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Article: "Who made it?" The Isaac Newton Orrery story: another mythic tale misused by creationists.
- Article from:
- Skeptic (Altadena, CA)
- Article date:
- September 22, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE STORY QUOTED BELOW IS WIDESPREAD and exists in many print and Internet versions:
Who made it?
Sir Isaac Newton had a friend who, like himself, was a great scientist; but he was an infidel, while Newton was a devout Christian. They often discussed their views concerning God, as their mutual interest in science drew them much together. Newton had a skillful mechanic make him a replica of our solar system in miniature. In the center was a large gilded ball representing the sun, and revolving in proper order around this were small balls fixed on the ends of arms of varying lengths, representing Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and ...