The Language of God

 

The Language of God

Francis S. Collins’s The Language of God dealt with life’s profound questions. The author who is a Christian scientist endeavored to answer these mysteries people tend to ask. This involved some knowledge in physics, biology, and theology. Since his training was in medical school lots were said about the biological approach. On theology he relied heavily on the writings of English religious scholar C. S. Lewis for answers about the Christian faith.

A theme throughout the book was Collins’s belief in the moral law. An understanding that universally people regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or nationality subscribed to the tenets of what was right and wrong. The author used this argument along with other scientific data to support the premise in a God that was in and outside of nature. Nevertheless, he thought that it was up to every individual to figure out their spiritual path.

Collins had no problems with Darwin’s evolution, and said that the genome project provided further proof. He wrote about some genes that were responsible for individuals being susceptible to certain diseases like breast cancer and heart disease - those that so far scientists have decoded. This scientific data was supported by quotations from scripture.

Concerning if religion could be compatible with science, he was positive. Collins stated that there were many scientists who were also religious. The author also did not think much of the arguments of atheists like the British Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. He wrote that their arguments based only on evolution did not solve the mystery concerning if there existed a supreme being. In this book the author presented his evidence by covering the whole sweep of history since the inception of this debate.