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Reddit mentions of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

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Reddit mentions: 59

We found 59 Reddit mentions of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. Here are the top ones.

The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
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Found 59 comments on The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief:

u/ron_leflore · 188 pointsr/todayilearned

Catholics claim to be followers of Jesus. They follow rules from tradition, handed down from Jesus through a continuous succession of popes. They think the Bible is a great book, but not exactly the word of God.

Fundamentalist Christians generally believe that Catholics have drifted from Jesus teachings. Instead, they believe the only true way to follow Jesus is through the Bible. They think that the Bible is the literal word of God and is exactly true.

EDIT:

For those interested in the apparent conflict between science and religion, a great book to read is by Francis Collins, one of the leaders behind the sequencing of the human genome, the current head of the NIH, and a deeply religious man, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
https://www.amazon.com/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/1416542744

u/alwayshungry88 · 69 pointsr/Christianity

You should definitely check out The Language of God by Francis Collins. The guy was the director of the human genome project and is a believer in both evolution and God. Basically, science cannot prove nor disprove God OR atheism, because the mode of science is the natural laws (time, gravity, etc), and if God is supernatural then he exists outside of such laws. We cannot "test" for a creator.

u/Venus100 · 15 pointsr/exchristian

This was what first made me start the process of deconversion. I had for a long time held that some form of theistic evolution must be true. I had read Francis Collins, and John Walton books, and thought my reasoning was logical.

The tiny seeds of my eventual deconversion were planted however in a discussion/debate with my mother-in-law. She is a staunch creationist, doesn't think anyone who believes in evolution can possibly be a christian. We had a long discussion about the issue, and she kind of came around to my point of view--or at least didn't think I was going straight to hell anymore. But in the course of this conversation, she off-handedly made some comment about evolution meaning there was always death. We didn't really talk about the subject any more than that.

But it kept popping into my mind over the coming days. And for some reason, I had never considered this idea before. Months later, after much research, reading and considering, I came to realize that I could find no acceptable explanation for what "the fall" was, if it was a merely symbolic event. If there was always sickness and pain and death from day one, then the world was always "fallen". And without a fall, my understanding of who Jesus was and what he did was on VERY shaky ground. So it was the beginning of the end for me.

u/davidjricardo · 15 pointsr/Reformed

Here's my reading list on Reformed Perspectives on Creation. I don't agree with everything written by all of the authors, but they are all worth reading. The also aren't all written from a Reformed perspective, but many of them are. If you are looking more for a Scientific perspective I'd particularly recommend Collins, Jelsma, and Haarsma since those are the ones written by scientists instead of theologians. If you didn't see it already, I also listed a number of other resources by Collins yesterday in the post about his AMA.

u/JohnJaunJohan · 14 pointsr/atheism

A fellow named Francis Collins lead the Human Genome Project. He's an Evangelical Christian according to Wikipedia. I read his "Language of God" book a while back, about the process of mapping the human genome. It is essentially his defense (on the one hand) of why evolution is the way everything happened, and why (on the other hand) he believes the things he does. Interesting read.

u/[deleted] · 13 pointsr/IAmA

I will submit a Christian opinion if you don't mind Reddit. I think everyone needs to question their Faith. My advice is to get away from the Catholic church and explore different philosophies and definitely read some Christian literature as well. A few suggestions:


Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis

The Language of God - Francis Collins

What's So Great About Christianity - Dinesh D'souza


Go explore for yourself. Actually reading and thinking about things for yourself is much more satisfying than sitting in religion class and being told to blindly follow. Best of luck!

u/MMantis · 13 pointsr/Christianity

> Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

That book cherry-picks scientific facts when it serves its purposes and dismisses others when it does not. The author knows Creationism is indefensible so he settles for the middle ground, Intelligent Design. The scholars cited are at the fringe of their fields of study. There are medical doctors out there who are anti-vax, or who advocate homeopathy. Does that lead any credence to the anti-vax or homeopathic movements? No, it does not. So, the book you presented is a great example of alternative facts, and your sentence "The only alternative facts come from unbelievers who suppress the truth in exchange for a lie such as Dawkins, Harris, and others" is absurd, there are plenty of honest believers out there who spouse untruths regarding a wide range of topics due to ignorance. To be clear, I believe in the Creator, but His modus operandi, His method of creation, is imprinted upon the Earth itself and not to what Christian tradition thinks it should be. As Paul said, God's attributes are perfectly seen through the things that were created.

I in turn respectfully recommend you read The Language of God by evangelical author and one of the heads of the Human Genome Project, Francis Collins.

u/mausphart · 11 pointsr/evolution

Here are some books, articles, websites and YouTube Videos that helped me on my journey from a hardcore creationist to a High School Biology teacher.

BOOKS

The Language of God - By Francis Collins ~ A defense of Evolution by the head of the Human Genome Project (Who also happens to be Christian)

Only a Theory - By Ken Miller ~ Another Christian biologist who accepts and vigorously defends the theory of evolution

Your Inner Fish - by Neil Shubin ~ The wonderful story of how Tiktaalik was found

Why Evolution is True - By Jerry Coyne ~ A simple and thorough treatment of evolution written for the mainstream

The Greatest Show on Earth - By Richard Dawkins ~ A wonderful and beautifully written celebration of evolution

The Panda's Thumb - By Stephen Jay Gould ~ A collection of eloquent and intelligent essays written by SJG. Any of his collections would do but this one is my favorite.

ARTICLES

Crossing the Divide - By Jennifer Couzin ~ an article about an ex-creationist and his difficult journey into enlightenment.

15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense - John Rennie ~ a nice rundown of the major objections to evolution.

WEBSITE

An index of Creationist Claims - Via the TalkOrigins archive ~ an impressive index of the major problems creationists have with evolution, as well as good, evidence based rebuttals.

YOUTUBE VIDEOS/PLAYLISTS

Why do People Laugh at Creationsts? - Via Thunderf00t ~ a scathing review of outrageous sins of logic committed by creationists. Thunderf00t's style isn't for everyone, since he can come off as smug and superior

How Evolution Works - Via DonExodus2 ~ a nice and thorough overview of how evolution works

The Theory of Evolution Made Easy - Via Potholer54

Evolution - Via Qualia Soup ~ short (10 minutes), simple and well made, this is one of my go-to videos to help logically explain how evolution happens.

u/InhLaba · 10 pointsr/booksuggestions

Unclean by Richard Beck

The Language of God by Dr. Francis Collins

The Lost World of Genesis One by John H. Walton

Birth and Death: Bioethical Decision Making by Paul D. Simmons

The Authenticity of Faith by Richard Beck

Beyond The Firmament by Gordon J. Glover

All of these were required reads for me as I pursued a biology degree at a Christian university. I hope these help, and I wish you the best! If you have any questions about any of the books, please feel free to ask!!

u/aveydey · 10 pointsr/The_Donald

May I recommend a book you might find interesting? It's called The Language of God by Francis S. Collins. He is a prominent scientist and was head of the Human Genome Project. You can pick it up used with free shipping for $5 on Amazon.

u/keatsandyeats · 8 pointsr/Christianity

Sure. Well, let me make a couple suggestions:

  • My personal favorite not-an-apologetic is GK Chesterton's Orthodoxy (the link includes a free online version). That book sums up, paradoxically and romantically, Chesterton's views on God. It doesn't go out of its way to be convincing and doesn't take itself too seriously, which I love about it.

  • If you're looking for convincing yet personal (and not too lofty) accounts of a couple of scientists who are believers, I recommend theoretical physicist and Anglican priest John Polkinghorne's Exploring Reality or geneticist Francis Collins' The Language of God.

  • The best logical arguments for God that have been around for centuries (and have been pretty well defended by the likes of men like Victor Reppert and William Lane Craig) were developed by Aquinas in his Summa Theologica. I suggest reading Peter Kreeft's easier-to-swallow shorter version.

  • I believe that Craig's Reasonable Faith does a very admirable and scholarly work of defending the faith philosophically.

  • William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience have nothing to do with apologetics, but have affirmed my faith in God personally. I add it here just to demonstrate, I suppose, that faith is highly personal and that God is revealed as well in the beauty and mystery of the poetic and artistic as He is in nature.
u/bearadox · 7 pointsr/Christianity

BioLogos is always linked around here. It was founded by Francis Collins, an extremely successful geneticist and former atheist. He wrote a book which I've seen mentioned a lot but haven't read myself.

u/bezjones · 7 pointsr/AskReddit

I am another Christian who has read it. I know many others who have read it and have come to be more understanding of the atheistic viewpoint. I would also recommend it. :-)

I would also recommend for basic understanding of the Christian viewpoint:

u/KlugerHans · 6 pointsr/Christianity

Francis Collins, former head of the Humane Genome project.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Language-God-Scientist-Presents/dp/1416542744

Interesting book.

Here's another good one by the cell biologist Ken Miller.
http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Darwins-God-Scientists-Evolution/dp/0061233501/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427248419&sr=1-1&keywords=finding+darwin%27s+god+by+kenneth+miller

He was also an expert witness in the Dover District school board trial where they tried to introduce Intelligent Design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi8FfMBYCkk

u/wildgwest · 6 pointsr/Christianity

I enjoyed The Language of God by Francis Collins. I think it's a good book for a presentation of theistic evolution.

u/shroomyMagician · 6 pointsr/Christianity

The point is that Stephen Meyer is not an expert in any field of biology. Francis Collins is a Christian scientist who was heavily involved with the Human Genome Project when they were working on sequencing the entire human genome for the first time and is a reputable scholar among the scientific community as well as the current director of the National Institutes of Health. He published a book called The Language of God in 2007 which presents the case for evolution and its implications from a Christian perspective, in case you'd be interested in reading why the heck any scientist would accept as fact that you can trace your lineage back to a common ancestor with a strawberry. Evolution is not an intuitive concept without a decent understanding of the biological evidences that support it.

u/akwakeboarder · 5 pointsr/answers

I love what everyone is saying here.

Science and faith are entirely compatible. Science is studying how the world works. If you believe in a deity, then science is studying what that deity created.

For a Christian perspective on this, I recommend Francis Collin’s book The Language of God. Francis Collins is the director of the National Institutes of Health in the US and was (one of) the leading scientists on the human genome project.

u/jen4k2 · 5 pointsr/Christianity

Richard Dawkins is actually a very good writer and very challenging, but from a scientific point of view.

Christopher Hitchens is also very good, a very entertaining writer and speaker. He comes from a philosophical, historical and theological point of view.

But...

Who you SHOULD be reading to counter their view is Hitchen's cancer doctor, Francis Collins. He wrote the book I'm reading on now, "The Language of God."

READ THIS BOOK!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Language-God-Scientist-Presents/dp/1416542744

He's heard every scientific and philosophical argument against God, and writes about them here.

Collins is highly respected by the "New Atheists," and writes a really good book!

u/Repentant_Revenant · 5 pointsr/TrueChristian

The Language of God by Francis Collins.. I went to a Christian college, and this book was actually my first required reading, before classes even began.

Francis Collins is one of today's leading scientists (he headed the Human Genome Project), and also a devout Christian.

u/RyanTDaniels · 5 pointsr/Christianity

BioLogos.org deals head-on with this controversy in a polite and open manner. Seriously, they rock.

The Language of God, by Francis Collins, is a great starting point for the science-end of the issue.

The Lost World of Genesis One, by John Walton, is a great starting point for the Bible-end of the issue.

The Bible Project's podcast episode Science and Faith handles this issue wonderfully, as per the norm with Tim Mackie.

There are loads of other places you could go, but these are great starting points that can lead you to other sources of information. They were very helpful for me.

u/magicjamesv · 5 pointsr/Christianity

You should read The Language of God by Francis Collins. It's a fascinating book that does a fantastic job of explaining some of the ideas behind that school of thought, whether or not you agree with them. It's had a tremendous influence on my interpretation of Genesis.

I would try to explain how the book changed my views on this topic, but I probably wouldn't do a good job of making it make sense on here.

u/DjTj81 · 5 pointsr/Christianity

I went through a similar phase in my life, and while I was worried about the fact that there wasn't enough scientific evidence for Christianity, I realized that I also didn't really have scientific evidence for most of anything I believed about morality or free will. And I didn't have a particularly good explanation for why the evidence points towards the universe having a moment of creation and why the universe appears to operate by a reliable set of rules. I realized that most of my life is not lived based on the confidence intervals required for scientific experiments, and I found I could very comfortably justify my faith based on my own life experiences, the testimony of others, and the historical evidence that does exist.

One book that helped me was [The Language of God] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Language-God-Scientist-Presents/dp/1416542744/ref=cm_lmf_tit_18) by Francis Collins (leader of the Human Genome Project and current director of the National Institutes of Health who became a Christian as an adult). Even if it doesn't convince you to become a Christian, it may help you better understand your girlfriend's faith and how it is compatible with science.

u/r0lav · 4 pointsr/Christianity

I suggest you take a look at these two AMAs from this past year:

u/kvrdave · 4 pointsr/Christianity

Francis Collins has great stuff on molecular stuff. He was the head of the Human Gene Project under President Clinton back when we were still mapping it. The Language of God is a good one.

u/tartandtangy · 3 pointsr/medicalschool

You might be interested in this book https://smile.amazon.com/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/1416542744?sa-no-redirect=1

Its written by a scientist on their story of coming to Christianity. And by "a scientist", I mean none other than Francis Collins himself.

u/fennsk1 · 3 pointsr/dataisbeautiful

As I see it, here's the core problem: The Bible isn't a scientific document that can be easily parsed into data, despite creationists and atheists wanting to treat it as such to raise it up and tear it down, respectively. In reality, there's little reason to think that humankind is capable of a full understanding of the spiritual dimension. It's even less reasonable to hold the Bible accountable for being scientifically accurate when such talk would have gone WAY over the heads of the people the books and letters were written directly to, who knew nothing of astronomy, electricity, etc, etc, etc.

It's fine to focus on the the absurdity of the creationist approach by pointing out scientific issues, but the Skeptic's Annotated Bible goes overwhelmingly too far and lists tons of "contradictions" that are actually paradoxes, antimonies, misinterpretations, or mistranslations (even more prevalent since the SAB's source is a an 18th-century King James Bible).

If you want some interesting reading on the subject, check out The Language of God, written by one of the heads of the Human Genome Project, who sees the Bible and nature as two books through which we see reflections of God's truth. At the heart of things, he states that "science is not threatened by God; it is enhanced" and "God is most certainly not threatened by science; He made it all possible."

u/I_Flip_Burgers · 3 pointsr/facepalm

> Dinosaurs contradict creation theory.

Possibly. But many branches of Christianity do not endorse YEC.

> Evolution contradicts 'god made humans to be above all others', since our ascendance is based on (essentially) chance.

For some this is true. But again, many Christians are theistic evolutionists.

> Other planets and the nigh-certainty of extraterrestrial life contradicts 'god made earth/the entire universe. The (measurable!) Big Bang theory already does that though, of course.

I don't see the contradiction unless you mean that it contradicts that God made the universe specifically for human beings. In that case, this is a point of contention that was shared by many early natural philosophers, even non-Christians. The Ptolemaic geocentric system of the universe was valued because it put human beings at the center (among other reasons). But, this seems to be a problem less about Christianity and more about human importance in general.

> If Christianity is not the first religion, it suggests that people will make up origin stories to comfort themselves, and Christianity is just one of them. This is of course a different branch of science (anthropology I think?), but a valid one afaik.

Good point. There is a reason why anthropology has one of the lowest proportions of religious people of the scientific disciplines. But, a religious person could argue that people generate origin stories so as to fill a God-instilled void in themselves (I am not making this argument, I'm just saying that it is a possible one).

> Furthermore, if God made the world and everything in it, why would he a) make other religions; and b) let people carry on for thousands of years without knowing about God, and in fact believing in the wrong gods. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Good point, but this is venturing beyond science into theology.

> Now I agree every single one of those points can be refuted if you try hard enough. The point is though, you have to try.
In order to refute the points above, you have to decide that the first christians were flat-out wrong in taking the bible factually and that it was always meant to be allegorical.

Good points, and this is why some Christians have such difficulty with certain scientific discoveries. If one holds a literal interpretation of the Bible, it is much harder to reconcile modern science with Christianity. But, is this a flaw in Christianity itself or a flaw in certain human doctrines about Christianity? Personally, I do not see logical inconsistency with people who adjust their doctrine according to new scientific discoveries. In the book I linked, several of the authors discuss how Christianity helped shape modern science, but the inverse can also be true; science can help shape Christian theology. Isaac Newton, who is "Mr. Science" for many and often used as the posterboy for atheism, invoked the concept and several attributes of the Christian God to explain several of his scientific findings in his Letters and General Scholium. But, he also made theological arguments about the nature of Christ and the timeline of Christ's return based on his scientific beliefs. Adapting one's beliefs according to new evidence is never a bad thing in science or theology.

> I could also bring up the fact there are other religions in the world today, and THEY all claim to be the only one. Or the fact that kids who are taught things at an early age internalise them. Or the fact that there is no such thing as a miracle with evidence and that they haven't happened since the advent of portable cameras.

These are interesting arguments, but again, they are theological (or at least philosophical) ones, not scientific ones.

> There are other arguments of course. But I think it comes down to this: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. The claim of an omnipotent being in the sky watching us, leaving us entirely alone, and judging us when we die is an incredibly extraordinary claim with an equally extraordinary amount of evidence and logic stacked against it - and frankly, not much for it.
If you, claiming to believe in science, can see all the evidence and still believe in God...there's a problem. They are mutually exclusive.

Here, you hit on the primary conflict that people perceive between science and Christianity. How do we find truth? In post-Baconian natural philosophy/science, evidence is seen as the gold standard for establishing truth. But, what is evidence? For a data scientist, evidence might be a statistically significant difference between two populations. For an evolutionary biologist, evidence might be certain aspects of the fossil record. In general terms, one may consider evidence to be the end result of an inductive line of reasoning or a correctly predicted outcome from a hypothetico-deductive reasoning. But, as it turns out, even these last two are not "proof" in the traditional sense (see The Problem of Induction and Hypothetic-deductive model Discussion. Many Christians also see evidence of God in nature. Francis Collins, for example, is a brilliant scientist who played a pivotal role in the Human Genome Project and is the director of the National Institutes of Health, and he sees evidence for God in evolution The Language of God. Does Collins offer evidence? You may not think so, but it is worth thinking about how his account is fundamentally different from "scientific evidence." Evidence is not a bad criterion to use for establishing truth, but there are many kinds of evidence, and very few forms of evidence provide logical proof. Now, I am not trying to discredit the value of a scientific approach for understanding truth; of course, such a method has proven to be incredibly useful for understanding and manipulating our world. However, I am suggesting that science, at least in the eyes of many people, does not hold sole authority over truth.

>I don't deny the profound effects christianity has had on the human race, including the development of science, literature, art and contribution to law and government. I just don't think it's real, nor do I think it's possible to logically reconcile belief in god with science

The great part about this debate is that you alone have sole jurisdiction over your own beliefs, and I certainly am not trying to convince you to think in another way. But, it is sometimes worth thinking about why so many people see science and Christianity in a different light.


I certainly understand the insistence that science and Christianity are fundamentally incompatible, but I hope that I have given you a few points to consider. If you are interested in this topic, it may be worth reading more about the relationship between science and Christianity. It's a great opportunity to be exposed to new ideas and to avoid falling into the historical fallacies that both Christians and non-Christians are prone to.

u/BigBearSac · 3 pointsr/atheism

Thanks for the advice. I understand what you are saying, but we are both coming from a position where we have a need for mutual understanding. It is her desire to better understand what I think and vice versa.

She actually opened the topic by suggesting I read

The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

she also said she would be willing to read anything I suggest.

EDIT: I think I am Dyslexic I always put the "(" on the text and the "[" on the link!

u/InsomniacDuck · 3 pointsr/ChristianApologetics

This is an interesting argument, one that Francis Collins calls the "signpost" argument - that the fact that we have this tendency for belief is evidence (not proof, but evidence) the G-d wants us to seek him. Fair enough. But it doesn't follow that our god-sense evolved for a purpose, let alone that purpose (where's the selection pressure? Who's failing to reproduce for lack of a god-sense?).

An alternative, and I think more parsimonious, explanation is that belief in a higher power is a side-effect of certain psychological capacities that, in the proper context, are highly adaptive. In particular, I'm talking about theory of mind: our ability to perceive other people as thinking agents, like us but independent of us. Robert McCauley gives a detailed treatment of it in his book Why Religion is Natural and Science is Not, but this article is much quicker and to the point: we apply theory of mind where it doesn't belong, and the consequence is religious belief.

u/nonesuch42 · 2 pointsr/OpenChristian

/u/Wil-Himbi suggested Biologos. The founder of Biologos is Dr. Francis Collins of the Human Genome Project (and now director of the NIH). Before Biologos, Collins wrote a book that I found immensely helpful in my own struggle with this question: The Language of God. I really do understand your struggle. As we discover more and more about creation, Stephen Jay Gould's non-overlapping magesteria paradigm becomes less useful. Simplistically, Gould's idea is like the separation of church and state: science and faith should be kept separate because they ask and answer different questions. I believe that this is true for many things, but as we learn more about how brains work, or about the long history of the universe, science and religion become inextricable. Check out the work of Biologos and Collins' book. They show how it is possible to be a devout Christian and a serious scientist at the same time.

u/DenSem · 2 pointsr/TrueChristian

Yep. You may enjoy checking out the books The Geneisis Enigma and The Language of God to help your personal journey.

u/bionerd87 · 2 pointsr/Christian

I can recommend some very good books that show scientific proof and some with historical proof.

The Language of God is written by Dr Francis Collins. Dr Collins is the head of the human genome project aka the project that mapped the whole human genome. His book reconciles faith and science and shows why the do not have to be exclusive. He is a world renowned and recognized scientist. https://www.amazon.com/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/1416542744

The Case for Christ is written by Lee Strobel. Strobel is an award winning journalist. He was an atheist and set out to prove that Christ was not the son of God nor did he really exist. The book shows all the historic evidence that he found. https://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-Investigation/dp/0310209307

If you are searching for proof than I recommend reading both of these books.

I also challenge you to critically read the Bible and think of what it is saying and meaning. When the gospel was being spread and Christianity was taking root many people were still alive who witnessed the things recorded.l, but seriously don't take my word for it investigate it yourself.

u/amdgph · 2 pointsr/Catholicism

Alright here are some of the best resources I know as a Catholic. Hope they help!

Edward Feser's blog as well as his The Last Superstition and 5 Proofs of the Existence of God

Stephen Barr's Modern Physics and Ancient Faith

Francis Collin's The Language of God

Anthony Flew's There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind

Thomas Wood's How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization

Brant Pitre's The Case For Jesus

Tim O Neill on the Church and science, the Inquisition and the Galileo affair

Jenny Hawkins on Jesus and God, early Christianity and form criticism

Al Moritz on the Fine Tuning Argument

>There is a reason someone should believe in the supernatural and mystical aspects of Christianity. This is a large issue for me. Solely based on supernatural and mystical ideas, from an outsider perspective, Christianity is no different than animism or Buddhism. I can't have faith alone.

Well when you look at the world's religions, Christianity has a clear and impressive advantage in the miracles/mystical department. Historically, in Christianity, there have been numerous cases of Eucharistic miracles, Marian apparitions, miraculous healings and the spiritual gifts and religious experiences of countless Christian saints -- men and women of great virtue whose admirable character only add to the credibility of their testimony. Examples of these include Paul, Benedict of Nursia, Francis of Assisi, Dominic, Hildegard of Bingen, Anthony of Padua, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Vincent Ferrer, Joan of Arc, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Catherine Emmerich, John Vianney, Anna Maria Taigi, Genma Galangi, Faustina Kowalska and Padre Pio. We also have a pair of impressive relics, the shroud of Turin and the sudarium of Orvieto. I'll also throw in Catholic exorcisms.

And these Eucharistic miracles, Marian apparitions and religious/mystical experiences continue to happen today.

What do Buddhism and animism have in comparison?

>Anything that discusses and argues against some common tropes from atheists such as Mother Teresa being a vile, sadistic person.

Honestly, I'm quite stunned at the portrait atheists have painted of her. At worst, she wasn't perfect and made mistakes. She cannot be a vile monster like Hitchens claims she was, that's ridiculous. Here are some articles that defend Mother Teresa -- here, here, here and here.

Check out any of Mother Teresa's personal writings (e.g. No Greater Love, A Simple Path, Come Be Thy Light) to see what she believed in, what she valued and how she saw the world. Check out books written by people who actually knew her such as that of Malcolm Muggeridge, an agnostic BBC reporter who ended up converting to Catholicism because of Teresa and ended up becoming a lifelong friend of hers. Or that of her priest, friend and confessor, Leo Maasburg, who was able to recall 50 inspiring stories of Mother Teresa. Or that of Conroy, a person who actually worked with her. Or any biography of hers. Find out what she was like according to the people around her. Then afterwards, determine for yourself if she resembles Hitchen's "monster" or the Catholic Church's "saint".

u/mrhymer · 2 pointsr/atheism

The former head of the Human Genome Project and current head of the National Institute of Health, Francis Collins speaks of this in his book, "The Language of God"

u/starryrach · 2 pointsr/science

I'm a scientist, and I'm also religious, and there's a lot of interesting work on how religion and science are not mutually exclusive, and how scientific data can support the story of creation.

I believe that religion has no place in science, but for people who are scientists, who also happen to be religious, these ideas can be really helpful in balancing two worlds that on the surface may appear incompatible.

I recommend this book for anyone who is interested.

And I just want to clarify: These ideas are really just for people who might be interested in religion as well as science and don't want to dismiss either one. If that's not you, that's fine.

u/medikit · 1 pointr/DebateAnAtheist

I was raised as a YEC but enjoyed debating with others. I ultimately realized that my requirement for evidence of evolution was set far too high. These requirements weren't mine, someone else indoctrinated me. Their reasons for indoctrinating me were false as well: that is they told me that I had to reject the Bible if the earth was old and evolution was true.

I found this book helpful though not perfect: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1416542744

u/Optimal_Joy · 1 pointr/DebateAChristian

Love is the single most important Universal Truth that is common to all of humanity. Everybody is born innocent and pure, with the capacity to Love. We are NOT born as sinners. We only become sinners once we develop an ego. Children are NOT sinners. The whole purpose in life is to learn to suppress the Ego and become like an innocent child again. This is the whole point of the example that Jesus gave us. The new testament presents God as Love.

The most important thing in the Bible, the main message of the Bible is this:

Matthew 22:36-40
New International Version (NIV)
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The very fact that I'm writing this message to you and you are reading this message of Love, is all the proof you need that God exists and is real. "God" wants you to know, that all that matters is Love. Keep Love in your heart, make every decision in your life based on Love. Agnosticism is based upon fear, the polar opposite of Love. Choose Love, man, just choose Love!!! This message of Love, has been brought to you directly for you, from God. This is not a joke. In this very moment, as you are reading this, God has touched you and wants you to know that God is within your heart at this very moment, with you, right now and always is there, no matter what, all you have to do is remember that God is Love. So any time you feel Love for another person, be it your parents, relatives, friends or anybody, that is God shining through YOU. Any time you receive Love from another person, that is God. That is all that God is, it's very simple and pure. This is the basis of Christianity, if you have Love in your heart, then you are being like Jesus Christ. Don't let other people over-complicate it for you with religious dogma, traditions and other fundamentalist nonsense.

Just as you have no doubt that Love is Truth, believe that God is Truth, because they are One and the same exact thing. If you have Love in your heart, then you have God in your heart. "God" is just another word for "Love". Don't get stuck on the semantics.

What is the absolute proof of Love? Can science detect Love? If so, then it can detect God.

Alcohol is only "evil" if used to an excess. Lots of things can be evil. Ethanol has lots of valuable and useful purposes. You can use it to disinfect a wound (painful, but effective), mouthwash, gargle, soothes a sore throat, in small, infrequent quantities there are health benefits. "Evil" is merely an intention to do harm. Anything can be used for "evil". A screwdriver is just a tool, you can use it for good or you can stab someone in the neck with it, if the intention is to be evil, then it's evil, if you are defending your life, then even killing another person isn't evil. So you need to be aware of the context, and the intention behind things and actions.

Why Christianity? Because Jesus gave us a perfect example of how we should live our lives, full of Love and compassion towards others. That is not to say that all other religions are wrong. In fact, there is much spiritual Truth, knowledge, and wisdom to be learned from other religions. For an intelligent person such as yourself, you can find a lot of valuable answers from the teachings of Buddhism, for example, which is NOT in any way in conflict with being a Christian. Buddha was a very enlightened master and you will find great peace in reading about him.

The Old Testament is loaded with crap, throw most of it out if you want. That's not at all representative of what God is according to Jesus Christ.

As a Biomedical Engineering major it is CRUCIAL that you read this book:

The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins
If you don't know who the author is, check this out:

Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950), is an American physician-geneticist, noted for his discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project (HGP). He currently serves as Director of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Prior to being appointed Director, he founded and was president of the BioLogos Foundation.

Here is another book:

The God Theory: Universes, Zero-point Fields, And What's Behind It All

[Video] The God Theory

Now do you believe that if you ask God for answers, they will be given to you? Is this not the proof you wanted? How can you deny that you've asked and now you've received? You can't deny it. You asked God to prove that he is real to you and this is it, right here, right NOW.

u/MoonPoint · 1 pointr/Christianity

Theistic evolution.

Frances Collins who headed the Human Genome Project, described his beliefs this way in an interview when asked the question "In your book, you say religion and science can coexist in one person's mind. This has been a struggle for some people, especially in terms of evolution. How do you reconcile evolution and the Bible?" Note: he wrote The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.

>As someone who's had the privilege of leading the human genome project, I've had the opportunity to study our own DNA instruction book at a level of detail that was never really possible before.
>
>It's also now been possible to compare our DNA with that of many other species. The evidence supporting the idea that all living things are descended from a common ancestor is truly overwhelming.
>
>I would not necessarily wish that to be so, as a Bible-believing Christian. But it is so. It does not serve faith well to try to deny that.
>
>But I have no difficulty putting that together with what I believe as a Christian because I believe that God had a plan to create creatures with whom he could have fellowship, in whom he could inspire [the] moral law, in whom he could infuse the soul, and who he would give free will as a gift for us to make decisions about our own behavior, a gift which we oftentimes utilize to do the wrong thing.
>
>
I believe God used the mechanism of evolution to achieve that goal. And while that may seem to us who are limited by this axis of time as a very long, drawn-out process, it wasn't long and drawn-out to God. And it wasn't random to God.

Reference: 'God Is Not Threatened by Our Scientific Adventures'

u/prof3ta_ · 1 pointr/Christianity

Thanks again for poitning me to Biologos! Very awesome site. I just ordered Collin's book it has good reviews. Ill let you know when im done reading it.

u/jamille4 · 1 pointr/bestof

There aren't superior races of humanity because evolution isn't teleological, it doesn't have an end goal or intrinsic purpose.

Once you're aware of the evidence, the conclusion that all life is related is self-evident. For example, all other ape species have 24 pairs of chromosomes. Humans have only 23. It was discovered that human chromosome 2 has telomeres (basically protective end caps for chromosomes) in the middle of the chromosome. This suggests that two chromosomes became fused at some point in the past and that this trait was passed on to all subsequent descendants.

As further confirmation, it was found that the genetic code from each end of this apparently hybrid chromosome was a near-perfect match to the code from chromosomes 2 and 3 in chimpanzees and gorillas.

I used to be where you are - accepted that evolution had to have at least some truth to it, but was still not sure as to the extent that it occurred between wildly different groups of animals. The Language of God by Francis Collins more or less single-handedly changed my mind. The author is a born-again Christian but also one of the leading geneticists of our time. He was the head researcher on the Human Genome Project.

I hope you decide to look into the subject further, but regardless of if you do or not, be sure not to lose that skeptical attitude.

u/PixInsightFTW · 1 pointr/changemyview

I'm a Christian and a scientist. I struggle with questions like yours often and find myself returning to belief after each
'wrestling match'. As /u/sunnyEl-ahrairah said, this kind of wrestling is a good thing. If God exists, he wants us to use our minds.

Food for thought, as I certainly don't have all the answers:

>How do I know I have the right God? Maybe I only believe in the American Jesus... While another part of the world believes in Vishnu. What if they're right? It seems like it's just fixed on wherever you are....

It comes down to the person of Jesus. Who was he? The actual son of God, a malicious liar, or a crazy person? This is CS Lewis' famous 'Lord, Liar, Lunatic' argument, you may have heard it. The answer is a matter of belief and faith -- is the Bible reliable testimony? Does it quote him accurately? The things he claimed couldn't have been made by a mere 'good man'. So who was he? Figuring that out has to be part of your search for God.

>How does the physical world reconcile with scripture (genesis, when read literal, appears to deny evolution)?

A literal interpretation? It can't. Reading the Bible out of context, translated into English, and without considering the culture just does not square with the discoveries of science. But modern cosmology and evolution can both be squared nicely with the Bible, especially when recognizing that those chapters in Genesis match well with someone's vision of we see today. Check out Francis Collins' (former head of Human Genome Project) book The Language of God for one perspective. You might also be interested in Hugh Ross, a pastor and astrophysicist, and his website Reasons to Believe.

>If there is a god, and he created all of this, isn't he just a powerful alien? How is religion really that different from science fiction?

Aliens would be within the Universe, God outside of it. Aliens would be in the same boat that we are, part of creation. We define God as the Creator, separate from the rest of Universe (somehow!).

>How can someone who created the universe care about me individually? I've started to feel like that is just brought in to encourage the peasants to listen to the church.

It's a mindblowing idea, especially in light of the size of the Universe, and it takes faith.

Some things that I see that convince me that there is design to the Universe and a Creator (apart from the Bible):

  • The existence of the Universe - something from nothing?? - with all the right constants to form galaxies, stars, planets... us.
  • DNA Transcription and other biomechanical processes
  • The apparent independent existence of mathematics -- mathematicians debate whether we invent math or discover it.
  • The existence of human consciousness, unlike anything we know elsewhere in the Universe (so far)

    All of these highly ordered things exist in a Universe that tends toward disorder, entropy. With those in mind, it's actually easier for me to believe that God exists than doesn't. How he might interact with humans is a whole big other question, and that's where I consider the case of Jesus and my own observations of love, inherent right and wrong, and the arc of human history.
u/BlueBird518 · 1 pointr/Christianity

I've always believed science proves God. People talk about nature like it's so chaotic and all by chance, when really it's too magnificent to have been an accident. The patterns in nature, the way everything has a purpose to keep the world turning, each animal and insect has its own place in the ecosystem. Circle of Life sort of thing, if that makes sense. Check out "The Language of God" by Francis Collins http://www.amazon.com/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/1416542744/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348164791&sr=1-1&keywords=the+language+of+god that pretty much shows what I mean. I've heard some people say "well why doesn't the Bible explain science then?" (I've heard this from both people who believe in science and not God and vice versa) And the answer is: try explaining Quantum Physics to early people. Damn near impossible. Anyways, someone else has recommended this book I just linked you as well, so you know it's a good one if multiple people suggest you read it. :)

u/mountainmover88 · 1 pointr/DebateReligion

I'm both a Christian and a PhD-carrying scientist. There are answers to the supposed discrepancies between the Bible and science with each individual "discrepancy" requiring its own response (i.e. there's not a blanket answer (such as "it's all figurative") for all them them). Reasonably good answers to many of the more common "the Bible and science are at odds" types of questions can be found here. This website doesn't have definitive answers by any means, but it is a nice place to start.

Also, if you're looking for a more "qualified" source than some internet website, the book The Language of God by Francis Collins (current director of the NIH - National Institute of Health) is a nice perspective from a top-level scientist who is also a Christian.

u/daymoose · 1 pointr/Christianity

If you're interested, I would recommend reading The Language of God by Francis Collins.

Dr. Collins is the current director of the National Institutes of Health; his instrumental work on the Human Genome Project was arguably one of the most important biomedical advances in the last few decades. He is also a devout Catholic, and his book helped me realize that what we know about God and what we know about science are perfectly compatible with each other.

u/strongfaithfirmmind · 1 pointr/mormondialogue

Here are 4 suggestions.

Currently on my night stand:
1- Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World http://www.amazon.com/Things-Hidden-Since-Foundation-World/dp/0804722153
2-Science and Religion. 5 Questions http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8792130518

Other recommendations that I think fit the criteria:
1- Marketing of Evil: http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised/dp/1942475217
2- Language of God: http://www.amazon.com/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/1416542744

u/atheistcoffee · 1 pointr/atheism

Francis Collins, the head of the human genome project, is a committed Christian and also believes in evolution. He wrote a book that she may want to check out called The Language of God. I personally don't agree with his belief that DNA is evidence of a creator; but the book is valuable in these cases where someone can be shown that it's possible to be a Christian and accept evolution as well.

If you want to go a little farther, there are a huge number of good resources on Youtube to debunk creationism. I am currently working on a series: Why I am no longer a creationist; and I've also gathered hours of videos into playlists from other Youtube atheists/evolutionists (thunderfoot, aronra, potholer54, bestofscience, etc...) that you could check out as well.

u/themagicman1986 · 1 pointr/Christianity

In addition to Mere Christianity here are a few more worth checking out. Despite the need for faith there is far more evidence for Christianity then I ever knew until recently. These are just a few of the resource that have helped me.

GodQuest

I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist

Stealing from God

The Language of God

The Fingerprint of God

I have put them in the order I would recommend reading but they are all great resources.

Another good resource for spiritual journeys are church small groups. A number of larger churches often have weekly groups or 6-8 week meetings geared for new believers and seekers. All the resources in the world are great by my journey was more shaped by talking through these things then anything else.

Glad to hear where your journey has brought you. I will be praying that God helps you find the resource and people you need to fill in the gaps.

u/A_Bruised_Reed · 1 pointr/educationalgifs

Actually I am the one who feels sorry for you. In actuality - cognitive dissonance is required by atheism. God does not "strike you lame" because there is no need to. And you would never believe if any of those things happen. You would eventually strike it up to coincidence. That is a fact. You know that internally is correct. God gave you a mind. He does not need to be your magician. You would never believe that. He would rather you seek Him with your mind/understanding. There is enough evidence in creation to show that there is a Creator. Again - cognitive dissonance is on your part, not mine.

I did not grow up believing in Jesus, but was raised Jewish. However the evidence was so overwhelming that I would need cognitive dissonance to turn away from it. Again - I will say it again because you have never refuted it once. That complex things in life require thought. They require design. Male/female reproduction could never have arisen except by design.

It is a cop out and a running from these facts that you now turn to Ad hominem statements. Par for the course from most atheists I have met. They are not critical thinkers in this specific area.

There is not a shred of doubt that you will know there is a God one day. He waits very patiently (He is in no rush.) He lives forever. You (and I) have a limited number of heartbeats left.

Next time you go to a restaurant - remember - there was no chef/cook behind those doors. You are deceiving yourself to believe there was a cook/chef.

Be well my friend. No need to keep going on this. There are plenty of authors who address this subject so eloquently. Dr. Frances Collins (Head of the Human Genome Project) wrote eloquently on this subject. Amazon carries it as they do dozens of other books by scientists who have refused to resort to ad hominem, but rather use their minds to come to a logical conclusion. There is a Creator. Here is the Amazon title - The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. https://www.amazon.com/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/1416542744

Be well my friend. Avoid death. You dont want to die in this state. Zero doubt.

u/gmoney999 · 1 pointr/todayilearned

Just adding that there are still Christian scientists that believe this today. Not every Christian scientist is a creationist. Francis Collins the head of the NIH and former head of the Human Genome Project and has written extensively on faith and science.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Collins#Opinions



http://www.amazon.com/The-Language-God-Scientist-Presents/dp/1416542744

u/Happy_Pizza_ · 1 pointr/Catholicism

I'm sort of trying to get a homework assignment done so I can't really give a detailed answer. But really, some of your questions are better answered by books as opposed to reddit answers. I'll recommend a few that argue for the Catholic or conservative perspective. I'm not name dropping these books so you can read all of them, but if you want in depth answers to your questions this is what you should read.

Gay marriage: https://www.amazon.com/What-Marriage-Man-Woman-Defense/dp/1594036225/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549313854&sr=1-3&keywords=what+is+marriage

Abortion: https://www.amazon.com/Persuasive-Pro-Life-Cultures-Toughest/dp/1941663044/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549313881&sr=1-1&keywords=Persuasive+pro+life

General Theism: https://www.amazon.com/Answering-Atheism-Make-Logic-Charity/dp/1938983432/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549313922&sr=1-6&keywords=Trent+horn

There's also Edward Feser's 5 proof for the existence of God which I haven't read but I'm sure is good. Feser's a former atheist and currently a philosophy professor so he's pretty solid.

General History of Catholicism (and arguably, deals with faith vs science issues): https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Church-Built-Western-Civilization/dp/1596983280/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549313995&sr=1-1&keywords=How+the+Catholic+Church+built+western+civilization

A book you would really get a kick out of as a biochemistry student: https://www.amazon.com/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/1416542744/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549314047&sr=1-1&keywords=the+language+of+God

Francis Collins is the former head of the NIH and is the scientist who lead the project to decode the human genome. He's also a convert to Christianity from atheism.

u/WeAreTheRemnant · 1 pointr/Christianity

BioLogos - emphasizes the compatibility of Christian faith with what science has discovered about the origins of the universe and life

Check out the BioLogos Foundation's website, which has many great works by world renowned scientists. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project and current director of the NIH, founded it following the publication of his book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

u/ColorinColorado36 · 1 pointr/changemyview

Francis Collins (human genome project, current director of NIH) is also an evangelical Christian. He wrote this book about science and faith: https://www.amazon.com/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/1416542744

u/KidGold · 1 pointr/DebateReligion

Sorry I've been out of state the past week and didn't get a chance to see this.


> Morals are formed by the need for us to function as a society, how is that evidence of a god? Just because a religion has a moral code is not evidence that a god is required to have them. It's pretty simple, if there were just one living thing, would anything it did be moral or immoral?


You're stating one of the two most widely understood theories on the origin of morality - I'm sure everyone on this sub is familiar with that idea. Obviously what I was saying is that what I observe about morality makes me believe in the other widely spread theories about moral origin - absolute morality.


> What research papers say DNA has an intelligent language behind it?


It's a pretty significant debate right now. Here is an article discussing a book from Harvard about DNA evidence for intelligent design, [Here] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Language-God-Scientist-Presents/dp/1416542744) is a book by Francis Collins. These are just the first two things a google search turned up.


>Order in the universe, the ability for life to create life and ways to survive, does not automatically mean there is an intelligence behind it. It can mean that things are subject to the same constants.

I agree. I don't think I was saying otherwise before, I was just saying that it's more difficult to understand how design could come out of no design than from design. That doesn't mean it didn't happen.

> It's still a story, just like every other religion. John took the most creative liberties of them all.

That doesn't change the fact that having more sources gives something more credibility than something with less sources - which was my point.

u/tsondie21 · 1 pointr/Christianity

You might be interested in the writings of Francis Collins and his colleagues. His book The Language of God is very very good and explains this very well. Francis led the Human Genome Project and is extraordinarily smart.

In addition, he has a website where a lot of your questions can be answered: http://www.biologos.org/

u/JeffMo · 1 pointr/atheism

Oh, sure, I totally agree with that. I'm just saying I get a lot of bleating about fossils.

And in agreement with your point, I often recommend this Francis Collins book to religious people, just on the off chance that they might understand his points about DNA.

https://www.amazon.com/Language-God-Scientist-Presents-Evidence/dp/1416542744

I don't agree much with the religious parts of the book, but that's not really the point, IMO.

u/micahnotmika20 · 1 pointr/Reformed

And I think you might like this one

The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate https://www.amazon.com/dp/0830837043/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UEQwDbCWQBBYH

The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief https://www.amazon.com/dp/1416542744/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LFQwDbB8ZK68E