The Science Of Gawd?

[ConscientiousObjector]

So, I came out as an agnostic/secular humanist a couple of weeks ago (didn't want to use the dreaded word atheist and cause my in-laws to have a coronary). Now my born again fundy brother-in-law wants my husband and I to read the book "The Science of God" (he even offered to buy it for us, so generous!). I read the Amazon reviews, pretty sure it's all b.s. apologetics but I'll download it anyway, just to humor him. I'm curious if anyone here has read it, and what were your thoughts?

 

More importantly, I have a pretty good layman's knowledge of basic scientific principles, yet I want to expand my knowledge. Any advice on books I should read before delving into "The Science of God"? I want to have a better comprehension of the scientific ideas covered in that book so I will recognize the b.s. when I see it. Thanks in advance!

[mymistake]

If it does not use the scientific method then it is not science.  You can look up the scientific method on 

 

various websites and compare to what you find in the book.

 

For example:

 

(technical)  http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_labs/appendixe/appendixe.html

 

(medium)  http://www.livescience.com/20896-science-scientific-method.html

 

(simplified)  http://www.biology4kids.com/files/studies_scimethod.html

[Guest Furball]

Now that science has debunked the bible and god, a lot of people are leaving the churches in droves. What i have been seeing lately are a lot of books that are trying to bring god and science together. A new book making the rounds is called: A God That Could Be Real that seeks to bring science and god into the same equation. It's all garbage non-sense to try and get people back into the pews. A lot of websites try to prove god through science but it doesn't work. Either their knowledge of science is wrong, or they talk about science correctly then just throw the word god in at random places to make it seem like it all makes sense, usually followed by "now that we have proven god, the bible tells us that god sent his son jesus"....etc. You need to be careful. These people can be very deceptive and tricky by integrating an imaginary god into science thereby tricking unknown readers into becoming a christian. Frankly, i think it is a waste of time. All these so called science-god books are nothing more than books and lectures to preach jesus and get people to convert to christianity. My recommendation is to take a course, or at least go to your local library, and maybe log onto youtube and type in or read science 101 or science for beginners to get a better grasp of it. I have been studying biology, physics, cosmology, and evolution to help me gain more knowledge. Good luck to you. -Cat

[ConscientiousObjector]

Thanks so much, guys! Don't worry, at this point I'm so biased against religion that if Gawd and Jeebus themselves were to come down and tell me "Worship and love us now or we will cast you into the fiery pit for eternity!", I'd know I lost my mind and would have myself committed! Nope, never again will I fall into that rabbit hole! I know reading it will essentially be a waste of time, but it's all part of my greater plan. I've concocted a scheme/compromise with the religious people in my life. The concept is this: I will willingly read or watch anything they ask me to, with the caveat that they will read/watch whatever I ask (a contradictory subject of roughly equivalent length) as a sort of rebuttal. I'm too timid and self-doubting to wage an effective debate, so I figure I'll let more intellectual, professional people make my arguments for me, and then we can discuss these matters after we've both "done our homework". I'm sure it will do nothing to deconvert anyone, but at least I can prove to them that I'm not as foolish and uneducated as they may think. I really appreciate the advice! I don't know where I would be without this fine website!

[ConscientiousObjector]

Oh, and thanks for sharing those sites, mm! I bookmarked them all for perusal at my leisure. I'm especially excited about the Biology for kids website! My 5-year-old discovered Rube Goldberg machines over a year ago, and is now so fascinated with science that he wants to be a scientist and inventor when he grows up.

[pantheory]

ConscientiousObjector,

 

Below is a review of the book. The author is a physicist and biblical scholar of the Jewish faith, so the comparison of religion to science relates to the old testament. The author argues against the literal translations of the old testament, but why should anyone accept anothers interpretation of the bible except for possible selective misinterpretations of translation?

 

He talks about genesis and the Big Bang model, both involve a moment of creation, noting that the Big Bang model was endorsed by the pope.as a possibility. He discussed the genesis story of creation comparing it with some present hypothesis concerning how life might have been created. He tries to weave in scriptures as they might relate to evolution theory and natural selection, the evolution of mankind, freewill, while explaining how science theory changes over time.

 

The author attempts to find parallels between a variety of Biblical teachings and the findings of biochemists, paleontologists, astrophysicists, and quantum physicists. It is a wide-ranging discussion of key topics that have divided science and religion for millennia. The book masquerades under the guise of science but instead it is a discussion of supposed similarities between present science theory and the old testament.

 

Should you read the booK? It is technical so you might need to take notes to refer back to, instead of needing to look up everything that is not easily understood.

 

I would just read the many reviews out there if I were interested. I would not bother reading the book, since with a knowledge of both subjects how close of a parallel could the author draw from the nonsense of the old testament (or new, for that matter).; to modern science theory and the many unresolved quandaries in modern physics.

 

From Kirkus Reviews:

 

This account of creation is the latest entry in the current endeavor to drag science and religion within shouting distance of each other. Schroeder, a physicist and Bible scholar (Genesis and the Big Bang, 1990), attempts to reconcile the Genesis account of creation with current scientific knowledge about the origin of life. No doubt he is well versed in both the Bible and biology; he's also a skilled pedagogue, explaining abstract or counter-intuitive concepts in lay terms. But this book will fail to convince many readers because the author so relentlessly seeks to persuade the reader of the validity of some strange theories, and because his biblical interpretations draw on an exclusively Jewish tradition, including Kabbalah, Maimonedes, and selected passages from the Talmud, which he claims ``anticipated'' later scientific discoveries. Admittedly, some of his arguments (for instance, that the sequence of Genesis creation is congruent with evolution's progression from prokaryotic to human life) are compelling. But elsewhere Schroeder less convincingly rejects the notion of random, mutation-driven evolution, arguing instead that evolution is ``channeled'' toward an outcome pre-programmed into existing DNA. Schroeder's other theories include an odd insistence upon a pre-Adamic, soulless hominid ancestor. It's important to Schroeder that the literal Adam be the first ensouled human being, and since Genesis chronology (almost 6,000 years since Adam) doesn't mesh with what science tells us of the age of humankind, Schroeder sets out to prove that the Bible only picks up the story near the close of human development. Such hermeneutical gymnastics seem strangely outdated and obscure in an often intelligent, cogently argued book. Though respectful of both science and faith, this book is unlikely to convince either scientist or theologian.