... an overview of how science and faith in an intelligent designer is supported by many in the scientific community
342861
John presents an overview of how science and faith in an intelligent designer is supported by many in the scientific community. It is a great read for anyone curious about if there is any rationality in believing in a God. I was expecting to read more personal details on the author's decision to believe in the Christian God. But his decision came from what he learned through science. It is a different journey to faith than most Christians. I wish more would question science and religion as he has, both those who are religious and those who are not.
472390
This book is self-described as a conversation between faith and science, and it is a friendly conversation. Some of the readings find faith in science, and some of them explore parallel or complimentary concepts. The author takes the study from the universe level gradually down to the quantum level, exploring phenomena such as Olber's paradox, sailing upwind, and the uncertainty principle. The author asks us to accept mystery a little more often that I had hoped for, but I suppose that's because "now we see through a glass, darkly" (I Cor 13:12).
1403339
Written from the perspective of someone who has both a deep knowledge of science, as well as a decent understanding of Scripture, Mr. Williams provides examples of evidence in nature (specifically, outer space & the various physical constants thereof) to support the idea of a personal, loving, omniscient God as Creator, as well as uses science (including the mathematics of probability) to show the amazing (even supernatural) accuracy of the various prophecies scattered throughout the Bible.  It's a short, but good read that will give the Christian confidence in their faith and a renewed desire to share and defend a faith that is very defendable.  And for non-Christians who are interested in truth, but skeptical about religion, it provides a lot of good evidence and thoughts to ponder as they consider the merits of the Christian faith.
2991632
This is the first nonfiction book I have read by Carl Sagan, although I have read one of his fiction works, Contact.  In this book, Dr. Sagan offers his opinions and thoughts (although, backed by facts) on many, many different subjects, including abortion, the environment, politics, religion, the military, and many others.  The author is an atheist, and the book has atheistical implications throughout, but he also treats religion and the followers with a great deal of respect.  I myself am a Christian and did not feel he was attempting to push his beliefs on me any more so than people of other religions would.
I strongly recommend this book for the scientist and non-scientist alike.  It has a lot of scientific topics in it, but they are dealt with using low-level science that is easily understood.  I found the sections on abortion and the military particularly interesting.
1041402
There is an awful lot that we simply do not know about the universe. We don't know what happened a minute before the big bang. We have some pretty good evidence that the proton is composed of two up quarks and a down quark held together by the strong nuclear force. And we've learned a little about quarks, but if the whole theory got shot down tomorrow the physicists would take the new theory, analyze it carefully and see what esperiments they might run to prove or disprove it.

This book is written from the standpoint that the things we do not know require that there be some guiding hand, some intelligent design to have put it together. This a basic tenet of the Discovery Institute, with which both both authors are associated. The institute has been at the center of a number of controversies regarding its role in the intelligent design movement and what critics and the media allege is a hidden religious agenda. Both of these authors come from a Christian backgroung (Wiker -- Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio; Witt -- Lubbock Christian University) lending credulence to the religious agenda. Neither of them have degrees in any form of science.

This is a beautifully written book, from the standpoint of taking the  basic that evolution doesn't happen, and emphasizing every problem, pointing out every unknown and assuming that intelligent design is the only answer.

From that standpoint, this is an excellent book, deserving of the highest ratings it can be given. From an unbiased scientific method point of view, it is pseudoscientific gobbledegook.
1856721
Lee Strobel does a great job of bringing together a live bibliography of experts to show what should be obvious to any clear thinking person that if you have a design there is a designer. The precise factors that  had to be present to make life possible on this planet,in this galaxy, in this universe are beyond fanciful random happenstance. If you keep an open mind, there is only one logical conclusion, there is a designer of this design.
 My advice is sit down, partake, do your own research and let your reason guide you.
4362788
Far as I'm concerned, this buries the spurious faith vs science dichotomy - and identifies fatal flaws in the so-called Intelligent Design assertion of "irreducible complexity" as the evidence for a Creator.  The evidence he presents to justify belief in a Creator is much more compelling and credible, especially given his platinum credentials as a genetic biologist. He nicely summarizes how God could use a highly non-linear, unpredictable and evolutionary complex system as the instrument of creation. No polemics, no setting up of straw men to demolish, just an even-handed, coherent and intellectually honest treatment of a difficult and emotionally fraught subject.
2513497
A humble and respectful discussion for those who love science and faith. Dr. Guillen communicates his joy of discovery in both worlds, and offers a compelling alternative for those on both sides who want to keep learning.
510794
I recently gave a talk at church on the relationship between Faith and Science, and was asked afterwards if I had read the Haarsmas' book. So I borrowed it from the church library to find out why. Origins is subtitled A Reformed look at Creation, Design and Evolution, so it obviously relates both to the topic of my talk and to the church I was speaking in. The authors are professors in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan, so very well qualified. And their thesis is that no one should feel they have to choose between faith and science.

If I were re-teaching my class in a series of talks, I might almost use this book as a template. Each chapter ends with thought-provoking questions for discussion and suggestions for further reading. And the evidence in the writing is illustrated and emphasized by well-drawn tables and boxes.

The authors are writing for Christians, but point out that non-Christians might use the book to learn how Christians think about science, rather than just believing what the media says. While their main thrust is that there's no inherent conflict between faith and science, they point out that world-views can collide: the scientist who says evolution proves there's no God is just as flawed in his statement as the Christian who says the Bible proves evolution didn't happen. Common ground requires common respect and common experience, but respect is frequently absent from debate.

The authors present many of the same arguments as I used to show how the Bible and science are not at odds. I particularly liked their suggestion that before debating creation vs. evolution we'd do well to ask if studying the weather and water-cycle is anti-faith, since the Bible frequently declares how God controls the rain. They present many alternative view-points on key Bible stories, such as Adam and Eve and the fallen earth, leaving readers to recognize that "I don't know" can be a perfectly adequate, honest and faithful, answer. "...[W]hen a conflict arises, our response should be to examine both the science and the biblical interpretation more carefully," describes my own position as well as theirs.

In answer to my friend at church, I had not read the book before giving the talk, but I will certainly draw from it if I give the talk again, and I certainly recommend it to anyone wondering how to answer those still shying away from the evidence for an old earth and evolution.

Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from our church library, but I wish I had a copy of my own.
4524208
Iris Fry provides an excellent summary of origin of life theories and research.  In a somewhat journalistic style she briefly revisits the early "thought leaders" and proceeds to show how orgin of life theory has progressed to the present in keeping with advances in scientific knowledge of molecular chemistry and cell biology.  She covers the current schools of thought, supporting research, and major players of the naturalism community without taking sides.  This is an excellent resource for someone who seeks a general understanding of the state of origin of life science and its future challenges.
349957
Superb book and Carl Zimmer is exceptionally readable for the non-scientific audience.  Read and enjoy.

As has been said, ad nauseum: all the evidence is consistent with evolution by natural selection. To believe in creationism or "intelligent design" you must ignore all the scientific evidence (radio-isotope dating, geology, archeology, microbiology, genetics, biochemistry).

Their theory is easily summarized: I don't understand this, therefore a miracle must have occurred.  When you come to something you can't (yet) explain with your current methods, then you just say God did it and the problem goes away.  Does this seem like science to you?  If these creationists claim to be scientists, design me an experiment to prove the existence of the "designer."  Define the physical properties of the "designer."  Define the behavior of the "designer."  Define the origin of the "designer."

Creationists also like to say that evolution is "only a theory."  Well, sure.  A theory is not a guess.  A theory is an explanation that is detailed, is experimentally testable, and is supported by the facts.  Evolution by natural selection is exceptionally well supported by the facts and in fact is the only theory that does fit the facts.  It works.  It works so well, that (99.999% of all) biologists don't give it a second thought.  Is a nuclear physicist an "atomist" because they "believe" in the "atomic theory?"  Because 0.001% want to think God did it gives them equal standing?

The other favorite of creationists is to say that Zimmer (or choose your biologist) has changed their mind, therefore they don't know what they are talking about.  Being able to change your mind in light of the facts observed is a hallmark of a scientist.  Believing in dogma in the face of the facts is the hallmark of a religious zealot.

The assertions of the supporters of creationism and "intelligent design" remind me of current Republican politics: any sort of lie will do, just shout it louder and keep saying it. People will eventually believe it. All other considerations will be subordinate to the political goal. Think hard about the political goal here. What value do they gain from a potentially successful campaign to discredit science? Who gains and who loses? (I've heard plenty of people say, "There's no separation of church and state in the United States. It's not in the Constitution." At least the President and the Congressional Majority Leadership understand that science is the way to explain the universe. Wait, oh s---!)

Have a look at the negative (one-star) reviews of this book. Do any of them resemble scientific thought (based on experiment and evidence)? I assure you that they do not. They say GOD made the eye. They say GOD made everything. What is the evidence (science, remember) for this? A book written a long time ago. You just gotta believe! They used to tell you that the earth was flat and the sun went around the earth (maybe they continue to believe that). Why believe (definitely the correct verb) them now? Science may not (yet) be able to answer every question about how our universe works (they're pretty darned close though). But at least scientists understand the difference and admit it! "Because GOD made it that way," has the same logical, scientific content as, "just because:" it's scientifically meaningless.

Creationism and "intelligent design" are religion, not science. They demand faith. Science demands evidence.
12217
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design is an excellent introduction to the new and emerging Darwin vs. design debate. Biologist Jonathan Wells' book is an especially helpful primer to general audience readers who only hear about this controversy through elite media/old media accounts.  This publication succeeds as both an informative and entertaining read.

Many reporters and editors distort the actual claims made by scientists who support the theory of intelligent design.  Reporters often create their own distorted definitions of the intelligent design.  Typically, design scientists are not even given a chance to speak for themselves in press accounts.  With so much information, what are readers supposed to think?  But in this book readers actually get a glimpse of what intelligent design actually involves from a scientist who supports the modest scientific claims of intelligent design.

At the outset, Wells carefully defines the terms of the debate.  As he points out, "evolution" can mean many things.  Most definitions of the term "evolution" are uncontroversial and even compatible with the theory of intelligent design.  Wells makes clear that the theory of intelligent design is only the direct competitor of neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory.

Wells devotes a handful of chapters to scientific criticisms of various aspects of neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory.  He then goes on to present the scientific case for the theory of intelligent design.  Common media misconceptions are dispelled along the way.

Later chapters discuss the debate surrounding neo-Darwinism in the context of public school controversies, recent court decisions, and in other settings.  There has also been much distortion in media retellings of these events.  Wells' book provides a brief but important corrective that gets the facts of those matters straight.

It is the height of political incorrectness to express scientific skepticism of neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory, or to voice interest in the theory of intelligent design. (This is evident in the sad fact that this book has been vehemently attacked by persons who have obviously never read it.)  The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design is a book that needed to be written.  Thankfully, it is now here.
1356254
Whereas there are some minor points in this book I am inclined to dispute, I am impressed by consistency and logic of Dr. Ratzsch's discourse.  I am very skeptical of the intelligent design theory as it is promoted by Dembski, Johnson, Meyer and others. However, although Ratzsch himself is a "design theorist," he stands alone in that crowd by virtue of his objectivity, logic and a surgical penetration into the intricacies of problems he chooses to discuss. His book is not an easy reading, as it is a  philosophical treatise not designed for a wide audience. I found that it was worth time and effort necessary to work through it. It sheds light on a scope of problems which so far have been treated without first clarifying the fundamentals. In an appendix to his book Ratzsch subjects the acclaimed book "The Design Inference" by Dembski to a devastating critique, revealing inconsistencies and absence of substantiation in many of Dembski's assertions. Kudos to Ratzsch for having the courage to speak up and convincingly show that the King (Dembski)is Naked.
2516702
In the opening of this work the book noted that the three terms in the title is quite controversial today.  Both authors Guillermo Gonzlez and Jay W. Richards has written this helpful booklet to help navigate through the issue of Gods creation and evolution.  Both men are aware that they are a lot of heat than light with the subject and they have written in a gracious and informed matter.
The authors wisely began by first explaining the meaning of the terms creation, evolution and intelligent design.  This is important since the words can be defined in different ways.  For instance concerning evolution there is at least half a dozen meaning.  What most people mean by evolution when they are talking about it stands in opposition to creationism is actually Darwinian evolution.  Darwinian evolution consists of three components: common descent, natural selection and random mutation.  The booklet also clarified the difference between young earth creation and old earth creation but the book advocates intelligent design as the primary argument against Darwinian.  While Im not a fan of intelligent design argument I thought nevertheless this was a helpful summary of ID argument.
My biggest criticism for this book would be that it left the discussion about the relationship between Creationism and Intelligent Design with still much to be desired; given that this booklet is part of the Christian Answers to Hard Questions series that include works authored by those of the Presuppositional apologetics persuasion I found this booklets discussion of intelligent design to be contrary to the spirit of other books and authors in the series with the biggest problem being that it made the God the Bible as merely a probability and something not conclusive concerning His existence.  While the booklet did present a good call for Christians to question the consensus of the majoritys adoption of Darwinian Evolution and also summarized the difficulties with theistic evolution along with problems with Darwinian evolution nevertheless I would say this was one of the works in this series that I gave a lower rating.
1584990
If you are looking for a reference book in favor of intelligent design, this is ideal. Written with clarity and authority, it exposes some of the glitches in Darwinian evolution.
2423695
Awareness Rising
Fulfilling desires and yearnings of the heart by clearing the awareness for The Holy Spirit

by Victor N. Calm

reviewed by [...]

Most of us have faith, and most of us question that faith at one time or another as we inch forward in our life's journey. Not to question at all is to have totally blind faith - it is like being brainwashed by the dogmatic beliefs of others.

To question intelligently and to find the answers for yourself - even with the help of others - does indeed strengthen faith as it is no longer blind faith.

Many of us face a heavy conflict - some "learned scientists" want scientific evidence about the existence of The Creator; some preachers advise that "scientific" evidence is unnecessary. How do you resolve the conflict?

You start with the help of someone who has been there and done that.

Victor Calm holds a Master of Information Technology degree. By the very nature of information technology, you need to use logic to get anything done. Without logic, you don't have computers and you don't have any system. One plus One has to equal two.

Victor Calm explains how he came into awareness about the biggest system of them all - that created by The Creator - and that in absolute reality there is no conflict between "science" and faith - they just operate at different levels of consciousness.

How do you follow the path to awareness? Well, by reading this good book for a start. If you are new to questions about faith and awareness, then you will find answers to many questions that are typically raised by "seekers".

Quotes from other texts and "leading lights" are useful. Unlike many other books, this one does not attempt to raise "divisions" - it shows you that it is possible to raise your awareness. The author has managed to cover a highly complex topic with endearing simplicity - one that will certainly appeal to beginners.

Copyright:
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3685162
This book delves into the complexity of the human body and builds evidences that support intelligent design. Information is presented in an easily understable way, and goes deep enough to provide evidence of support, yet is written in a way to keep readers engaged. The author does not shy away from confronting modern thought but presents arguments in a nonabrasive manner that provokes thought and additional study. Additonally, information is presented in a way that supports the author's reasoning while not bashing those with different views. This is definitely a must read book for anyone studying any aspect of science.