The Language of GodFrancis S.
CollinsDISCUSSION GROUP GUIDE
1. "So here is the central question of this book: In this modern
era of cosmology, evolution, and the human genome, is there still
the possibility of a richly satisfying harmony between the
scientific and spiritual worldviews?" (p.6). What view did you have
before reading this book on the integration of science and
religion? How would you answer Collins''s question now?
2. On page 23, Collins sums up the Moral Law, stating that "the
concept of right and wrong appears to be universal among all
members of the human species (though its application may result in
wildly different outcomes)." Do you believe the Moral Law
exists?
3. What caused the author to question his atheism? At the end of
the book, he calls on the reader to question his or her current
beliefs. Do you think this is a realistic request or will the
average reader wait for a "personal crisis" before embarking on a
journey of spiritual discovery (p.233)?
4. Did the book fairly assess the different religious "options"
of atheism, agnosticism, creationism, intelligent design, and
theistic evolution, renamed as BioLogos (p.159-211)? Did reading
these descriptions change your understanding of any of these views?
Which option best explains your beliefs?
5. Collins argues that atheism is the least rational of all
these choices, since an atheist must claim such extensive knowledge
that s/he can conclusively discount the possibility of God. Along
those same lines, G.K. Chesterton called atheism "the most daring
of all dogmas ...for it is the assertion of a universal negative".
Do you agree? Is it possible to be rational atheist?
6. Collins states his belief that young earth creationist
opinions ultimately harm the religion they represent more than help
it: "But it is not science that suffers most here. Young Earth
Creationism does even more damage to faith, by demanding that
belief in God requires assent to fundamentally flawed claims about
the natural world (p.177). Do you agree?
7. Collins presents data from the study of genomes (pp. 133 -
141) that argues for a common ancestor for chimps and humans. Do
you find the arguments compelling from the anatomy of human
chromosome 2, pseudogenes, and ancestral repeat elements? Why could
this not be God using the same general themes in multiple acts of
special creation?
8. Collins quotes (p. 83) St. Augustine''s warning (in 400AD)
that narrow interpretations of Biblical passages with uncertain
meaning may place faith at the risk of ridicule if future
discoveries conflict with that narrow interpretation. In what
situations today do you think that warning may have relevance?
9. Discuss the following quote from Galileo: "I do not feel
obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense,
reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use" (p.158).
What was Galileo trying to say? Do you think this statement is in
tune with the author''s views?
10. In the following quote from the book, Collins refers to
"why" questions as those for which science is poorly suited to
provide answers: biogenesis as the one event for which science will
never be able to provide an explanation: "And as seekers, we may
well discover from science many interesting answers to the question
''How does life work?'' What we cannot discover, through science
alone, are the answers to the questions ''Why is there life
anyway?'' and ''Why am I here?''" (p.88). Does Collins support this
claim elsewhere in the book? Do you agree with him?
11. How does the theme of this book fit together with the
opening lines of Psalm 19?
12. Collins frequently describes the danger of basing religious
beliefs on the scientific information that we don''t know, referred
to as "God of the gaps" (p.93). "Faith that places God in the gaps
of current understanding about the natural world may be headed for
crisis if advances in science subsequently fill those gaps" (p.93).
However, he also says that the answers he searches for are those
that science alone cannot discover (p.88). Does Collins''s personal
search fall within his description of looking for God of the gaps?
Why or why not? See pages 193 and 204 for more references to
God-of-the-gaps thinking.
13. Do you foresee a time when organized religion will accept
Darwinism, just as we eventually came to accept that the earth
revolves around the sun? Is the battle between science and religion
destined to continue over each new scientific discovery that is
made?
CREATIVE TIPS FOR ENHANCING YOUR BOOK CLUB OR DISCUSSION
GROUP
In November, 2006, Time magazine hosted a debate
between Francis Collins and Richard Dawkins, author of The God
Delusion, for a cover story (see
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1555132,00.html).
Bring it to your group, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of
the arguments.
Reread Genesis 1 and 2 or read these passages for the first time
or bring them to your meeting to discuss with your group. Do you
see the two slightly different creation stories? How do you
interpret these verses now that you''ve read The Language of
God?
C. S. Lewis is quoted frequently by Collins as the philosopher
who helped him discover God, and Collins repeatedly quotes Lewis''s
work when important religious questions arise. Take a trip straight
to the source and read one of the Lewis books that Collins quotes.
Choose from The Problem of Pain, Surprised by
Joy, Mere Christianity, and Miracles. For
more information on C. S. Lewis, visit www.cslewis.org.
As the head of the Human Genome Project, Collins has attracted a
great amount of attention in the press and on the Web. Search the
Internet for the information that interests you most about Collins
and print a copy of what you find to bring in for discussion with
the group. Good places to start your search include www.genome.gov,
www.cnn.com, www.salon.com, and www.nytimes.com. There is also an
online video of Collins located on the Web site for the PBS show
"Religion and Ethics" at
www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week947/profile.html.
Take your online research of Collins a step further to discover
sites dedicated to contemplating the coexistence of science and
religion. Head to the Web site of the C. S. Lewis Foundation at
www.cslewis.org or take a look at the companion site of the
four-hour PBS special "The Question of God":
www.pbs.org/wgbh/questionofgod/. Take a visit to
www.godandscience.org, www.hawking.org.uk,
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/thuxley.html, and www.aboutdarwin.com
for even more information.
Try finding Web sites that explain more about the scientific and
medical topics mentioned in the book. Search for details on the Big
Bang, cystic fibrosis, personalized medicine, and the human genome.
Sites such as www.umich.edu/~gs265/bigbang.htm, www.cff.org,
http://www.personalizedmedicinecoalition.org/, and www.genome.gov
are good places to start.