Small note: Newton did not "do" the laws of thermodynamics. Rudolf Clausius
did, in 1850, some time after Newton's day. This, of course, makes no
difference to the laws themselves, either those of Newtonian fame or of
Clausius' lesser fame. The second law of thermodynamics is misunderstood by
many, even among atheists, but its general trend is only suited to theism.
It probably cannot be easily bent to the service of atheism, so the tendency
to abuse it only shows mainly in atheists, at least in philosophical
discussions.
Fortunately for those of us who have atheistic tendencies, the 2nd law does
not *really* have either the direct physical application that some would
have it have, nor does it *really* mean what some theists would like to have
it mean, especially if the Universe is large or if it is infinite (an
infinite universe with the same laws of physics that ours seems to have
could not "settle" into thermodynamic "heat death").
As to Kansas, it's just a leader in public schooling (which many confuse
with education).