The Language of God by Francis S. Collins (2006, Hardcover)

Francis Collins puts a "completely logical evolutionary viewpoint" on the subject of Scientific Evolution and Christianity.
As a student of Science and a Christian,I have often wondered, how to reconcile my beliefs with Science,(a subject matter I love to read, and teach about).
I read a review about "The Language of God", in the Time magazine, and decided I definitely wanted to read it. Especially since Francis Collins and his team were instrumental in mapping the Human Genome. Not only did I read the book once but I read it again. It is SUPERB SCIENCE in a layman's terms.

Over the past decade I have engaged in extensive dialogue with atheists. Over that time I have learned that as a group they are in no way intellectually superior to believers in God. In fact they continually do the very things they accuse Christians of. They engage in demagoguery, they use ad hominem arguments and other forms of personal attack, and they practice "selective perception," in only seeing those aspects of theology and religious history they feel are useful in discrediting people of faith.

For example, they not only continually refer to the issue of Galileo and the Catholic Church, they also grossly exaggerate the conflict and ignore the many complexities involved. They point to the crusades as examples of "Christian" butchery while ignoring the atrocities committed during the French Revolution and in communist nations in the name of Reason.

In recent years they have used the tragedies 0f 9/11 to disparage Muslims in general. They conveniently overlook the fact that only a tiny minority in that great faith espouse terror and violence. In addition, many atheists reacted with hysteria when the fine film "Passion of the Christ" was released. They ignore the countless acts of good that have been motivated by spiritual ideals.

There is one characteristic that seems almost universal among them. Almost to a person they are smugly contemptual of the common man and woman, people who work with their hands, respect religious faith, salute the flag and believe in the values handed down to them from generations past. Mocking these good people, they call them everything from hicks and rednecks to fascists.

Francis Collins, with his credentials and accomplishments, could easily be one of the pseudo-elitists marked by these attitudes. But his attitude is different. In this book he talks of how he was raised among the good mountain folk of North Carolina, and learned from their examples of humility and virtue.

It was this same humble attitude that caused him to abandon the unbelief of his youth. His primary inspiration for embracing belief in God was the writings of C.S. Lewis. He shares his story in this book. With intellectual skill, he also demolishes the most common arguments used by enemies of religion. The result is a powerful argument for God's existence that all would gain from reading.

Collins is no man's shill. In fact some of the views he expresses in this book will disturb many. He believes that evolution not only occured, but was God's means of creating humanity. He also argues that much of the book of Genesis should be interpreted symbolically rather than literally. Personally I am largely in agreement with these views. But those who are not will still benefit from considering the case he builds for them.

The final verdict: "The Language of God" is a moving book that all should read. Very highly recommended.

Good book. I bought it for my personal reference. I wanted to see how modern scientists reconcile their faith in God while still ascribing to science and scientific method.

This book concedes points that atheists use to disprove God, and finds a very sensible and reasonable meeting place between science and God. It is also a good read about recent discoveries in genetics.

Collins has a view (although he doesn't directly point this out), that science can neither completely prove or disprove God, which really made the wheels turn in my head. He makes some points that I never thought of.

I read this book alongside a recently published atheist book, and the atheist book seemed to battle against the nearly every point that Collins discusses, making me think that this book, "The Language of God," is truly a reflection of some of the most talked about theistic debates right now.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in apologetics and/or theistic debate

I have read this book, and will read it again, and have recommended it to several friends. Dr. Collins give very logical reasons for his belief in a Spiritual God, Creator of the evolving universe, including the planet Earth which he and I believe was created for life as we know it, as true part of the One God's universal plan. He points out the many characteristics of the evolved human beings which make all of us true children of a loving God, including the desire we have to know our Creator, the moral wish to do right, with which we are born, the physical characteristics humans have, but not given to animals (including voices able to make complex speech, opposing thumb and fingers for doing fine work, the ability to appreciate the past and look forward to and plan the future, and others). This book has been researched and validated through findings of scientists and theolgians, many of whom are quoted. It has stengthened my faith in God--in fact it would take a much stronger faith than I have to believe the universe and all in it came about by "accident". Dr. Collins also gives his learned opinions on some of the current problems of our world, which I find very helpful.

If your a realist looking for an educated opinion that offers realistic answers to questions that seem to never REALLY get answered or are taboo to ask, this is your book. If your looking to explore spiritual questions to form your own opinion or are looking to challenge your believes one way or the other, you will find this book useful.

I don't really understand how the authors upbringing really played into his change in belief plays into the title of the book or the argument.

I love the book and it came promptly and in excellent condition. Excellent service.... easy as a piece of pie!

Language of God is written by one of the most prominent scientist of our time, who is also a christian. Dr. Francis Collins does a great job of reconciling current scientific explanations of how our world began and how life came to be, with the biblical account of creation. As a biologist and a christian myself, reading this book strengthen my faith without requiring me to ignore my scientific training.

Some chapters about the details of the big bang theory and the genetic code are a bit heavy for those not trained in the sciences, but overall the book is a great read for those who want to grow more in awe of God and His creation.

Thanks for the book it was the right price Thanks for the book it was the right priceThanks for the book it was the right price

This was actually a gift for my husband so I have not read it but he has already finished it and felt it was very inciteful. Even though he didn't agree with the author's conclusions on the theory of evolution, he was pleased to know that author had turned from atheist to agnostic to a believer. Hopefully the author will eventually see the truth and turn aside from his belief in the theory of evolution.

I had borrowed this book from a friend, but it was so wondeful that I wanted to own a copy. The book I received from eBay was in good condition and will be used as a reference when preparing Bible studies and discussions in adult classes. It is quite inspirational.
For others who just want to share the experience of building the DNA code, I highly recommend this book.

I am writing on a topic and needed the viewpoint of a scientist on his view of and belief in God. The author quotes Woodrow Wilson who said, "I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow." I respect this author and was very pleased in the development of his belief and view of God. It served my purpose well in expanding on my own writing for another purpose.

Mailing service was prompt. The book arrived in good condition. I would buy from this seller again.

This is not a great book. It's not a bad book, it reads easily, and the author seems like a nice sort who is an acclaimed scientist in human genomics. But his appeal to Moral Law (his entire argument rests on the innate sense of rightness, morality, or goodness) fails like Lewis's or anyones. The scientist has no proof for his "scientific" argument for the existence of god, nor is his claim falsifiable. That's two strikes on the science front, and even if that sense of morality did exist, he fails to show that it is from a god let alone the christian god. That's a strike on the religious front.

I mean, my dog has an innate sense of right and wrong, instilled in her by my training and discipline, just as I have one instilled in me by my parents. Oh and social animals all have a sense of the social order of their society, it's something social animals learn in the process of growing up in their society.

His scientific approach has its own biases, but he makes a clear case for the role of God in evolution. I would say it answers some of the dogmatic Darwinist arguments without being demeaning or insulting. He clearly understands the science he is addressing.