Over 40 percent of the worldwide scientific community practices some sort of religion and professes to have faith in God, but few effectively communicate their positive views of religion. A new book by an eminent biologist offers a much-needed reconciliation between these two realms.
In The Language of God, Francis Collins, the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute and previously the head of the national effort to sequence the genome, outlines his dual lives in biology and religion.
Collins is one of the premiere scientists alive today and is at the cutting edge genetics. Although his work is to figure out the mysteries of life through a scientific approach, Collins maintains a steadfast faith in God and scripture, and he believes that God can intervene in human life.
The book offers an honest and heartfelt testament to explain how Collins can have faith in his research and at the same time reconcile religious abstractions with scientific fact. He writes in the introduction that he wants "to explore a pathway toward a sober and intellectually honest integration of these views."
Collins has not been religious all his life, but rather has transitioned from atheism to agnosticism to spirituality through searching and doubting every step of the way. He did not have an eye-opening experience or tragedy that drove him to faith. He came to his decision patiently while and keeping all his options open.
Collins began in science as a physicist and then transitioned to biology. He admits to basing his early views entirely on those great minds he admired, such as Stephen Jay Gould and Albert Einstein. These thinkers reinforced his assumptions that "everything in the universe could be explained on the basis of equations and physical principles" and that "no thinking scientist could seriously entertain the possibility of God without committing some sort of intellectual suicide."
The most pressing question this book answers is how to approach scientific discoveries that seem to undermine the teachings of the Bible. He acknowledges the overwhelming evidence supporting the Big Bang theory, but goes on to relate it to God. He examines moral law and ties it to a universal understanding of humanity. He shows that one can put full faith in science and God, as long as faith is based on reason.
Everything from agnosticism and atheism, to the ethics of medical practice, to the debate surrounding creationism and evolution is touched upon. He does not avoid any sticky issues nor does he gloss over topics that might challenge his beliefs.
The book is remarkable because Collins avoids writing either a dense scientific essay or a sentimental testament. The book is an easy read, and the fusion of scientific argument with personal experience and Biblical and spiritual research make it truly unique.
