Isaac Newton

This book was on my 888 list in my ‘Harrison’s Readings’ category. We finished it last week, so I thought I would post a review.   We read this book for Harrison’s ‘Knight’s of Freedom’ group.  It is a wonderful homeschool group for boys ages 8-12.  The boys read a biography each month and meet to discuss it and do activities based on the life of the person studied.  This month’s biography was Isaac Newton.  

If you have never read any of the Sower Series books, I highly recommend them.  What I love about these books is that they not only tell the stories about what the person did that made them famous, they also tell the stories about what made them great.  It tells about their devotion to God and the Christ-like character traits in their life that made them a great man.  

Harrison and I both thoroughly enjoyed this book.  The story was interesting, exciting, funny, touching, and above all, inspirational.  Isaac Newton was an amazingly humble man.  Despite his genius, he never wanted to be recognized or praised for his accomplishments.  He acknowledged God in everything.  

As a scientist he felt that all of his discoveries only strengthened his belief that there is a God.  I found this so revealing.  It is interesting to me that most scientists today say that science is opposed to the existence of a God, and yet, Isaac Newton, who is arguably the most intelligent man to ever live, believed the opposite.  Here is a man who established the fact that there is order in the universe, discovered how gravity holds the universe together, identified the three laws of motion which is what scientists use to this day to accurately calculate the path of a rocket to the moon, invented the reflecting telescope, invented calculus, wrote Optiks one of the most important books about light ever written, and so much more, and he said, “Atheism is so senseless.  When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light.  This did not happen by chance.”  It amazes me that men, who’s intelligence pales in comparison to Newton’s  can say that their “knowledge” of things prevents them from being able to believe that there is a God.  What arrogance!

  

Harrison and I were able to have many interesting and significant discussions because of this book.  This is one of my key measuring sticks of the worth of a book.  If you have any children who are interested in science, mathematics, or space, I highly recommend this book.  Be sure to read it too so that you can discuss the many wonderful insights it contains.