Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1788). He was a Swedish botanist who was considered the father of modern botany. He was the first naturalist to classify plants. Linnaeus initiated the use of two Latin names, identifying genus and species to classify all plants and animals. Among his works are the following texts: Bibioltheca Botanica, Systema Naturae, 1735; Genera Plantarum, 1737; and Species Plantarum, 1753. The following words were inscribed over the door of his bedchamber:
“Live innocently; God is here.”
Friday, November 28, 2008
Paul Lemoine (1878-1940). Lemoine was the director of the Natural History Museum in Paris. He was also President of the Geological Society of France. He was chief editor of the 1937 edition of the Encyclopedia Francaise. I do not know Lemoine’s religious convictions concerning the validity of Christianity. He made the following comments in an article on evolution.
“The theory of evolution is impossible. At base, in spite of appearances, no one any longer believes in it …Evolution is a kind of dogma which the priests no longer believe, but which they maintain for their people.”
“The theory of evolution is impossible. At base, in spite of appearances, no one any longer believes in it …Evolution is a kind of dogma which the priests no longer believe, but which they maintain for their people.”
Johaan Kepler (1571-1630). Kepler was the founder of physical astronomy and discovered the laws of planetary motion. He was the pioneer of the discipline of celestial mechanics. Kepler proved the heliocentric nature of the solar system – all planets revolve around the sun. He published ephemeris tables which were necessary for plotting star movement and contributed to the theory of calculus. Johann Kepler made the following statement in regard to his invaluable scientific discoveries.
“O, Almighty God, I am thinking Thy thoughts after Thee! Nothing holds me! I will indulge in my sacred fury, I will triumph over mankind by the proud confession that I have stolen the golden vases to build up a tabernacle for my God, far away from the confines of Egypt. If you forgive me, I rejoice; if you be angry, I can bear it. The die is cast; the book is written, to be read either now or by posterity, I care not which. It may be well to wait a century for a reader, as God has waited six thousand years for an observer.”
Kepler concludes his treatise Harmony of Worlds with these words,
“I thank Thee, my Creator and Lord, that Thou hast given me this joy in Thy creation, this delight in the works of Thy hands; I have shown excellency of Thy works unto man, so far as my finite mind was able to comprehend Thine infinity; if I have said aught of Thy glory, graciously forgive it.”
Kepler declared the following remarks in Homage to the Book.
"We astronomers say, with the common people, the planets stand still or go down; the sun rises or sets. How much less should we require than the Scriptures of Divine inspiration, setting aside the common mode of speech, should shape their words according to the model of the natural scientist, and, by employing a dark and inappropriate phraseology about things which surpass the comprehension of those whom it designs to instruct, perplex the people of God, and thus obstruct its own way towards the attainment of far more exhalted object at which it aims.”
“O, Almighty God, I am thinking Thy thoughts after Thee! Nothing holds me! I will indulge in my sacred fury, I will triumph over mankind by the proud confession that I have stolen the golden vases to build up a tabernacle for my God, far away from the confines of Egypt. If you forgive me, I rejoice; if you be angry, I can bear it. The die is cast; the book is written, to be read either now or by posterity, I care not which. It may be well to wait a century for a reader, as God has waited six thousand years for an observer.”
Kepler concludes his treatise Harmony of Worlds with these words,
“I thank Thee, my Creator and Lord, that Thou hast given me this joy in Thy creation, this delight in the works of Thy hands; I have shown excellency of Thy works unto man, so far as my finite mind was able to comprehend Thine infinity; if I have said aught of Thy glory, graciously forgive it.”
Kepler declared the following remarks in Homage to the Book.
"We astronomers say, with the common people, the planets stand still or go down; the sun rises or sets. How much less should we require than the Scriptures of Divine inspiration, setting aside the common mode of speech, should shape their words according to the model of the natural scientist, and, by employing a dark and inappropriate phraseology about things which surpass the comprehension of those whom it designs to instruct, perplex the people of God, and thus obstruct its own way towards the attainment of far more exhalted object at which it aims.”
Sir William Thompson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907). Lord Kelvin was the famous scientist who developed degrees Kelvin to document temperatures based on an absolute scale. Lord Kelvin held the chair of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow for 54 years. He formulated the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics and introduced the Concept of Energy.
Lord Kelvin went on to make tremendous advances in the areas of physics and mathematics. The ships’ compass which was free from the magnetic influence of iron on ships was one of his greatest inventions. Kelvin helped to design and lay the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable.
In 1903 Lord Kelvin declared,
“With regard to the origin of life, science…positively affirms creative power.”
Lord Kelvin addressed the Chairman of the Christian Evidence Society in London on May 23, 1889.
“My primary reason for accepting the invitation to preside was that I wished to show sympathy with this great Society which has been established for the purpose of defending Christianity as a Divine Revelation.”
“I also thought something was due from Science. 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 impression was utterly groundless.”
“It seems to me that when a scientific man says – as it has been said from time to time – that there is no God, he does not express his own ideas clearly. He is, perhaps, struggling with difficulties; but when he says that he does not believe in a creative power I am convinced he does not faithfully express what is in his mind. He is out of his depth…”
“I may refer to that old but never uninteresting subject of the miracles of geology. Physical Science does something for us here. Peter speaks of scoffers who said that ‘all things continue as they were from the beginning.’ But the Apostle affirms himself that ‘all these things shall be dissolved.’”
“It seems to me that even physical science absolutely demonstrates the scientific truth of these words. We feel that there is no possibility of all things going on forever as they have done for the past six thousand years. In science, as in morals and politics, there is absolutely no periodicity.”
Lord Kelvin went on to make tremendous advances in the areas of physics and mathematics. The ships’ compass which was free from the magnetic influence of iron on ships was one of his greatest inventions. Kelvin helped to design and lay the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable.
In 1903 Lord Kelvin declared,
“With regard to the origin of life, science…positively affirms creative power.”
Lord Kelvin addressed the Chairman of the Christian Evidence Society in London on May 23, 1889.
“My primary reason for accepting the invitation to preside was that I wished to show sympathy with this great Society which has been established for the purpose of defending Christianity as a Divine Revelation.”
“I also thought something was due from Science. 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 impression was utterly groundless.”
“It seems to me that when a scientific man says – as it has been said from time to time – that there is no God, he does not express his own ideas clearly. He is, perhaps, struggling with difficulties; but when he says that he does not believe in a creative power I am convinced he does not faithfully express what is in his mind. He is out of his depth…”
“I may refer to that old but never uninteresting subject of the miracles of geology. Physical Science does something for us here. Peter speaks of scoffers who said that ‘all things continue as they were from the beginning.’ But the Apostle affirms himself that ‘all these things shall be dissolved.’”
“It seems to me that even physical science absolutely demonstrates the scientific truth of these words. We feel that there is no possibility of all things going on forever as they have done for the past six thousand years. In science, as in morals and politics, there is absolutely no periodicity.”
Sir William Herschel (1738-1822). The renowned English astronomer discovered the planet “Uranus.” He also noted the recognition of double stars. Herschel constructed the greatest reflecting telescopes of his time and catalogued and studied nebulae and galaxies as never had been done before. Sir William Herschel declared:
“The undevout astronomer must be mad.”
“The undevout astronomer must be mad.”
Sir John Fredrick Herschel (1792-1871). He was an outstanding astronomer and son of Sir William Herschel. He discovered and catalogued over 500 new stars and nebulae of the southern and northern hemispheres. He declared the following comments:
“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 Writing.”
“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 Writing.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
