Francis Collins Defends His Theism
Francis Collins is a giant in biology. He's currently also the head of the National Institutes of Health. Another uncommon position he holds is a belief in a god. Specifically he claims to be a Christian. So he released a video of him explaining his position and why he holds the idea that there is likely a god, or specifically, God. Link to Vid that I can't seem to Embed.
I have a question and some observations about the video. We have a man that believes in Old Earth. We have a man that believes humans evolved. So clearly he can't be in support of Genesis as an accurate story. In the video he talks about a god as a designer in a deistic sense around the 4 minute mark. I don't see how anyone could square the Bible with a Deistic god. Seems to me that the God in the Bible is quite involved in the goings on of the world.
I don't understand how anyone can be a Christian and a scientist. Francis Collins can defend his view of biology from a design standpoint. I'll concede, I'm going to lose that argument due to what he knows. It doesn't mean that I'm wrong, but the man is vastly more educated on the subject than I will ever be and he sees what he sees. Where I would take him on is in the theology. You cannot square up Evolution and Christianity as compatible ideology. You can't say that Yaweh was here to get the ball rolling then just stepped aside. It's contrary to the whole religion and really, for me, solidifies the point that he simply doesn't evaluate the theology. Theology isn't some mystical fog, there are specific claims made. If you don't buy a large portion of the claims made by a specific book, why buy they religion? If God is really a Deistic entity, then who walked with Moses? Who cursed the Pharoh? Who flooded the Earth? Who sent Jesus? etc.
What are you seeing in this video?
Tags: Biology, Christianity, Deist, Design, Francis Collins
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gaytor on -
Only two interventions... that's so silly! Maybe in this interview he just didn't delve into it far enough. It's a short portion.
I assume that he accepts the randomness of mutations. So did God have this path to shape us in his image or is it truly random? Is the image (let us make him in our image) of a Chinese or a Danish person? A seven foot tall African or a person with Dwarfism from Little People Big World? If it was for "Adam", does that mean that anyone not or that familial lineage does not have a soul? Did the people in Damascus prior to 6000 BC not have souls? This could be a fun 20 questions.
I suppose one of the things that I seem to be holding true in my mind is you can't be kinda religious. I would agree that people are kinda religious, but that's only kinda thought out. There are certainly stages that people go through in belief. The Catholic position relegates the creation story to poetry. What else is poetry then? How about the end of the world? The Death of Jesus? Existence of an Afterlife? Do scientists have to prove each step or can they just back off and say I don't know now? I don't accept a Bible that is true in places or people that believe parts of doctrine. The Church jailed and executed people for centuries over small details... I'm really going on a big journey here. Let me stop myself. It's clear where I'm heading.
Would a frozen Niagra Falls prove Islam or Judaism as a Monotheism? That's a surprisingly weak argument. It seems to show that people are more than willing to ignore reality for hope.
Not Allah.
Sigh! Dr. Collins, I respect your biology career.
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Permalink Reply by willailla on -
Many intelligent people believe in a God of one sort or other. What puzzles me is how anyone capable of deductive reasoning can wholeheartedly accept the existence of a biblical god. Perhaps it's a question of sanity or indoctrination or ignorance.
Einstein “recognized the impossibility of a non-created universe. The Encyclopedia
Britannica says of him: "Firmly denying atheism, Einstein expressed a belief in "Spinoza's
God who reveals himself in the harmony of what exists." This actually motivated his interest
in science, as he once remarked to a young physicist: "I want to know how God created this
world, I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element.
I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details." Einstein's famous epithet on the
"uncertainty principle" was "God does not play dice" - and to him this was a real statement
about a God in whom he believed. A famous saying of his was "Science without religion is
lame, religion without science is blind."
In Principia Newton stated, "The most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets,
could only proceed from the counsel and dominion on an intelligent and powerful Being."
In Of Atheism, Bacon said, "It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to
atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion; for while the mind
of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them, and go no
further; but when it beholdeth the chain of them confederate, and linked together, it must
needs fly to Providence and Deity”
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Permalink Reply by Bill on -
To me, it comes down to a lack of balls. They are afraid to let go of daddy's hand, even though deep down they suspect that daddy is not even real.
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Permalink Reply by Jon Heim on -
"You cannot square up Evolution and Christianity as compatible ideology. You can't say that Yaweh was here to get the ball rolling then just stepped aside. It's contrary to the whole religion and really, for me, solidifies the point that he simply doesn't evaluate the theology."
Completely agree.
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Permalink Reply by Kirk Holden on -
He doesn't need any of us to para-guess-aphrase him - he's running an entire freaking blog wherein he explains his self. Y'all could just read that instead of guessing.
http://www.biologos.org/
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Permalink Reply by Gaytor on
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I've become so dismissive, a personal conversation with Harris would find me saying, "Get a grip." I would agree that it's contrary to proper skepticism, but how many claims of mysticism have we heard in life that have survived review? Emotional connections have to come from within and are created from the self (read brain). Seems like a complete enough answer to me. But again, I'm not exercising skepticism.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Jon Axl on -
Philosophers have been saying this for centuries. We are one with the universe, all we are is star dust, every living thing on this planet has common factors with elements beyond our planet. Everyone has a personal experience in life you do everyday, most of us just ignore it go on with our everyday life. everyday i set and ponder life and existence and how i fit in the universe. Most people do, i dont see it as something that can be taught or something similar to Buddhist teachings.
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Permalink Reply by Gaytor on
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I'm not complaining about Harris in general, just on being one with the universe. I like his arguments and only disagree on a few issues. I would tell you to get me a seat too if I lived in New Yawk
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Permalink Reply by Michael Jon Axl on
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I can achieve oneness with the universe just by gazing at the stars or at a cluster of clouds. I can also drop acid and truly take a ride inside the universe.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Jon Axl on
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I certainly can say that is exactly what i feel when i gaze at the stars or the clouds everyday. I understood what you explained quiet well but these events you describe aren't had by all because people don't look at the world like i do. People are always so bored with life because they wish to see it a certain way. One has to realize they are alive and that the universe is alive to experience it like it should be. I put in the bit about acid because if anyone has taken it you get the same effect i feel when i gaze upward.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Jon Axl on
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I spent my time on facebook arguing against this guy and his views, but more importantly for the view that scientist say god is the universe not a deity as described in the Bible.
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