, for evolution necessarily implies continuous change." "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 Who Thou has sent, to give us the knowledge of salvation and the remission of our sins. All of which we ask in the name of the same Jesus Christ, our Lord." {prayer written by Maxwell and found amongst his notes} Maxwell was an elder in the church he helped establish near his home. __________________________________________________________________________ Louis Pasteur [1822-1895] Father of Microbiology, developed "pasteurization" "The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator." "Science brings men nearer to God." _____________________________________________________________________________ Jean-Henri Fabre [1823-1915] Entomology, Biology Author of 8-volume series "Souvenirs Entomologiques" detailing the behavior and life history of many species "Without Him, I understand nothing; without Him, all is darkness…Every period has its manias. I regard Atheism as a mania. It is the malady of the age. You could take my skin from me more easily than my faith in God." ______________________________________________________________________________ Sir Joseph Lister [1827-1912] Father of antiseptic surgery, first to wire fractures, developed dissolving sutures "I am a believer in the fundamental doctrines of Christianity" ________________________________________________________ Lord Kelvin [William Thomson] [1824-1907] Physicist, Laws of Thermodynamics, Absolute temperature scale, inventor "With regard to the origin of life, science...positively affirms creative power." "Overwhelmingly strong proofs of intelligent and benevolent design lie around us... the atheistic idea is so non-sensical that I cannot put it into words." ___________________________________________________________ George Washington Carver [c. 1864-1943] agricultural chemist, inventor of over 300 products "Without my Savior, I am nothing." "I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." "God is going to reveal to us things he never revealed before if we put our hands in his. No books ever go into my laboratory, a thing I am to do and the way of doing it are revealed me."

Public Comments

1. Its irrational not to believe in G-d
2. believing in god doesn't mean you are an idiot. just weak
3. Note how lists like this tend to fizzle out after the 19th century. Modern thinkings overwhelmingly reject the idea of God. Pointing to ancient smart Christians as evidence for Christianity is no smarter than pointing to Isaac Newton as evidence for alchemy.
4. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Does having someone 'famous' believe in a religion validate it?
5. Your point? Ohh yeah Appeal To Authority, a logical FALLACY. Congratulations.
6. well YOUR POINT intelligent, rational, deep thinkers all believe in the God of the Bible Some pretty smart folks, I will be glad to meet them on the other side.
7. wow, a nice short question! Is this R+S or theology 101?
8. I don't have a problem with anyone's faith, provided that they don't have a problem with mine. Additonally, Pascal's Wager is flawed.
9. How about someone alive today. A lot has happened since 1943.
10. The educational system has failed anyone who believes in the type of God that religions preach about. A lot of nonsense. Glad you pointed this out.
11. they're cool thanks
12. I would say that none of these men were idiots as you suggest. I would have to say that these men were God fearing Christians who understood the Almighty. They also understood that without God they could do nothing.
13. I love what you did here.Genius! You probably got a lot of athiests to read these fabulous statements. Way to go. I believe a bunch of the Christian contributors failed to understand what you were saying and thought you were calling them idiots. I don't think they get it.
14. A smart (by your definition) person has faith and therefore, God exists? I don't think so. By that logic I could put up some names of serial killers who were devout believers and expect you to accept that as proof on god's nonexistence?
15. "idiots" ? I dont regard anyone who believes in god as an idiot. The quran says that the people who fear God the most are the scientists. These are scientists who have discovered wonderful things to better serve humanity who just happen to believe in god.
16. Some seemingly intelligent people have this fault. They let their emotions, family tradition, gut feelings , and/or brain washing control what spews out of their mouth. There is no place for this in science.
17. god revealed those things to them to be invented?interesting...religion is not nessecary anymore,it only causes wars and conflicts while we should be heading to a united world.i wouldn't say no to war between the priests of all the religions of the world...
18. I would hardly say they are idiots. They just believe in something that doesn't exist. The need for people to feel better about themselves and to be able to lay their problems in the hands of this "God" makes them feel better, and so what? Good for them, I sincerely hope they are happy. They could conceivably say the same about many agnostic or atheist people in American history about not believing. It's this simple. Some people have wool pulled over their eyes and they are fine with that and good for them, and some of us see the world without a god and we feel better about that. Good for us.
19. Not impressed. What's your logic here? That some smart people believed in supernatural entities, therefore everyone should? There is a missing connection there, and counter-examples abound.
20. Not impressed. They would be even smarter if they dropped their superstitions, but in those days everybody was superstitious. You also fail to mention people like Galileo, who were persecuted by superstitious fools. Besides, all those scientist you list may not be referring to that personal god that is all the rage with the heaven-bound set. Another scientist was asked by a newspaper reporter if he believed in god and the scientist said, I could answer your question but you wouldn't understand my answer, so the reporter goes, "well, tell me anyway." And the scientist says "yes."
21. One must always realize that a belief in God does not necessarily equate to a believe in religion or for that matter in a literal interpretation of the bible or for that matter the bible at all.
22. yeah, damnable simpletons !! what did they ever do for society !!!
23. Wow.
24. I BELIEVE IN GOD AND I AM NOT AN IDIOT . WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? GET YOUR MIND STRAIGHT.
25. WOW!
26. Let me make it clear for you? If you think they are idiots, then, what do you think about this life? What do you think about the after life? What do you think about the world & the amazing organizing through it? if this comes by sudden then you are wrong, no body will think about this world & for sue he will conclude there is an up normal ability that control every thing, take an example your body, & if you have a time to study the Biology you will sense something amazing, something you don't have to say a word, but you will be wonder. How could it be? If there are a good people, & bad people, do you think the good people, & the bad are the same? There is no way ... rethink about your question again, & will be surprised.......
27. The same idiot that Dr. Francis S. Collins could ever be.
28. (Psa 53:1 KJV) To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
29. My question is, "What do you think of these idiots who DON'T believe in God?"
30. Burried somewhere deep inside of this post is a question. But I lost interest about 3/4 of the way through
31. Excuse me but I am not an idiot and neither are the people that you have mentioned above. "The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge. Its starting point and its essence. But fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline." Proverbs 1:7 Amplified Bible
32. Tracer i love your answer Without God you will not be able to copy and paste. No matter how many degrees or certificates one has Heaven still holds the Key.
33. Isaiah 35:7-8(New King James Version)7 The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8 A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a FOOL, Shall not go astray.
34. This is arrogant. And low quality too. And rather encourages hatred, instead love and understanding. I do not believe in God, but I used to and it was a being full of love. As far as I know, Islam and Christianity (I know only Evangelism) do not see other beliefs as evil and idiotism. And neither do any serious atheistic philosophies. First regard other people as worthy beings, who have their own mind. Do not think you can manipulate them.
35. I think someone should think for themself instead of citing a bunch of quotes. So what do YOU think?
37. Calling everyone who believes in God as an idiot closes the door to you understanding anything said in favor of God. So why ask the question anyway? Are you secretly wanting there to be a God but not willing to admit it openly for fear of ridicule? Eternal life is available today. It is best not to wait until you die to find out the truth. Check out Romans 10: v 9 & 10 in the Bible Bless you John S
38. blooz boy, The premise was never made in here that God exists (or has a better probability of existing) because smart people believe in Him. You made that statement. This is the type of presumptuous and irrational thinking that leads to the assumption that there MUST be no God and also leaves a huge cognitive gap between the believers and unbelievers. Congratulations on helping to increase that gap, unwittingly. Instead: The notion that any person who believes in God is crazy, stupid or both is being put forth all the time. An so in the believers defense we state that one can be perfectly sane and a genius to boot and still, logically, come to the persuasion, through the evidence of the creation, that there is very probably is a creator/designer.