Reason to Believe : A leading geneticist argues that science can lead to faith

Washington Post ^ | 07/09/2006 | Scott Russell Sanders

[SirLinksalot]

Reason to Believe A leading geneticist argues that science can lead to faith.

Reviewed by Scott Russell Sanders

THE LANGUAGE OF GOD

A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

By Francis S. Collins

Here we are, briefly, under the sun, one species among millions on a gorgeous planet in the remote provinces of the universe, our very existence a riddle. Of all the words we use to mask our ignorance, none has been more abused, none has given rise to more strife, none has rolled from the tongues of more charlatans than the name of God. Nor has any word been more often invoked as the inspiration for creativity, charity or love.

So what are we talking about when we talk about God? The geneticist Francis S. Collins bravely sets out to answer this question in light of his scientific knowledge and his Christian faith. Having found for himself "a richly satisfying harmony between the scientific and spiritual worldviews," he seeks to persuade others that "belief in God can be an entirely rational choice, and that the principles of faith are, in fact, complementary with the principles of science."

As a researcher who helped discover the genetic basis for cystic fibrosis and other diseases and as the director of the Human Genome Project, Collins brings strong credentials to the scientific side of his argument. For the spiritual side, he draws on Christian authorities such as Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas and C.S. Lewis. His aim is to address "extremists on both sides of the science/faith divide." On one extreme are those scientists who insist that the universe is purely and exclusively matter, and on the other are literal interpreters of the Book of Genesis who reject the last two centuries of scientific discovery.

[editor-surveyor]

Anybody can post anything they wish to wikipedia. It's totally unreliable

[VadeRetro]

Anybody can post anything they wish to wikipedia. It's totally unreliable.

This particular dismissal does not work for the subject matter of these particular articles and does not help your credibility, as if anything could at this point.

[editor-surveyor]

It's not my credibility, but yours and all the other dreamers that's in need of help. I don't click on wikipedia links; they're for the far-left loonies that run that site.

[VadeRetro]

Clay is clay. You don't make the material rebutting your ridiculous claims go away by trying to shoot Wikipedia.

[js1138]

Someone has lost his marbles.

[blowfish]

...or has gone a little greywacke...

[blowfish]

It's slated to go down in the annals of "this is your brain on creationism", I'm sure!

This is an all time howler, even by Free Republic standards.

[jimbolog]

I am sure that some accounts can be explained as you suggest. However, another likely scenario is that when an individual ponders the magnitude, complexity and beauty of creation, and when that individual is properly prepared, revelation/inspiration from the Lord can be received.

The experiences of the Apollo astronauts (Borman, Irwin and others), come to mind as relevant examples. This site/article may not provide the most objective account of their experiences, but it was the best link I could conveniently locate:

http://www.eschatologytoday.net/newsviewer.php?id=51

[2nsdammit]

How about the US Geologic Survey? Would you take their word for it? http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1451/sltt/appendixB/appendixB.pdf

How about a university? http://esa21.kennesaw.edu/activities/rocks/rocklab.pdf#search='definition%20metamorphic%20rock'

Or two?
http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfjps/1300/metoutline.html

Or three?
http://www.geo.utexas.edu/courses/420k/PDF_files/LABS/metlab.pdf#search='definition%20metamorphic%20rock'

Why don't you just admit it - you didn't know what you were talking about? Show a little intellectual honesty.

[2nsdammit]

ping

[2nsdammit]

...the mind wobbles....

[2nsdammit]

So your mapping was all surface contours, or soil related. Nothing like this, I take it:
http://www.und.edu/instruct/mineral/101intro/grandcanyon/grandcan.htm

[PatrickHenry]

Keep the faith.

[VadeRetro]

The USGS!?? Aren't they part of the New World Order? Universities, those hotbeds of communism? Get some REAL sources!!

<Crackpot_IDiot_mode>

[2nsdammit]

It's tough, some days, but I shall endeavor to persevere...

[VadeRetro]

Someone has lost his marbles.

There could be a lot of well-marbled meat--in his brain.

[2nsdammit]

Guess what? Even "answersingenesis" says metamorphic rocks were once sedimentary!

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v27/i3/canyon.asp

"Clearly visible in the walls of the Inner Gorge are spectacular light-coloured rocks, such as the pink granites,1 which stand out starkly against the darker, metamorphic rocks2 (figures 1 and 2). The latter are former sedimentary and volcanic layers that have been transformed (metamorphosed) by heat and pressure during intense geologic upheavals in the past."

;-)


(Of course, they misrepresent the ages, but that is to be expected...)

[VadeRetro]

BTW, your description of how marble forms (precipitation from solution) applies to travertine and dripstone (stalagmites and stalactites). However, these calcite rocks are not marble, nor are they metamorphic at all. You have to heat and squeeze to get marble.

[js1138]

There could be a lot of well-marbled meat--in his brain.

Fossilized, but flexible when treated with acid.

[VadeRetro]

The latter are former sedimentary and volcanic layers that have been transformed (metamorphosed) by heat and pressure during intense geologic upheavals in the past.

In the past six thousand years, that is. People who think the world is only 6K years old actually believe in very fast transformations. Geologic processes have to happen very fast to get to the Earth we have, in this model. The ark animals have to evolve very quickly to get the Earth we have, in this model.

This model doesn't work, I'd say.