The Language Of God

This blogger recently read Francis Collins' book The Language of God.  Collins is a scientist, Human Genome Project head and presently Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Collins also is an Evangelical Christian who is a proponent of "Theistic Evolution" and has created an organization called the BioLogos Foundation to foster compatibility between science and faith.

The importance of The Language of God is that it is often quoted by Christian apologists and scientists who believe that science and religion are compatible.  In 2006, Sam Harris wrote an article in Truthdig critiquing this book. Following are some points on which Harris and this blogger agree:

•  If the beauty of nature can mean that Jesus really is the son of God, then anything can mean anything.
• The moral law does not have only a supernatural explanation. 
• The nature of our "Creator" does not have to be a theist God, who desires some kind of relationship with those special creatures called human beings, and has therefore instilled this special glimpse of Himself into each one of us.
• Collins does not give a good reason why God does not provide better evidence of himself.
• Collins does not adequately address the Problem of Evil.
• The Cosmological (First Cause) argument is presented, which has been adequately refuted.
• Any intellectually honest person must admit that he does not know why the universe exists. Secular scientists, of course, readily admit their ignorance on this point. Believers like Collins do not. 
• Both Einstein and Hawking reject the notion of Collins' God as fully as any atheist. Collins suggests otherwise at every opportunity.
• This book is written out of ignorance and delusion and is an embarrassment if readers assume it represents the thinking of scientists in the USA.