Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tweets jokes about Christians on Christmas Day
'On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world,' Tyson wrote on Twitter on Thursday. 'Happy Birthday Isaac Newton b. Dec 25, 1642.'
BY DAVID BOROFF
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, December 26, 2014, 8:36 AM
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson attends the premiere of 'Cosmos' in Los Angeles this year.
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Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson decided to spend part of Christmas Day riling up Christians.
The "Cosmos" host cracked wise about the biggest holiday of the year in a series of tweets.
"On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world," Tyson wrote Thursday. "Happy Birthday Isaac Newton b. Dec 25, 1642."
Considering there are more than two billion Christians worldwide, some were not pleased with his joke, though it has been retweeted more than 56,000 times.
"Hi @neiltyson, trolling Christians on Dec 25 is so EDGY. Please let me know when you troll Muslims on Ramadan. Merry Christmas!," wrote one Twitter user.
"Looking fwd to witty jabs during the spiritual days of Islam, Buddhism, Judaism etc. Or is it reserved for the easiest target?" wrote another.
Some also took issue with Tyson's grasp of history, claiming that Isaac Newton was actually born on January 4, 1643. However, some countries used different calendars during that era, and Newton's birthdate is open for debate. Many have questioned the birthdate of Jesus Christ as well.
Tyson's ribbing of Christmas didn't stop there. He also tweeted, "Merry Christmas to all. A Pagan holiday (BC) becomes a Religious holiday (AD). Which then becomes a Shopping holiday (USA)."
The cosmologist also used social media to poke fun at last year's blockbuster film "Gravity," saying the film overlooked some laws of physics.
dboroff@nydailynews.com
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