Proof not in the pudding

Prior to writing my last post, I was on the verge of finishing the book entitled "The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief" by Francis S. Collins, wherein the world renowned geneticist takes his readers on a journey through his years of schooling, research, medical practice, and religious views. Fascinating on so many levels, what initially drew me to this book was its potential to reconcile (what I thought were) the mutually exclusive realms of science and theism. (I should probably be more specific here. It's not so much that believers of science and believers of God seem to be at odds; generally the argument has more to do with the differences in belief systems of those who adhere to the notion of evolution and natural selection v. those who align with creationism, or "intelligent design"--which has somehow become entirely synonymous with a belief in God. (I mean, we've all seen the Christian "fish" symbol with either the words "Jesus" or "Darwin" inserted in the middle, as if belief in one entirely discounts a belief in the other.) In any event, Collins lays out the argument that it is entirely possible to believe in the theory of evolution AND have faith that there exists a monotheistic God who is personal and present in our physical world. Collins himself is an evangelical Christian who accepted Jesus Christ as his savior some 30 years ago (after studying nearly every field of science and having proclaimed himself an atheist years earlier).

I won't get into all the specifics because a.) there is so much I want to say about the book that I would be writing all night and b.) I'd rather you just read it yourself b/c there is no way my words will be anywhere near as eloquent as those of Collins. I will, however, share a few quotes that are particularly relevant to a new believer like myself:

Whenever you feel a bit of guilt about experiencing doubt or skepticism regarding the Creator of the universe, remember Collins's words:

"Doubt is an unavoidable part of belief. If the case in favor of belief in God were utterly airtight, then the world would be full of confident practitioners of a single faith. But imagine such a world, where the opportunity to make a free choice about belief was taken away by the certainty of the evidence. How interesting would that be?"

Or when someone challenges your belief because God can't actually be seen, it may help to remember C.S. Lewis, who said,

"If there was a controlling power outside the universe, it could not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe- no more than the architect of a house could actually be a wall or staircase or fireplace in that house. The only way in which we would expect it to show itself would be inside ourselves as an influence or a command trying to get us to behave in a certain way. And that is just what we do find inside ourselves. Surely this ought to arouse our suspicions?"

Again, I could not possibly do justice to Collins's work here, but if you've ever had questions about how science and faith can exist harmoniously, look no further than this book. You'll be glad you did.

Next post: Duggar book, which I read in its entirety today. :)