Decoding the Language of God

by CUNNINGHAM, GEORGE C. MD

• ISBN13: 9781591027669
• ISBN10: 1591027667
• Edition: Original
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2009-12-22
• Publisher: Prometheus Books

Summary

While atheists have the outspoken critics Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens to argue vigorously for the nonexistence of God, believers have a credentialed ally in Francis Collins. In his 2007 bestseller, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, the geneticist who pioneered the Human Genome Project and who now directs the National Institutes of Health argues that science does confirm the existence of God and that scientists can effectively study the natural world and still be believers.

Author Biography

George C. Cunningham, MD, MPH, now retired, is the former chief of the Genetic Disease Branch of the California State Department of Health Services. He has published more than 150 articles in scientific publications, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, the American Journal of Human Genetics, and Pediatrics.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 11
Introduction	p. 13
Why I Wrote This Book	p. 13
A Note on Language	p. 16
Are Scientists Believers?	p. 17
Why Is Scientific Acceptance So Important to Believers?	p. 18
Science versus Religion	p. 20
Are You a Believer?	p. 21
References to God	p. 23
From Belief to Atheism	p. 29
A Personal Journey	p. 29
Evidence and Rules of Argument	p. 37
References and Source	p. 37
Belief, Knowledge, and Faith	p. 38
What Is Valid Evidence?	p. 41
Burden of Proof	p. 45
The War of Worldviews	p. 47
Wish Fulfillment	p. 48
Will Wishing Make It So?	p. 51
Can Science Explain the Need for Religion?	p. 52
Harms of Religion	p. 54
The Problem of Evil	p. 57
Free Will and GodÆs Foreknowledge	p. 58
Natural Evil	p. 65
Evil Is the Work of the Devil	p. 66
A Biblical Justification of Suffering	p. 67
Miracles versus Science	p. 68
Why Are Miracles So Rare?	p. 70
WhatÆs Wrong With the Moral Argument?	p. 75
The Moral Law. Does It Exist?	p. 75
Is the Moral Law a Product of Culture?	p. 77
Is the Moral Law Naturally Inherited?	p. 80
What Accounts for Altruism?	p. 81
How Does Science Explain Moral Behavior?	p. 86
Is the Moral Law as Natural as Speech?	p. 88
Is the Moral Law an Unintended Consequence of Evolution?	p. 90
Other Problems	p. 90
Cosmology: Origins of the Universe	p. 99
What Came before the Big Bang?	p. 99
Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?	p. 104
What Is the Purpose of Creation?	p. 105
Anthropic Coincidences	p. 107
What about Genesis?	p. 117
The Bible	p. 121
My Experiences with the Bible	p. 121
Analysis of the Bible	p. 123
The Resurrection as Proof	p. 131
CollinsÆs Defense of the Bible	p. 139
The Bible and Science	p. 151
The Problem of Genesis	p. 153
Other Problems with Genesis	p. 157
The Bible as Legend	p. 159
Are Atheists the Real Bible Literalists?	p. 161
What Does the Popularity of the Bible Prove?	p. 164
Naturalism (Atheism and Agnosticism)	p. 169
Collins against Atheism	p. 169
Collins versus Freud	p. 171
Collins versus Dawkins	p. 172
The Case for Atheism	p. 176
Is Our Universe the Work of God?	p. 177
Is God Evil?	p. 178
The Theodicy	p. 179
The Free Will Defense	p. 180
Who Causes Natural Evil?	p. 186
Summary Statement	p. 187
Supernaturalism (Ethical Monotheism, Spirituality)	p. 189
Why Is Science Opposed to Christianity?	p. 189
The Supernatural	p. 193
Is There Evidence for the Supernatural?	p. 196
Miracles as Supernatural Events	p. 198
Prayer	p. 202
Paranormal Claims	p. 208
Mysticism	p. 211
Supernatural Visions	p. 212
A Personal God?	p. 217
What Is a Person?	p. 218
Is God a Person?	p. 221
Is God Made in Our Image?	p. 224
Why Believe God Is a Person?	p. 228
Does God Have Multiple Personality Disorder?	p. 230
Conclusion	p. 233
Summing Up	p. 233
Exhortation to Believers	p. 237
Exhortation to Scientists	p. 241
Commitment to Truth	p. 242
Index	p. 247
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