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The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

By Francis S. Collins ( Free Press )

Release Date: 2006-07-11
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Product Description
Does science necessarily undermine faith in God? Or could it actually support faith? Beyond the flashpoint debates over the teaching of evolution, or stem-cell research, most of us struggle with contradictions concerning life's ultimate question. We know that accidents happen, but we believe we are on earth for a reason. Until now, most scientists have argued that science and faith occupy distinct arenas. Francis Collins, a former atheist as a science student who converted to faith as he became a doctor, is about to change that.

Collins's faith in God has been confirmed and enhanced by the revolutionary discoveries in biology that he has helped to oversee. He has absorbed the arguments for atheism of many scientists and pundits, and he can refute them. Darwinian evolution occurs, yet, as he explains, it cannot fully explain human nature -- evolution can and must be directed by God. He offers an inspiring tour of the human genome to show the miraculous nature of God's instruction book. Sure to be compared with C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, this is a stunning document, whether you are a believer, a seeker, or an atheist.

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Product Reviews:

Recovering Creationist endorsement
Dr. Collins does a wonderful job of laying out the issues and arguments from both sides in very clear, understandable and compelling fashion. A must read for anyone interested in finding common ground in what shouldn't be a raging emotional debate.

Unconvincing disappointment ( jsd4963 )
Dr. Collins' scientific credentials are impressive, but this book is just not convincing. I lost my (tenuous faith) in 2006 after reading a variety of atheist books like The God Delusion and Letter to a Christian Nation. I decided to give a pro-religion book a chance. The Language of God, to put it mildly, did not reconvert me. It was very unconvincing. In fact, Collins gives the game away when he says: Belief in God will always require an act of faith (not sure what page). He concedes that there is no solid proof for God's existence, let alone for the tenets of any specific religion.

The one thing I did like about the book was Collins' criticism of intelligent design. It's a bad sign for that movement when even a very religious scientist thinks the notion of intelligent design nonsense. Even with this caveat I still cannot endorse this book.

Finding Your Own God ( fnci )
While Kenneth Miller's "Finding Darwin's God" remains my favorite critique of creationism from a theistic perspective, "The Language of God" may be more appreciated by evangelical Christians and those who lack the science background to fully appreciate the technical refutations in other books. If it causes even a few creationists to stop spreading misinformation, and a few atheists to stop letting creationists portray evolution as a religion, it will be a success. However, most readers will need a lot more than Collins' brief criticism of YEC and ID (OEC is not even mentioned) or defense of "BioLogos" (a possibly more religion-friendly synonym for "theistic evolution") to arm themselves against the increasingly sophisticated misrepresentations of science, especially from the slippery "intelligent design" strategy. For that I recommend Miller's book, Mark Isaak's "The Counter Creationism Handbook," and the multi-authored "Why Intelligent Design Fails."

Collins does not force either his concept of God, or "how to listen to God" on the reader, and indeed, contrary to the evangelist stereotype, he suggests that it is better to find God on one's own than by blindly following others. Sometimes, though, he seems to be slipping toward the very "god of the gaps" thinking that he rightly criticizes. His weakest argument is his defense of the divinity of Jesus. Of course it will be either convincing to, or at least excused by, those who would most benefit from this book, namely devout Christians who have been misled by years of anti-evolution sound bites from activists and the media.

If you believe in God and in Science you should read it
Great work from Francis S. Collins showing us how science and God are not in opposite paths. A very simple way to talk about complex things.

For those God skeptics
Excellent read especially for those who are skeptical about the existence of God. This is written by a scientist in total objectivity. Really good for the ongoing debate.

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