The Language of God: A Scientist Presents
Evidence for Belief is a bestselling book
by Francis Collins in which he advocates theistic
evolution. Francis Collins is an American
physician-geneticist, noted for his landmark
discoveries of disease genes, and his leadership
of the Human Genome Project (HGP). He currently
serves as the Director of the US National
Institutes of Health. In the book, Collins
describes briefly the process by which he
became a Christian.Collins raises arguments
for the idea of God from biology, astrophysics,
psychology and other disciplines. He cites
many famous thinkers, most prevalently C.
S. Lewis, as well as Saint Augustine, Stephen
Hawking, Charles Darwin, Theodosius Dobzhansky
and others. In 2007 Christianity Today judged
it one of the best books of the previous year.
== BioLogos ==
The book proposes the name "BioLogos" as a
new term for theistic evolution. "BioLogos"
is also the name of a science-and-faith organization
Collins founded in November 2007.Bios is the
Greek word for "life". Logos is Greek for
"word," with a broader meaning in Heracleitean
Philosophy and Stoicism—namely the rational
principle ordering the universe. This concept
was appropriated by Christian theology. In
Christian theology, "Word" is actually a creative
agent for all that exists, in addition to
being an ordering principle. Furthermore,
in some Christian thinking the eternal and
divine Logos merged and synthesized with a
human nature to become Jesus Christ in the
Incarnation. This is laid out in the opening
prologue of the Gospel of John, forming part
of the textual basis for Christian belief
in the Trinity, as the concept of Logos morphed
over time into God the Son for the second
person of the Trinity."BioLogos" expresses
the belief that God is the source of all life
and that life expresses the will of God. BioLogos
represents the view that science and faith
co-exist in harmony.BioLogos rests on the
following premises:
The universe was created by God, approximately
14 billion years ago.
The properties of the universe appear to have
been precisely tuned for life.
While the precise mechanism of the origin
of life on earth remains unknown, it is possible
that the development of living organisms was
part of God's original creation plan.
Once life began, no special further interventions
by God were required.
Humans are part of this process, sharing a
common ancestor with the great apes.
Humans are unique in ways that defy evolutionary
explanations and point to our spiritual nature.
This includes the existence of the knowledge
of right and wrong and the search for God.
== Description ==
Collins' conversion to Christianity is detailed
at the beginning and end of The Language of
God. He grew up in an agnostic family, and
knew at an early age that he wanted to be
a scientist. At first, he was interested in
the physical sciences, since "biology was
rather like existential philosophy: it just
didn't make sense" (page 181). However, nearing
the end of a Ph.D. program, Collins took a
biochemistry course and was hooked. He applied
for and was admitted to medical school, from
which he graduated and began genetic research
and a clinical practice. During one clinic,
Collins was asked by a Christian patient about
his spiritual beliefs. He did not really have
an answer, but determined that he should confirm
his atheism by studying the best arguments
for faith. A pastor directed him to Mere Christianity
by C. S. Lewis, which he cites as the main
cause of his conversion.
Another section of "The Language of God" focuses
on 'The Moral Law Argument.' Moral Law is
very important for Collins: "After twenty-eight
years as a believer, the Moral Law stands
out for me as the strongest signpost of God"
(p. 218). Moral Law is an argument for the
existence of a God. What is the Moral Law?
Collins quotes C. S. Lewis, "the denunciation
of oppression, murder, treachery, falsehood
and the injunction of kindness to the aged,
the young, and the weak, almsgiving, impartiality,
and honesty." Collins has two main arguments:
one is that all cultures and religions of
the world endorse a universal, absolute and
timeless Moral Law. It is overwhelmingly documented
in the "Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics."
According to Collins, it is a unique property
that separates humans and animals. The Moral
Law includes altruism which is more than just
reciprocity ("You scratch my back, and I'll
scratch yours"). His second argument is: "Selfless
altruism presents a major challenge for the
evolutionist" (p. 27).
Collins argues that science and faith can
be compatible. In an interview on the Point
of Inquiry podcast he told D. J. Grothe that
“the scientific method and the scientific
worldview can't be allowed to get distorted
by religious perspectives”, but he does
not think “being a believer or a non-believer
affects one's ability to do science”. He
also said that "the faith Dawkins describes
in the God Delusion isn't the faith I recognise",
and that, like him, "most people are seeking
a possible harmony between these worldviews
[faith and science]"
== Reception ==
The July 17 Publishers Weekly review reads:
“This marvelous book combines a personal
account of Collins’s faith and experiences
as a genetics researcher with discussions
of more general topics of science and spirituality,
especially centering around evolution.”
Robert K. Eberle summarizes his opinion of
the book: "The Language of God is well written,
and in many places quite thoughtful, but unless
one is predisposed to the idea of theistic
evolution, most will probably find the book
unconvincing on this front."Sam Harris saw
Collins's waterfall experience (three frozen
streams reminding him of the Trinity) as no
more valid than would be a reminder to him
(Harris) of the three mythical founders of
Rome, argued that Collins's treatment of the
evolution of altruism should have considered
kin selection and exaptation, and challenged
Collins's theodicy by arguing that rationalists
should ask whether evidence suggests the existence
of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent
God rather than whether it is compatible with
it.In contrast to Harris' criticisms, physicist
Stephen M. Barr for First Things writes that
Collins' book is meant to be "the story of
how and why he came to believe in God...There
are many conversion stories and many scientific
autobiographies, but few books in which prominent
scientists tell how they came to faith." Barr
concludes that while "so many people on both
sides are trying to foment a conflict between
science and religion, Collins is a sorely
needed voice of reason. His book may do more
to promote better understanding between the
worlds of faith and science than any other
so far written
