Comment

Comment by Chris Highland on June 25, 2009 at 12:57pm

Just finished teaching a class on environmental ethics and got the class into a forgotten classic, Accepting the Universe, by John Burroughs. He still used quite a bit of religious language (after all it was 1921) but oh did he turn it upside down! Some of his other "nature" books are also good logs to cross the streams of religion (my Burroughs collection offers a few selections).

Comment by It's just Matt on June 24, 2009 at 8:02pm

For lovers of fiction and music, I present the one and only Bino White:

Comment by Dave Kennedy on June 22, 2009 at 5:29pm

I have read, or am reading, The Quotable Atheist, The Portable Atheist, The God Delusion, Misquoting Jesus, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and it's all small stuff, A Kauai Reader, Shoal of Time, and Police Records and Recollections, or Boston by Daylight and Gaslight.

Comment by S.A. Alenthony on June 14, 2009 at 8:09pm

Excellent book review, Ken. Thanks for writing and posting that. I will add to my list.

(BTW, I'll put in my plug for www.goodreads.com, great way to keep track of what you have read, are reading, and plan to read. There are groups as well, and some good atheism discussions)

Comment by Ken on June 14, 2009 at 7:33pm

Based on multiple recommendations and references I decided to read Francis Collins’ book “the Language of God”. Francis Collins is a gifted doctor and scientist, and is most famous for his role as the head of the American genome project. His book and delivery are sincere and thoughtful.

In addition to being a brilliant chemist and biologist, Collins has distinguished himself through his unwavering belief in a benevolent, supernatural, God. The juxtaposition of these typically exclusive belief bases is enough to make the book a compelling read. I personally was intrigued and wanted to see how someone who has based their professional life on rational thought and scientific method would defend a belief in magic and the supernatural.

In full disclosure, I do not believe in magic, the supernatural, or Gods – benevolent or otherwise. i.e. I am not an unbiased or wavering reader. That said, I also consider myself open to any evidence or argument that is based in logic and reason.

The title of the book and the central theme is that existence of evolution, cloning, dna, science, etc does not eliminate the reality that God exists, and in fact it is through this chemistry and biology that God has acted on the universe.

Collins spends the majority of the book defending scientific method and evolution from religion. His arguments for the age of the universe, the earth, and the role of Darwinian evolution are well constructed and logical. He repeatedly chastises, and warns, on religions assigning God to any concept that is not currently understood. Collins’ term, the “God of the Gaps” is his wording for this thinking pattern, and he warns that this pattern creates a situation where advancing science and knowledge will consistently show religion as false ( the story of Copernicus) and do more harm than good to faith.

Collins arguments for the existence of God are clustered around two concepts, the “moral law” and “the desire for God”. In his first argument, Collins posits that people know right from wrong, and exhibit moralistic thought and behavior even when it is not personally beneficial, therefore God must have implanted this law. His second argument is that the desire for a God must mean there is a God, “why else would we have “evolved” such a desire?”

I found Collins case for God much less reasoned than his argument for evolution. He is inconsistent in his use of the “God can do anything” argument, sometimes arguing that science is real because of the evidence, at other times arguing that God could do anything because he is all powerful. Collins own words and logic constructions provide ample argument for evolution as the source of both the moral law and the desire for a God. Even bacteria exhibit benevolent “moral” behaviors in the interest of the collective species. This behavior is self reinforced and rewarded by selective pressures. Collins second argument on the desire for God seems much more a personal statement, and at times came across as desperate and naïve, lacking the logical construction of his other positions.

I recommend this book to all readers regardless of position on science or faith. It is full of interesting information, and alternate ways of looking at the natural world and religion. It is guaranteed to offend all, from the faithful to the atheist – which is good. I believe we benefit from being challenged in our thinking patterns.

Comment by Chris Highland on June 14, 2009 at 6:28pm

Wondering if anyone has read a bit of John Burroughs (Accepting the Universe; Light of Day; Leaf and Tendril, etc.)? I'm teaching a course in environmental ethics and find Burroughs a useful bridge for theists to (cautiously) cross over to non-theism. His scientific/naturalistic/philosophical influence on Muir, Roosevelt and classrooms full of schoolchildren warrants his "resurrection!"

Comment by Travis McFarland on April 21, 2009 at 4:23am

@Dallas: TSD is pretty economic, but they way Klein writes she makes it easy to follow. It definitely is giving me a different perspective on America's involvement in the world. Especially about things that are not covered in the news or that are just so filtered that the original content is virtually lost.

Comment by Stephen Goldin on April 17, 2009 at 7:31pm

Dorothy Fontana, story editor for Star Trek, once told me that screenwriters envy prose writers for that. I can write 3 words: "The world ended." To do that on screen costs millions of dollars.

@IMAOZI: SF and fantasy readers are also welcome at the Science Fiction/Fantasy Atheists group.

Comment by IMAOZI on April 17, 2009 at 7:12pm

I usually read Sci-Fi but I did read The DaVinci Code and saw the movie. I was disappointed with the movie though. My imagination is always better that the directors.

Comment by IMAOZI on April 17, 2009 at 6:45pm

I am reading "Angels & Demons"

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