TSAWTB Section 6 - Interlude - A Miscellany of Items

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Section 6 - Interlude 287 direct responsibility for his spiritual and material progress. Men then began to exercise their freedom of thought in exploring God’s creation. Only on this basis could a true scientific discipline arise. The first warrant for this is God’s commandment to Adam to fill the earth “and subdue it” and “have dominion over it” (Gen. 1:28) but it is repeated throughout the Bible. To confirm this, the first major scientific organisation in the world was the Royal Society, formed in 1660. This was founded upon an older “London and Oxford” group, consisting mainly of Puritans, that met in 1645. What is of particular note is that the Royal Society was “largely composed of Puritan sympathisers” (E.B. 10:220); they constituted 42 of the original 68 signatories. Where, one might ask, were the materialists, the atheists, and all the many enemies of the much despised Puritans, that they had not already formed their own scientific organisation? Why was it that the first prestigious scientific body was founded by these God-fearing men? Hooykaas (Hoo) shows that it was the Calvinistic Puritans of different denominations who started the scientific revolution, although he says it was not due to their Calvinism. What he does note is that their doctrine of the “Priesthood of all believers” gave them freedom from external dictatorial authorities - religious or otherwise - which allowed them to study nature. We would, however, contend that their Calvinist doctrine was fundamental to the rise of science for this author can testify to a sense of both security and freedom as one of the many life-changing results that came from a reading of Lorainne Boettner’s The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (Boet). It is also interesting that the Royal Society received only moral support from the Crown and in this free atmosphere, development was rapid. In contrast, continental societies were established by the state, but “Their members gained an income but lost their independence” (EB. 10:220). Even in those days, it would appear to be unwise to be too closely connected to the deadening hand of state bureaucracy. The fruits of this freedom in our country can be assessed by a 1996 Hansard report which stated that 57% of the world’s greatest inventors came from these shores (Bayliss). Unfortunately, whilst many founding members of the Royal Society may have been Puritans, eventually there was a break between Christianity and Science. The cause was the founding of the Society upon the principles laid down by Francis Bacon that the mind should first be cleared of “idols of the mind” and conclusions drawn only after many experiments. Thus, an approach based on the Scriptures was ruled out from the beginning. Ian Taylor shows that the Royal Society was not only based upon Bacon’s theories but the leaders were Rosicrucians and/or Freemasons. In his New Atlantis Bacon refers to Salomon’s House and its 33 secret “Orders” which is a clear reference to the 33 Degrees in Freemasonry. Interestingly, he also referred to three higher secret orders called “Interpreters of Nature” (Tay94). Francis Bacon is a most mysterious man. Taylor outlines the evidence that Bacon was a child of Queen Elizabeth I, and there is also circumstantial evidence that he wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Others have claimed that Bacon was the originator of Freemasonry, and of an even more secret group that would control those degrees below, which is indicated by the additional three higher degrees he wrote about. It is clear that those who are in any such secret organisations do not appreciate how they are controlled by those above their level. Ultimately, all members at any level of a secret organisation are unaware that they are all tools that are manipulated by the one at the top - who was the very first to rebel against God.
288 Section 6 - Interlude Bacon ruled that the mind should be cleared of previous preconceptions, and Taylor says that in so doing he “unwittingly laid the foundation for humanism” and resulted in Scripture also being abandoned. I do not agree that such a deep thinker as Bacon would have planned any such scheme without being fully aware of its ultimate outworkings. He would have foreseen these well in advance for he knew exactly what he was doing. The Christian witness In confirmation of the thesis of this section, a list has been made of famous scientists who held to the Christian religion (ICR Acts and Facts, Jan. 81 and Bow82:219). It includes Faraday, Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, Newton, Pascal and many more. This disposes of the lie that Christians cannot think freely with the implication that they are “narrow minded bigots” who force their science to fit their “blinkered view of the Bible.” One of the acknowledged greatest scientists ever was James Clerk Maxwell (1831 - 1879), and it will be a sufficient witness to end with a prayer he wrote out: Almighty God, who hast 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 our reason for Thy service; and so to receive Thy blessed Word, that we may believe on Him who Thou hast sent to give us knowledge of salvation and the remission of our sins. All which we ask in the name of the same Jesus Christ our Lord (Q21/4:208).
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TSAWTB Section 6 - Interlude - A Miscellany of Items

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