If you study the details of his youth, etc, you will learn that he lived in obscurity for many, many years, toiling alone on the most difficult questions of the

If you study the details of his youth, etc, you will learn that he lived in obscurity for many, many years, toiling alone on the most difficult questions of the time. His "political standing" was a result purely of his scientific achievements and a general consensus of his high ability within scientific circles. He took great pains to reduce the number of acquaintances he had rather than increase them. I think Newton was more right than wrong in the beliefs he took seriously (even outside the narrow confines of "science"). He was anything but naive. This doesn't mean he never lied; it just means that he lied way less compared to average standards for humanity.