The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

Book Description

Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, is one of the world's leading scientists. He works at the cutting edge of the study of DNA, the code of life. Yet he is also a man of unshakable faith in God and scripture. He believes that God cares about us and can intervene in human affairs -- on rare occasions, even miraculously. Collins has personally discovered some of the scientific evidence for the common descent of all living creatures, even though he repudiates the materialist, atheistic worldview argued by many prominent Darwinists.

In short, Dr. Collins provides a satisfying solution for the dilemma that haunts everyone who believes in God and respects science. Faith in God and faith in science can be harmonious -- combined into one worldview. The God that he believes in is a God who can listen to prayers and cares about our souls. The biological science he has advanced is compatible with such a God. For Collins, science does not conflict with the Bible, science enhances it.

For many years Dr. Collins kept his views largely to himself, as he helped oversee the Human Genome Project's stunning sequencing of the code of life. Now, in what may be the most important melding of reason and revelation since C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, Dr. Collins explains himself in detail. The Language of God makes the case for God and for science. Dr. Collins considers and rejects several positions along the spectrum from atheism to young-earth creationism -- including agnosticism and Intelligent Design. Instead, he proposes a new synthesis, a new way to think about an active, caring God who created humankind through evolutionary processes.

He has heard every argument against faith from scientists, and he can refute them. He has also heard the needless rejection of scientific truths by some people of faith, and he can counter that, too. He explains his own journey from atheism to faith, and then takes readers on a stunning tour of modern science to show that physics, chemistry, and biology can all fit together with belief in God and the Bible. The Language of God is essential reading for anyone who wonders about the deepest questions of all: Why are we here? How did we get here? And what does life mean?

Customer Reviews:

gman.......2007-10-14

When I first received this book from a friend, not knowing anything about the book, I was excited to read. I thought there would be some wonderful explanations of DNA (perhaps in layman terms) and its elegance.

Big Disappointment. This book is just a defense of Theistic Evolution. With many of the same tired arguments.

His defense of faith is almost entirely quotes of C.S. Lewis... so please, just read C.S. Lewis.

His defense of Evolution has many of the same arguments we've heard before...

"But how did self-replicating organisms arise in the first place? It is fair to say that at the present time we simply do not know. No current hypothesis comes close to explaining how in the space of a mere 150 million years, the prebiotic environment that existed on planet Earth give rise to life." p. 90

He goes on to explain that someday we may know. Francis, what happens if we find out something different? This feels sort of like the Theory-of-the-Gaps.

"No serious biologist today doubts the theory of evolution to explain the marvelous complexity and diversity of life." p 99

Your basic Tautology argument.

He does a poor job dismantling the creationist and Intelligent Design arguments, basically claiming their arguments simply are not true, without much support.

I believe he tries to make you feel foolish if you do not believe in evolution, or are even attempting to make arguments against it.

There is a small portion of the book which is a bright spot, and I learned something new. That was the appendix, on bioethics, discussing stem cell research and cloning.

In the end, if you're looking for a good textbook on Theistic Evolution, this is the book for you. If not, don't waste your time.

Evolution of a Genetic Scientist.......2007-10-13

This book is a thoughtful, well-reasoned answer to extreme fundamentalists and to the extreme atheistic scientists such as Christopher Hitchins and Richard Dawkins. It is the evolution of a leading scientist from atheist to Christian. I found the book though an interview on Point of inquiry, a podcast devoted to rational humanism.

No Tower of Babel Here.......2007-10-10

The Language of God is genius in Dr. Collins' skill in conveying the complexity of science and the wonder of the divine in easy-to-understand language. No polemics, no rhetoric, just the facts and they logically point to the existence of God. At last, a credible read for both the science-minded and the evangelicals among us.
Suzette Martinez Standring

Believing in God Not a Problem for Scientists and Engineers.......2007-10-08

Having heard Francis Collins speak on this topic several years ago, I eagerly awaited the chance to read this book. I was not disappointed.

This book is one which will be appreciated by every scientist and engineer as being genuine. There is no white-washing science, or diminishing its importance in our world. Collins is a scientist and it is clear that he loves his life's work. And at the same time, he recounts his personal journey to faith in God. He does not leave his intellect behind when he searches for God. Every person's journey is different, but it is fascinating to read an account of how a smart, clear thinker fully reconciles his faith in God with the incredible world that God created, while also recognizing that neither diminishes the other.

As an engineer who also has worked for the Catholic Church, I most enjoyed the parallels that he made between scientific developments and his belief in God. I've found many parallels of my own during my journey and it was a pleasure to read about the connections Collins has discovered.

On the negative side, I found the part on evolution a bit too long. Evolution is a hot button for many people, however, which is probably why he dwelled on it for so many pages. Also, the Appendix had some opinions that were counter to Catholic teaching. But despite these shortcomings, this is a book that will bring much good in helping people realize that God and the world are not "opposites" but rather both co-exist extremely well together! This may be obvious to many of us since God created the world, but not to everyone, yet.

appeals to logical fallacies at key points.......2007-09-30

This book attempts to create a bridge between evolution and the Bible by arguing for theistic evolution, but falls flat through its use of logical fallacies in defense of evolution. Here is a sampling:

p. 99 "No serious biologist today doubts the theory of evolution..." p. 174 "for anyone familiar with the scientific evidence..." This is the "poisoning the well" fallacy, where people who disagree with him are mocked as amateurs or ignorant.

p.199 "Theistic evolution is the dominant position of serious biologists who are also serious believers." Poisoning the well, and Ad Populum. There was a time when 'the earth is flat" was the dominant position of serious people. Did that make it true?

p. 99 "... it is difficult to imagine how one would study life without it (evolution)." Arguing from lack of evidence. I can't imagine it, therefore it cannot exist.

p. 146 "evolution is so overwhelmingly supported by scientific evidence". Tautology, due to the ground rules of science. Science allows only natural causes for observed effects, which rules out supernatural causes, therefore in science the only possible cause of life is evolution.

p. 96 "while there are many imperfections in the fossil record, and many puzzles remain to be solved, virtually all the findings are consistent with the concept of a tree of life of related organisms" (evolution). Aside from the data that disagrees with my view, all the data agrees with my view. The ancient astronomers observed that planets occasionally seemed to reverse direction, which they viewed as an imperfection in their orbits. Scientists later discovered that the imperfections were not in the orbits of the planets, or their data - it was in their wrong framework (geocentric) for interpreting the data. Could evolution be the wrong framework for interpreting the fossil record?

I would not note the logical fallacies, except they are essential to Collins' arguments, and therefore essential to his conclusions.

God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist

Average customer rating:

An excellent analysis!
Another Good Book On The Subject
How do you prove the unprovable?
Pseudoscience and bad history
List of Scientific proof of NO God usefull

God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist
Victor J. Stenger
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
The God Delusion
Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism
Letter to a Christian Nation
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

ASIN: 1591024811

Book Description

Throughout history, arguments for and against the existence of God have been largely confined to philosophy and theology. In the meantime, science has sat on the sidelines and quietly watched this game of words march up and down the field. Despite the fact that science has revolutionized every aspect of human life and greatly clarified our understanding of the world, somehow the notion has arisen that it has nothing to say about the possibility of a supreme being, which much of humanity worships as the source of all reality. Physicist Victor J. Stenger contends that, if God exists, some evidence for this existence should be detectable by scientific means, especially considering the central role that God is alleged to play in the operation of the universe and the lives of humans. Treating the traditional God concept, as conventionally presented in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, like any other scientific hypothesis, Stenger examines all of the claims made for God's existence. He considers the latest Intelligent Design arguments as evidence of God's influence in biology. He looks at human behavior for evidence of immaterial souls and the possible effects of prayer. He discusses the findings of physics and astronomy in weighing the suggestions that the universe is the work of a creator and that humans are God's special creation. After evaluating all the scientific evidence, Stenger concludes that beyond a reasonable doubt the universe and life appear exactly as we might expect if there were no God.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent analysis!.......2007-10-17

Dr. Victor Stenger has made a very solid analysis of religion based on the scientific method. Throughout the book, Dr. Stenger painstakingly goes item by item debunking every conceivable religious argument. The author, as a scientist also leaves the door open to probability. Even when the possibility of a contrarian probability is implausible!

The author has a poignant flair for the classical apologist and pseudo-scientific religious apologists. The book is a required to reading for the serious student of the religious/faith/logic and reason.

Without any reserve, I do recommend the book!

Another Good Book On The Subject .......2007-10-13

I read this book by Stenger in just over an hour. Stenger is correct in his title of the book. The hypothesis of a god does not hold up to any scrutiny. It falls apart and its adherents always fall back on the sacred fictional book known as the bible. Very good book from a well known scientist. Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris are trying to open the eyes of the western world and I applaud them for it. My profession is science and I do hold graduate degrees as does Dawkins and Stenger. This subject and its exposure has long been overdue.

Basically there is no evidence for a supreme being. You may want to consider this.

Some questions you may want to ask yourself as a Christian:

1. Where is heaven? Christians believe in it so it begs the question of "Where is it located specifically or even generally?" In all my studies of astronomy, I can't seem to remember any place labeled heaven. Is it near Saturn or Jupiter?
2. Where is hell? In my studies in geology, I don't remember a place called "Hell" being labeled somewhere on this earth.
3. Where is God? Does he exist somewhere in our solar system or someplace else in the universe? If he exists, he sure makes himself, herself, itself conveniently mysterious and absent.
4. The Islamic god must be more powerful than the Christian god, because the Christian god sure didn't do anything to stop 9/11 from happening. The Christian god didn't lift a finger when more than 6 million people were murdered by the Nazis in concentration camps known as the "Holocaust". Not to mention all the other disasters, diseases and such that have occurred throughout history.
This god seems to impotent and very much absent.

This whole concept of god etc.. is all in your minds, put there by parents, pastors etc... You are basically playing psychological mind games with yourself.

As a PhD myself in the biological sciences, I have given up trying to explain things to Christian fundamentalists and Christians in general regarding their irresponsible disinformation that they put out about science and theories. I have (my own personal experiences) found that many "Christians" will bend, distort and even outright lie about scientific findings in order to twist it so they can either discredit a finding or distort things to the point that they are trying to put a square peg into a round hole. The Christian believe that a "god" created everything and that the bible as factual is an agenda of most Christians. Most Christians I have spoken to do not have the correct definition of "theory" Almost like robots, they recite the rhetoric "Evolution is just a theory" Their meaning that Evolution is just a hunch or a guess, when in fact this is not so.

You throw out the theory of evolution and that throws out the foundations of biology and microbiology. So we throw Darwin's theory, do we start teaching biology from the perspective of the bible and the Christian way of thinking. As scientists, we would scrap it in a heartbeat and replace it with a new theory if it did not work anymore; however, we do not scrap it because the evidence supports Darwin's theory. I have talked to several Christians who say, "The theory of Evolution has been discredited and proven false". Well that's news to me because most of the major universities (i.e.: University of California etc.) teach evolutionary biology. Another disturbing thought process by some Christians is that they also believe that the "Big Bang Theory" has been discredited. News to me again. So you can understand why I do not have time for people who distort the truth.

I find my encounters with Christians as being either having hostility toward those who do not believe in their god or they are very much lacking in basic understanding of biology and science in general, therefore, they express hostility toward science and are very convinced that they are right. If they want to think they are right, that is okay with me, but it is not the atheists and scientists who are knocking on people's doors, congregating in buildings to spread the word. It is the religious who want everyone else to think like them. I do not wish to bend and twist my mind around a bunch of untruths and I am sure many millions of others (Atheists) agree. The thing I find so insidious about the church is the "getting to the children when they are young" Putting this belief into a child's mind when their brains have not fully developed yet. I think this is something that is very bad in our society. So excuse me if I do not have time to convince every die in wool Christian that their thinking is faulty. Unfortunately at this time in history, it is the minority (The Atheists) who has it right. However, hopefully over the next 100 years that will change and the majority will have it right and only a minority will still believe in religion and all it's dogma that surrounds it. People will look back at the late 20th century and early 21st century and not understand why so many held on to a medieval way of thinking. We look back on the people who thought the earth was flat (a majority 300-400 years ago) and wonder how anyone could have such faulty thinking. Hopefully the majority of our citizens will be saying the same thing about us 100 years from now.

I am amazed how aggressive some(not all) Christians get if you challenge their belief in this "God". Why does this all powerful "God" need you to come to his/her/it's or whatever defense.

Postscript: A friend of mine asked me in a joking manner. So if you get married and divorced and then remarry. Do you meet both of your ex-wives in heaven and how about if you end up getting remarried to your first wife after something happens to your second wife (Passes away, divorce). So who are you meeting up there in heaven he asked me. Good question I answered. I guess the Christians will know.

How do you prove the unprovable?.......2007-10-10

Stenger has bitten off a large argument here, and done a fairly admirable job at tackling certain aspects of it, but his larger premise is faulty based on his belief that humans, at present, have the ability to disprove the existence of a supreme being. While I agree with some of his goals, he takes it one step too far. Rational scientific evidence suggests that a god does not exist, and never has. This, however, is far from conclusive. Strong atheism requires almost as much faith as fundamentalism.

Perhaps the day will come when human knowledge will be such that we can provide a scientific proof against the existence of a god, but that day has not yet arrived. Stenger can disprove the "proofs" of the faithful quite convincingly, but that is all. The larger question remains unanswered, and will for some time; perhaps for all time.

Conversely, Stenger IS convincing in his assertions against religious visitations, miracles, and the answering of prayers. These are mythical stories perpetuated by those who want to believe. In all cases of so-called miracles there is a logical scientific alternate explanation. Remember Occam's Razor: the simplest solution should be the right one. Are we to believe a scientific explanation, or call it divine? Science is simpler and makes much more sense. Same goes for prayers allegedly being answered.

As for the historical evidence of the resurrection, I'm afraid the tales in ancient books of mythology do little to sway me. Many have faith that it, along with other biblical claims, did indeed happen. Faith does not equal proof.

Perhaps a god does exist, and perhaps he/she/it did create the universe. The limits of human knowledge at present are such that this can neither be proven nor disproved. However, the burden of proof is on the faithful. If I claim that the Loch Ness Monster exists, I need to provide some proof. It is not the job of unbelievers to disprove my assertion. While I find Stenger's arguments interesting, we as a species do not yet have the ability to irrefutably claim that god does not, or never has existed. Just as the faithful cannot prove that a god does exist. Perhaps we should stop trying and just agree to disagree.

Whether a god exists or not, there is substantial evidence that such a god does not intervene in worldly affairs. The stories of divine intervention on Earth have a more rational, scientific explanation. For example, Dr. Michael Persinger offers a reasonable explanation for why people can feel as though they have communed with a divine spirit. Did the Virgin Mary really appear in a grilled cheese sandwich, or is there a more rational explanation? Did Moses really see a god in a burning bush, or did he perhaps make it up? He may even have been schizophrenic. Again, Occam's Razor.

My basic point is that we can't prove that a supreme being does not exist. The evidence against it leads me to believe that a god does not exist, but this is far from conclusive. However, there is ample convincing evidence against such a god being involved in the daily happenings of its creation.

Let's say, for sake of argument, that there was a god that created the universe. What has he been up to since then? Scientific evidence indicates that he/she/it has left the universe to its own devices. Is he collecting unemployment insurance? Did he tire himself out and decide to sleep away the eons? Is he like an innocent bystander who just doesn't want to get involved? Did he figure he was finished his work and willed himself out of existence? Did he die? We can't know.

IF a god created the universe, then I guess he deserves our thanks. So, just in case, "Thanks, dude." That is all you will get from me. Daily or weekly groveling and prayer accomplishes nothing tangible, from my perspective. For the faithful, it can act as a shield against the some of the universe's harsh realities. It can also compel less thoughtful individuals to live more ethically.

As for me, I believe and accept that this is the only life I have, so I should live it fully. I can live a moral life without divine guidance. Unlike militant atheists, I can also respect the beliefs of those who disagree with me. If faith provides you with comfort and/or guidance, who am I to try and convince you otherwise? Unless you are a Scientologist, in which case I might want to call you a wack-job.

I am uncertain that strong atheism does anything to further the cause of rational scientific thought. It merely polarizes viewpoints, resulting in, as an example, a mixture of five-star and one-star reviews.

Many strong atheists see the faithful as deluded and irrational, while fundamentalists see atheists in a similar light. One interesting difference between the two groups is who holds the political power in the United States. The first President Bush once made a claim that atheists should not be considered citizens and not have the right to vote; how very enlightened from a man who once had control of a nuclear arsenal.

The atheist/agnostic movement has much to overcome to be accepted by society at large. I am not convinced that this book will help the cause.

Pseudoscience and bad history.......2007-10-07

Firstly, I would just like to point out that Professor Stenger has no historical credentials whatsoever. He is a physicist and an astronomer, not a historian! It is quite apparent that the little historical research he did, if any, is extremely skewed and faulty.

Secondly, I would like to mention how science cannot disprove any event in history, such as the resurrection of Christ. It is pseudoscientific to the extreme if any scientist attempts to do so! What happened in history happened, regardless of where science takes us.

I will now reveal the most important historical fallacies Stenger made in this book. The first historical error in this book is the claim that no extra-biblical records corroborating the darkness and earthquake during the crucifixion of Jesus exist. That is simply incorrect! There were two ancient Greek historians, who were extremely critical to the early church, who acknowledge this event in their writings. Thallus writes that this darkness was the result of an eclipse, even though he tries to explain the reason he is indeed aware of this event in history. Another Greek historian, Phlegon, also describes the darkness and the earthquake as well. He includes in his writing that the earthquake destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and killed thousands of cattle. He also includes the fact that the entire Mediterranean area was affected by the darkness.

Another major fallacy in Professor Stenger's book is his reliance on the King James Version of the Bible. I would just like to point to the fact that the KJV Bible has been shown to contain several fatal misinterpretations of the original manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments. This is due to the fact that when the KJV was written, the writers had a scarce amount of the original manuscripts. Today, we have a vast amount of the original manuscripts, thanks to archaeology. The KJV Bible should no longer be used as a source of information!

Dr. Stenger's third error, more of a speculation, in his book is the claim that some of the prophecies from the Old Testament were not fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Now, the ancient Jews thought that the fulfillment of prophecies in the time of the messiah would depend upon Israel's moral state. When Jesus of Nazareth came, he fulfilled about half of the prophecies from the Hebrew Bible. The rest of the New Testament shows that the second half of the prophecies will be fulfilled at the end of time, when Christ comes again. It is a matter of time which describes how the prophecies were, and will be, fulfilled, not Israel's moral state or a "failure" of certain prophecies!

List of Scientific proof of NO God usefull.......2007-10-06

I find the lists of Scientific proof that there is NO God are very usefull when countering the pig-ignorant primitive superstition of christians.

The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and Gods

Average customer rating:

Nicely done, accessible account of the human brain
Entertaining?
A Very Refreshing Book On Brain Science
A Perspective-Changing Read about the Brain
For your thinking and reading friends....

The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and Gods
David J. Linden
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts
The Art Spirit
Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research

ASIN: 0674024788

Book Description

You've probably seen it before: a human brain dramatically lit from the side, the camera circling it like a helicopter shot of Stonehenge, and a modulated baritone voice exalting the brain's elegant design in reverent tones.

To which this book says: Pure nonsense. In a work at once deeply learned and wonderfully accessible, the neuroscientist David Linden counters the widespread assumption that the brain is a paragon of design--and in its place gives us a compelling explanation of how the brain's serendipitous evolution has resulted in nothing short of our humanity. A guide to the strange and often illogical world of neural function, The Accidental Mind shows how the brain is not an optimized, general-purpose problem-solving machine, but rather a weird agglomeration of ad-hoc solutions that have been piled on through millions of years of evolutionary history. Moreover, Linden tells us how the constraints of evolved brain design have ultimately led to almost every transcendent human foible: our long childhoods, our extensive memory capacity, our search for love and long-term relationships, our need to create compelling narrative, and, ultimately, the universal cultural impulse to create both religious and scientific explanations. With forays into evolutionary biology, this analysis of mental function answers some of our most common questions about how we've come to be who we are.

Customer Reviews:

Nicely done, accessible account of the human brain.......2007-08-08

David Linden's "The Accidental Mind" is a neat little book. He has two main purposes: (a) to write a readable introduction on brain science, accessible to nonspecialists; (b) to make the case that (page 6) `. . .the brain is an inelegant and inefficient agglomeration of stuff, which nonetheless works surprisingly well." As to the first point, this volume is a far cry from the magnificent work, Michael Gazzaniga's The Cognitive Neurosciences III: Third Edition. However, if one is not well steeped in knowledge and understanding of the neurosciences, Gazzaniga's edited work is close to impenetrable. This book is well and crisply written, explaining simply how neurons work the structure of the brain, how the brain develops, and so on.

As to the second point? He asserts that, quoting Francois Jacob (Page 6), "'Evolution is a tinkerer, not an engineer." That is, evolution operates on organisms as they are and then the process of change takes advantage of the material already existent to adapt to new conditions and challenges. Thus, the human brain is mounted on older, more primitive structures, in an ill fitting complex. As he says (page 21): "The brain is built like an ice cream cone (and you are the top scoop): Through evolutionary time, as higher functions were added, a new scoop was placed on top, but the lower scoops were left largely unchanged."

Thereafter, he speaks of the structure of the brain, how the fully mature human brain develops (with both nature and nurture having roles to play), how the brain is associated with all manner of emotions, learning, religion, and so on.

The Ninth chapter has a title that speaks directly to Linden's first theme--"The Unintelligent Design of the Brain." Here, he slyly critiques advocates of the "Intelligent Design" perspective by noting that the brain is hardly an exemplar of some great design. As noted already, he sees the brain as inefficient and "jury-rigged."

This is a book that provides plenty of insight into how neuroscientists study the structure and function of the brain--and presents some of the exciting possibilities for future research.

In sum, this is a work that ought to be attended to by those interested in the brain sciences, but who cannot readily read the technical literature.

Entertaining?.......2007-07-30

This is a great book for readers who are interested in an overview of the anatomical and physiological functions of the brain. If you have had any previous A+P, this book may give you flashbacks (and does a good job of explaining how those feelings were "created.") You may even recognise many of the examples and case studies right from classic lectures.
If you are approaching "The Accidental Mind" as pure entertainment, enjoy. If you are looking for juicier or more in depth case studies, keep browsing.

A Very Refreshing Book On Brain Science.......2007-07-18

The addition of this review is to fill in one gap in particular. Dr. Linden is the first scientific author I have read in quite a while that wasn't flip with schools of thought. He has distilled research with varied hypothesis and has enough respect for his field and the reader to frankly state when "We just don't know." My only regret is that Dr. Linden didn't make this book the "larger tomb" he mentions when wrapping up the research that didn't make it into the book. Highly recommended to anyone who is mystified by belief and dreams.

A Perspective-Changing Read about the Brain.......2007-07-04

Why do we sleep? What is love? What is happening when we dream? These questions seem so basic to our human experience, and yet the average person in at a complete loss to explain even the most common of our daily experiences. This is where the Accidental Mind comes in. Linden's book offers a refreshingly different perspective on the brain. After reading this book, you will have a much better understanding of how your brain shapes your experience, it's limitations, and what is going on "behind the curtain." Intelligence, gender identity, sexuality, are all covered with an eye to how these factors play out in the architecture of the brain.

This book also provides a great deal of information on the biological basis for issues that are being debated in our culture, which many people will find enlightening and necessary for making informed comments.

If you are considering picking up this book, read Chapter 7 on sleep, available for free from Linden's website:

[...]

While the book may sometimes goes into great detail on the biology, most readers will find plenty of compelling information in these pages. People who enjoy this book and are interested in some of the practical insights that new research is providing about humans, how we work, and practical advice for improving our lives should check out The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt.

Happy reading!

For your thinking and reading friends...........2007-05-31

I found The Accidental Mind a well written, humorous and thought-provoking introduction to neuroscience and to some profound ideas about evolution and other topics. It's the kind of book that makes you interrupt your partner's reading every five minutes with "Hey, listen to this...." If Dr. Linden lectures as entertainingly and interestingly as he writes, his classes at Johns Hopkins University must be in great demand.

In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India

Average customer rating:

Beating the Odds
A must read for anyone trying to understand modern India
To spite the Gods?
Bad statistic
Highly Recommended. Witty. Insightful. Modern.

In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India
Edward Luce
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Policy & Current Events | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

China Shakes the World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future -- and the Challenge for America
Planet India: How the Fastest Growing Democracy Is Transforming America and the World
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
Sacred Games: A Novel
The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us

ASIN: 0385514743
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Book Description

India remains a mystery to many Americans, even as it is poised to become the world’s third largest economy within a generation, outstripping Japan. It will surpass China in population by 2032 and will have more English speakers than the United States by 2050. In In Spite of the Gods, Edward Luce, a journalist who covered India for many years, makes brilliant sense of India and its rise to global power. Already a number-one bestseller in India, his book is sure to be acknowledged for years as the definitive introduction to modern India.

In Spite of the Gods illuminates a land of many contradictions. The booming tech sector we read so much about in the West, Luce points out, employs no more than one million of India’s 1.1 billion people. Only 35 million people, in fact, have formal enough jobs to pay taxes, while three-quarters of the country lives in extreme deprivation in India’s 600,000 villages. Yet amid all these extremes exists the world’s largest experiment in representative democracy—and a largely successful one, despite bureaucracies riddled with horrifying corruption.

Luce shows that India is an economic rival to the U.S. in an entirely different sense than China is. There is nothing in India like the manufacturing capacity of China, despite the huge potential labor force. An inept system of public education leaves most Indians illiterate and unskilled. Yet at the other extreme, the middle class produces ten times as many engineering students a year as the United States. Notwithstanding its future as a major competitor in a globalized economy, American. leaders have been encouraging India’s rise, even welcoming it into the nuclear energy club, hoping to balance China’s influence in Asia.

Above all, In Spite of the Gods is an enlightening study of the forces shaping India as it tries to balance the stubborn traditions of the past with an unevenly modernizing present. Deeply informed by scholarship and history, leavened by humor and rich in anecdote, it shows that India has huge opportunities as well as tremendous challenges that make the future “hers to lose.”

Customer Reviews:

Beating the Odds.......2007-10-13

edward luce's journalistic writing style makes this book an easy read. it does a good job of putting into context the "hindu rate of growth" that existed for so long after india regained her independence. but just as a big ship takes longer to change direction than a smaller boat, so does a large, diverse country that has been steeped in tradition and religious constraints for so many centuries.

similarly, just as greed and selfishness are unfortunate bi-products of capitalism gone wild in the new world, so is "caste-ism" and corruption of an economic system based on social classes which has been the rule for thousands of years. yet, as the author points out, it is this very tradition and sense of history that will keep the balloon of prosperity which has been unleashed, to remain tethered to the ground as it finds it's way into the modern skies.

in summary, the book is a good bridge from the old to the new and a good primer for anyone interested in understanding the paradox of modern india.

A must read for anyone trying to understand modern India.......2007-09-18

This is an important book on modern India. Edward Luce has been a foreign correspondent in India for many years and knows the country well. He provides a comprehensive survey of the politics and economics of India going into the 21st century. I was initially disappointed by the opening pages dealing with a few new-age types living in luxury and marveling at the spirituality of India while completely ignoring the poverty. Reading on I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this was only an introduction to demonstrate what is wrong with many Westerner's perception of India. The book provides an unflinching look at India, warts and all. While some sections may seem overly critical, we live in an imperfect world and the same things are wrong in many other countries, to a greater or lesser extent. The rest of the world continues to function and even prosper and India does so too. The book also discusses the huge untapped potential of the country and the things that need to happen to assure future growth and development. I found the chapters on recent changes in religious practices and the rise of fundamentalism very eye-opening. The significance of attributing the domestication of the horse to the Indus Valley civilization is fascinating (I won't give this one away). In Spite of the Gods is a must read for anyone trying to understand modern India.

To spite the Gods?.......2007-09-15

I picked up this book when I was on a trip, mainly because of the intriguing title. I thought, well, here is someone who will tell us how our Gods hold us back economically. Especially, as many of us worship Lakshmi ji, the Goddess of prosperity, every day!

As it turns out, I was quite wrong. The title has absolutely no connection with the contents of the book, except perhaps to insinuate that India has progressed economically despite being religious. Or to help along sales. [Do note the rhyming with the original expression 'in spite of the odds'. Possibly Mr. Luce thinks that Hindu Gods were holding back India's progress, or that perhaps they are the real odds?]

The book is more or less a compilation of wisdom received from the author's Indian friends, and select social circle. I was unable to find any original insight or conclusion in the book. However, Mr. Luce does present the old and tired wisdom of assorted Indian intellectuals in a refreshingly witty way. In the end, the book is just a large collection of articles, such as you would find in any weekly or fortnightly newsmagazine or in any mainstream English language newspaper published in India. This is understandable, given the fact that Mr. Luce, after all is merely a journalist, used to regurgitating what others tell him. There is some useful information though, including tidbits about the high and mighty of Indian establishment.

Expectedly, Mr. Luce is most positive about and impressed with the economic side of Indian growth. He cites any number of examples of the growing economic strength and its implications. There may not be anything new in this, but the endorsement sounds nice, coming from a Western journalist.

However, his views on the cultural and religious aspects are a different thing altogether. He mostly holds the majority community as being directly responsible for India's perceived cultural backwardness, for the condition of the women and children, and for the distressing law and order situation. He also suggests that Bajrang Dal has been responsible for two out of three major riots in the last 25 years (the third being laid at the door of Congress). However, this is mere reductionism - he conveniently ignores hundreds of small riots which break out every year across India, on the slightest pretext.

This liberal confusion continues: when it comes to dealing with Muslims, he suddenly switches the canvas to South Asia, from just India! This serves two purposes: first it helps him cover the pre-1947 developments. Second, it allows him to include Kashmir in the discussion. Dealing with Kashmir within the framework of India would have perhaps been sacrilegious?

That said, it is therefore surprising to see an endorsement of the book by Mr. Mark Tully, whose work is as close to Mr. Luce's as North Pole is to South Pole. Perhaps Mr. Tully was merely helping along a fellow Briton. Or perhaps he was made to sign the endorsement using some frightfully sinister threat...

The book is very nicely bound, and the printing and paper is quite pleasing. So is Mr. Luce's writing style, humorous and engaging. However, sometimes it is a little tiring also, as you (as an Indian) sometimes feel that you are the [...]. of his jokes and gratuitous insinuations.

Buy this book if you quickly want to update yourself on the current perceptions of the fashionable and the intellectual. Skip it if you want to learn anything worthwhile.

Bad statistic.......2007-09-10

In discussing the low ratio of girls to boys, the author states that, in the West, there are 105 girls born for every 100 boys. That is not true. Even in the West, there are more boys born than girls. The numbers should be reversed.

Highly Recommended. Witty. Insightful. Modern. .......2007-08-22

I think some of the reviewers have done a good job of breaking down the book, so I'll just offer an opinion.

This is by far my favorite book this year, and not because I agree with everything the author has to say, but because I felt it was a good starting point for someone with little knowledge of India. It's filled with insightful information, humor, and does not read like some monotonous-tedious-textbook that drags on longer than it should.

I like that the author asks questions I would have liked to have asked, had I been there to do the interview. And I was impressed with the number of high positioned people he was able to interview. I appreciate that it's a modern book, and it deals with today's issues, explaining events that have happened in recent years that have been in the news, or haven't been. I didn't mind the author's opinionated views, and I don't quite understand why people think books have to be written from a neutral standpoint, which is a difficult thing to do, and most of the time leaves a book sounding dry.

This is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone. It's easy to read, filled with a lot of information, and gives you a good overview of what's going on with India. It certainly sparks an interest to read other books on the subject.

The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God

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Carl keeps it real
Cosmicly Awesome
Classic Sagan
Elegant & Eloquent
Inside the Mind of Sagan

The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
Carl Sagan
Manufacturer: Penguin Press HC, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The God Delusion
God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Letter to a Christian Nation
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

ASIN: 1594201072

Book Description

On the 10th anniversary of his death, brilliant astrophysisist and Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sagan's prescient exploration of the relationship between religion and science and his personal search for God.

Carl Sagan is considered one of the greatest scientific minds of our time. His remarkable ability to explain science in terms easily understandable to the layman in bestselling books such as Cosmos, The Dragons of Eden, and The Demon-Haunted World won him a Pulitzer Prize and placed him firmly next to Isaac Asimov, Stephen Jay Gould, and Oliver Sachs as one of the most important and enduring communicators of science. In December 2006 it will be the tenth anniversary of Sagan's death, and Ann Druyan, his widow and longtime collaborator, will mark the occasion by releasing Sagan's famous "Gifford Lectures in Natural Theology," The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God.

The chance to give the Gifford Lectures is an honor reserved for the most distinguished scientists and philosophers of our civilization. In 1985, on the grand occasion of the centennial of the lectureship, Carl Sagan was invited to give them. He took the opportunity to set down in detail his thoughts on the relationship between religion and science as well as to describe his own personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos.

The Varieties of Scientific Experience, edited, updated and with an introduction by Ann Druyan, is a bit like eavesdropping on a delightfully intimate conversation with the late great astronomer and astrophysicist. In his charmingly down-to-earth voice, Sagan easily discusses his views on topics ranging from manic depression and the possibly chemical nature of transcendance to creationism and so-called intelligent design to the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets to the likelihood of nuclear annihilation of our own to a new concept of science as "informed worship." Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, he illuminates his explanations with examples from cosmology, physics, philosophy, literature, psychology, cultural anthropology, mythology, theology, and more. Sagan's humorous, wise, and at times stunningly prophetic observations on some of the greatest mysteries of the cosmos have the invigorating effect of stimulating the intellect, exciting the imagination, and reawakening us to the grandeur of life in the cosmos.

Customer Reviews:

Carl keeps it real.......2007-08-06

This is great piece of literature from a brilliant man. You do not need a scientific background to appreciate and understand the points of view Carl Sagan puts forth in his explanations of the universe and his personal search for God. Highly recommended.

Cosmicly Awesome.......2007-08-04

Carl Sagan was undeniably one of the great minds of our time. This series of lectures, given as the famous Gifford Lectures in Scotland, continuously awes one. Even when the material is stuff you already know, he brings a freshness, a joyfulness, a playfulness to it that puts a new spin on the ideas.
No matter how much astronomy you've read, no matter how much physics you've read, this book will toy with your mind, put a sparkle in your eye, and give you new reasons to look to the heavens of a night.

Classic Sagan.......2007-08-01

I was captivated by the title, the play on the original wording. In these lectures, Sagan discusses and compares religion and science, differences, expectations, areas of agreement and disagreement and finally the notion of scientific evidence for a supernatural creator. I would hope that Sagan, were he still alive, would reject the anti-religious crusades by high-profile scientists like Dawkins, Smith & Dennett. He always sought compromise (in the spirit of his friend the late great Stephen Gould) and persuasion as opposed to the near evangelical proselytizing of those obsessed with the subject. Vivir y dejar vivir!

Carl was a rationalist, a wonderer, an unbeliever who put the "I" in intellectual, a genius plain and simple. One can forgive some of the material - it was 1985 and Sagan, with other "progressive" scientists, were in a massive anti-Reagan campaign to keep US nukes out of Europe. Anyhoo, the weapons were stationed, the USSR immediately disintegrated and the incident passed into history. Sagan, like the rest of us, is victim to his own prejudices and opinions. In his case it was his deep belief in the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence over the almost unanimous disbelief of biologists. (His book, CONTACT, is still one of my favorites- as is the stunning movie.)

We went so far as to publicly lobby for SETI funds yet 22 years later we have yet to find a single signal despite tens of millions of searches. This is not surprising to many since the unique conditions for the rise of intelligence on Earth depended on a path of millions of tiny steps, all of which led to our present juncture. Four of these were global catastrophes after which the structure of life began anew. He asks if life evolved on Earth or came from space. He then discusses the UFO craze (seriously) and concludes that (1) Earth has never been visited by aliens and (2) no UFO sighting was authentic. The old Fermi question, "If they exist where are they?" is still apropos with the most obvious answer being the most plausible - we are the first and only, at least in this galaxy. A recent explanation opines that all civilization eventually discard biological bodies in favor of virtual ones. More to the point, would civilizations millions of years more advanced use radio waves? (New search techniques have since been included.)

He tells the story of how humanity was dethroned from our position of uniqueness. Earth is not the center of the Universe, the sun is just a star, we evolved from other species, all life on Earth had a common ancestor. He asks why an omniscent being would wait 4.5 billion years to bring about sentience or what is the purpose of creating millions of species only to have them go extinct? He suggests that civilization extinction could be the reason for the cosmic silence. The book is filled with beautiful illustrations and the speeches are the model of clarity. Carl, we miss you.

Elegant & Eloquent.......2007-07-16

The late Carl Sagan's Gifford lectures are reproduced in this short volume. Despite its brevity, Sagan reminds us of the beauty and wonder of the Universe as revealed by science, the connections to all living things that Darwin's discoveries about evolution gave us, the healthy skepticism that we should all maintain when others make extraordinary claims (they require extraordinary proofs). As a layperson, I find Sagan's explanations understandable and as an avid reader, I find his eloquence amazing.

Inside the Mind of Sagan.......2007-06-27

...incredibly personal, informative and entertaining.
This is one of those MUST READ books. And to think it was almost lost...
Thank you, Ann for this most wonderful work.

Cosmic Jackpot: Why Our Universe Is Just Right for Life

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Reading Jackpot
A good exposition of physical theories for the uninitiated
Almost there!
A summary of the cutting edge ideas
broad

Cosmic Jackpot: Why Our Universe Is Just Right for Life
Paul Davies
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The FIFTH MIRACLE: The Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life
Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World
Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang
The Physics of Christianity
Many Worlds in One: The Search for Other Universes

ASIN: 0618592261

Book Description

People have long gazed in wonder at the universe and asked, Why are we here? Until recently, the answer has been the province of priests and philosophers, but now scientists are starting to weigh in with ideas that are both surprising and deeply controversial. In his new book, physicist Paul Davies shows how recent scientific discoveries point to a perplexing fact: many basic features of the physical universeâ€” from the speed of light to the most humble carbon atomâ€”seem tailor-made to produce life. A radical new theory says itâ€™s because our universe is just one of an infinite number of universes, each one slightly different. Our universe is bio-friendly by accident; we just happened to win the cosmic jackpot. While this multiverse theory is compelling, it has bizarre implications, from infinite copies of each of us to Matrix-like simulated universes. Davies believes thereâ€™s a more satisfying solution to the question of existence: the observations we make today could help shape the nature of reality in the remote past. If this is true, then life and, ultimately, consciousness arenâ€™t just incidental byproducts of nature, but central players in the formation of the universe.

Customer Reviews:

Reading Jackpot.......2007-10-02

Very interesting reading, captivating topics, most definitely a great source of reflection. Without diminishing the fascination of the big bang and inflation theories, I enjoyed more the second half, related to the fundamental questions about Universe and Existence. I found out for the first time about a possible Self-Explaining and Self-Determined Universe, where our existence could have a special and privileged meaning. Some parts of the book seemed a bit inclined towards dry classifications as opposed to elaborate dissertations "Elegant Universe" style.

A good exposition of physical theories for the uninitiated.......2007-10-02

Having read his scientific arguments in the rest of the book, I was somewhat surprised (although he says his inclinations "will be clear") by the author's concluding section (p.267), where he states, "I do take life, mind, and purpose seriously, and I concede that the universe at least appears[italicized word] to be designed with a high level of ingenuity".

Elsewhere (p.196) he contrastingly says, "If there is a designer, then this being is clearly not micromanaging the process very well", and alleges some "design flaws". Interestingly, he also writes (p.192) that biological organisms "look nothing short of miraculous. The many and diverse components function together in a coherent and amazingly orchestrated manner", and that the living cell contains "exquisite examples of nanotechnology", and so forth.

To add to these conflicting observations, the author downgrades the Intelligent Design movement, an American defense of the idea that organisms have an intelligent designer. Perhaps he does so because he is British, since other Brits have that attitude, but what seems truly unfortunate is that the Intelligent Design group is the only one he denigrates with name-calling. He speaks of their being "political" (p.284n.8), their "propaganda" (p.196), not to mention "confusions".

Not to be misunderstood, I love Americans and Brits equally (I am of middle-European Jewish birth), but I consider the Intelligent Design group just as honorable and intelligent as others, though I hold, like other cases, its arguments deficient. Presently, my concentration is on the author discussed, and I find numerous weaknesses in his argumentation.

He puts special emphasis on the concept of explanation. To him every fact must be explained; otherwise it must be "taken on faith" (p.217). He illustrates this on that page and the preceding one with humorous pictures in which the Earth is "explained by a deeper reality" of resting on an elephant, the elephant explained by resting on a turtle, which rests on another turtle, and, to "avoid infinite regress", last is "a levitating super-turtle, which is self-explaining and self-supporting".

The trouble is that the author is unclear about what he means by "explanation", by a "reason", and why some is always necessary. There exist various "reasons". A most common one is giving a cause for an event. Another one is giving a proof for a logical or mathematical proposition. All these have the purpose of satisfying some desire for resulting knowledge. But much of knowledge is gained directly, without explanation, by for instance any immediate perception of something. Laws pertaining to things are likewise often learned from experience, without need of further explanation, unless an underlying broader law might be helpful. The point is that once certain facts are learned, they become objects of knowledge, whether or not one learns more about them. If accordingly the existence of God, considered as a "super-turtle", is the question, it is beside the point whether or not "God exists reasonlessly" (p.219).

Returning to the first-mentioned last section (p.267), the author disputes there a like "exist reasonlessly", but this time appears to connote an additional sense of "a reason", namely "a purpose". He evidently means that, with the universe "a package of marvels", he takes "life [and] mind...seriously" as resulting by some "purpose", saying, "It seems to me that there is a genuine scheme of things--the universe is 'about' something". However, in Darwinian fashion he says, "I do not believe Homo sapiens to be more than an accidental by-product of haphazard natural processes". Here goes inconsistency again; he believes in both, life (and mind) as purposeful and as accidental.

Let me observe for one again that mind, consciousness, is the medium by which all reality is known. One is reminded of Berkeley's dictum, "To be is to be perceived" (Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues (Oxford World's Classics)). It is hard to explain how a world can be certain to exist if unperceived, that is without live beings like us perceiving it. As regards life itself, in that last section the reviewed author wonders about a "life principle", and one can indeed speak of life in terms of purpose, as I have tried to convey in reviews before and especially, among other issues concerning knowledge, in my book On Proof for Existence of God, and Other Reflective Inquiries. Unlike held by scientists for whom, as the author notes in that section, "any suggestion of a teleological (purposive) trend...is anathema", purpose in life is so glaringly staring us in the face that it may be for that reason this purpose is completely overlooked: All of life is characterized by its unceasing purpose of action toward self-preservation.

It is satisfying to me that the author considers at least this "half-glimpsed life principle". He, as indicated, is besides lucidly informative of contemporary theories, even if I personally question the correctness of a number of them. I accordingly gladly recommend the book for its educational worth.

Almost there!.......2007-09-19

This is the first popular cosmology book I have read in years. (They were getting a bit samey - big bang, quantum theory, multiverse etc etc.) But this book is an interesting addition to the genre. Anyone reading this, whether a born-again Christian or a convinced MWI atheist, will have his thoughts well and truly provoked.
I get the feeling that we are almost there. Just one little brainwave away from linking consciousness and the universe to explain the whole shebang. If it comes to me, I'll let you know.

A summary of the cutting edge ideas.......2007-09-01

This book talks about everything that is known about cosmology as of 2007. The author argues with an anthropic bias, the theories of the origin of the universe. He tries to make sense of the many questions, like why we are here, why the universe is as we see it, what is it that breaths fire into the equations etc. In the light of all theories about the universe, the author attempts a synopsis of which one makes more sense than the other. Again his main criterion is which theory gives life, mind and consciousness a priority and tries to incorporate them as a fundamental thing in universe. He also argues for the Goldilocks universe, that is everything in this universe looks too right for life to evolve, saying that any theory that talks about the origin of the universe must explain these anthropic conditions. Theory of Multiverse is just a Platonic scapegoat to all these questions. This book teaches you not to indulge into too much of mathematics, but to pause and ponder where are we heading and also what are we doing, and ask oneself the question whether it all makes sense or not.

broad.......2007-08-31

Very good in all respect. Broad and up to date view of the universe and a deep discussion of the problem (or solution) of God. Religions, long time ago, tried to explain the creation of the world and science took this task afterwards. The bigbang and a single universe extremely biofriendly (why?)seems almost an probabilistic absurd (without God). Than (using strig theories) science invented (or discovery)a multiverse, whith an infinity number of diferent universes, and ours is one of them. Whith an infinity number, some should be biofriendly. But this also is problematic because send the problem a step backward. The solution (up to now) is a loop, a self creating universe cosmos/life/mind/cosmos ...

Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's History

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America, the Christian Nation Under God
Rediscovering God in America
faith is still here...
Outstanding
Great CD!

Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's History
Newt Gingrich
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1591454824

Book Description

A simple walk through Washington, D.C. began a profound journey of personal discovery and renewal for Newt Gingrich, one of America's most influential politicians and commentators. At theÂ National Archives, the immortal words from the Declaration of Independence that we "are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights," jumped off the page and into his heart with the simple truth that from day one in our country's history, the Author of freedom was not the state nor even the Founding Fathers. Our basic human rights and freedoms were-and are-"Creator-endowed." Gingrich sounds a clarion call for us to recognize that the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that we hold so dear are inseparable from a sincere and humble acknowledgement that these gifts are only the Creator's to give. As a bonus, the book includes a "walking tour" of Washington, D.C.

Customer Reviews:

America, the Christian Nation Under God .......2007-09-26

This book was another top notch, highly informative conservative-traditionalist volume that speaks the truth that America is indeed a Christian Judeo nation at heart.

It is so vitally important for American culture to return to our moral religious values, and seek the historical truth that indeed the Founders were very spiritual people who upheld very Christian ideals in springing to life the American nation.

While Thomas Jefferson was a Deist (not an Atheist but one who believed that God had sprung the universe into life with little involvement in the affairs of man), many of the founders themselves were personally brought up in the Christian tradition. I can recall the miracle on Christmas when George Washington crossed the Delaware River to storm the Hessian base camp, or his Thanksgiving Day prayer.

One can come to the logical conclusion that the inspiration of the American idea was spawned from the both the secular notions of the Enlightenment era, and the philosophies of Christianity.

Regardless of those extremists out there who try to twist history into something that it wasn't for PC reasons or their own personal contempt for American Christian ideals, there is no United States of America with out the traditions and philosophies of Jesus Christ.

God, the Ten Commandments, & the teachings of the lord Jesus Christ will always be apart of America.

This is one fantastic book worth your time and money.

Rediscovering God in America.......2007-09-10

The book is an excellent reminder of the source of strength and wisdom that all our founders looked to as they made decisions concerning the founding of America. There is a clear discussion of the separations issue and the foolish conclusion that our leaders did not want God a part of public life. It reminds us of the importance that all leaders in the first 100 years of the country place on Christian faith.

faith is still here..........2007-07-26

Millionaire in 365 Days: The Daily Plan to Get There

America is the MOST faith based country in the world....But ???

Newt is such an interesting guy...it is worth reading to get a sense of the history of how our country's founders and there on saw faith as part of America.....buy it, if you have faith in America as well...

Outstanding.......2007-07-21

I read with interest how our founding fathers consistently built buildings with the reminders that there is a Supreme being, God, who has blessed us with this country, our constitution, and our democracy. There are so many nihilists around us that would destroy all of this. Evil does lurk in this world. A well writtent book, succinct but accurate with historical facts.

Great CD!.......2007-07-16

This CD is very helpful for anyone visiting our nation's capitol. I wish we'd had it before our visit.

The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God

Average customer rating:

Solid Introduction to Scientific Evidences For God
Pared down version
Good Introductory Material
An eye opening book
Repels Reason

The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God
Lee Strobel
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
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Case for Christ, The

ASIN: 0310240506

Amazon.com

Are Christianity and science incompatible? If there is a God, is he only an impersonal starter force? An introductory high school biology class first propelled Lee Strobel toward a life of atheism. God and science, he reasoned, were mutually exclusive. When the former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune converted to Christianity, he decided to investigate the science he had once accepted as truth. Did science point toward or away from God? As Strobel interviews a variety of scientists on everything from debunking evolutionary icons to the implications of the Big Bang to the existence of the human soul, he builds his case: scientific evidence points toward Intelligent Design.

Although the discussion often veers into the academic, Strobel works hard to make it accessible to those without scientific training. Throughout the book, he salts interview transcript information with interesting personal stories of his own spiritual and scientific quest for knowledge, as well as sometimes over-detailed descriptions of the actual interviews (right down to the type of beverages consumed). Each chapter contains suggestions for further reading on particular issues of science and faith.

Strobel concludes that, when correctly interpreted, science and biblical teaching support each other. He quotes physicist Paul Davies, "…science offers a surer path to God than religion." Open-minded readers will find that this book, and its questions for reflection and group study, invites conversation and investigation.--Cindy Crosby

Book Description

Lee Strobel investigates the latest scientific discoveries to see whether they form a solid basis for believing in God.

Customer Reviews:

Solid Introduction to Scientific Evidences For God.......2007-09-23

This is a solid introduction to the scientific evidences for the existence of God.

It contains numerous arguments from various disciplines inluding physics, astronomy, cosmology, and biochemistry. The author does a masterful job of poking holes in evolutionary theory and naturalistic explanations of the origins of the universe, life, etc. This is summed up by former Texas A&M University professor Walter Bradley, who said: 'I think people who believe that life emerged naturalistically need to have a great deal more faith than people who reasonably infer that there's an Intelligent Designer.' The truth of this becomes abundantly clear throughout the text of this book.

Although this is basically a general introduction to the topic, Lee Strobel has made a strong case for those who are open minded enough to consider it. It is certainly a reinforcer for those who already believe that God exists and is the Creator. It is a good starting point for open minded skeptics. For those who are steeped in the religiosity of Darwinism and naturalistic beginnings, it may help open their eyes a bit. I recommend it.

Pared down version.......2007-09-21

Stroebel makes some really good points in this book and changed some of my thinking about evolution, and it was a quick read, so I wasn't dissatisfied with it until I saw the non-student version at a book store. Maybe I should have done some more research on the differences between editions, but I really think anyone high school age or above could handle the 300-some pages of the "adult" version, which must contain a lot more information. So I'd recommend this particular version only to younger students or to someone who really just wants a small taste of the evidence.

Good Introductory Material.......2007-09-19

Lee Strobel has made another accessible and fascinating introductory apologetics book. By interviewing leading Christian scholars, including William Lane Craig, J.P. Moreland, and Michael Behe, Strobel lays a solid foundation for belief in a Creator of the universe.

Due to the nature of the material, this book is more technical than "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Faith." Nevertheless, Strobel makes the book enjoyable and easy to read with his excellent writing style.

This book covers a large scope of issues, mostly dealing with scientific evidence for the existence of God. Craig gives a great defense of the Cosmological Argument while Robin Collins provides an excellent defense of the Teleological Argument (also known as the Design Argument)- including a brilliant refutation of the so-called "multi-verse" theory. Stephen Meyer demonstrates that the origin of life is strong evidence for a Creator, and J.P. Moreland shows that philosophical reasoning and scientific studies support the idea of a soul, which is inconsistent with the materialist philosophy espoused by almost all atheists.

As with all the other books in the "Case" series, Strobel offers some excellent recommended further reading at the end of each chapter for those who wish to pursue the issues further.

The only problem I had with the book was that I felt it focused too much on the issue of evolution. In many cases it seemed that Strobel was equating "Darwinism" and atheism- concepts which are certainly not interchangeable. By implying that evolution entails atheism, Strobel puts an unnecessary stumbling block in front of any person who believes that there is strong evidence for evolutionary theory, yet who could still be convinced on the basis of other evidence that God exists. I think it is unwise to spread the notion that Christianity and evolution are directly incompatible.

Despite this flaw, The Case for a Creator is an excellent resource and a recommended read for everyone.

An eye opening book.......2007-08-31

I would recommend this book for everyone. It deals with the creationism vs. evolution/science debate in a new and fascinating way. He uses science to discredit many of its own theories. Lee Strobel never falls into the trap many creationists do - start with the Bible, and build a scientific theory around it. Instead he uses science, discredits many of the assumptions used today, and shows how science actually supports Biblical principles. I am still excited about this book even though I finished reading it over a month ago.

Repels Reason.......2007-08-29

I have read a number of the prior reviews and agree with many of them so I will not restate their good points. I would only like to say that (having also sat in sermons by Lee Strobel) I found the author's smug approach (he does not realize that the standards of science are vastly more rigorous than either journalism or law) to the subject insufferably frustrating. Instead of approaching the subject humbly and seeking out a balanced set of arguments, he instead relies exclusively (with one exception who's biological irreducibility claims has been discredited in other books such as, Finding Darwin's God, a book written by an actual biologist) on either his close friends or representatives of the Discovery Institute-a known PAC (I encourage you to look up the Discovery Institute on Wikipedia).

I have been a high tech engineer for more than 15 years and I would not recommend this book if you are someone who is sincerely seeking God in truth. I would instead recommend that you first read Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth Miller. Lee Strobel's book only convinced me that most of the people who believe in intelligent design are either ignorant fools or are seeking power for themselves over others.

The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs

Average customer rating:

Ultimate Answer
An Admirable Lady!
Return to High American Ideals
Intelligent work about the subtleties of foreign policy wrt religion
Terrific

The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs
Madeleine Albright
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Church & State | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060892587
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Book Description

Does America, as George W. Bush has proclaimed, have a special mission, derived from God, to bring liberty and democracy to the world? How much influence does the Christian right have over U.S. foreign policy? And how should America deal with violent Islamist extremists?

Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state and bestselling author of Madam Secretary, offers a thoughtful and often surprising look at the role of religion in shaping America's approach to the world. Drawing upon her experiences while in office and her own deepest beliefs about morality, the United States, and the present state of world affairs, a woman noted for plain speaking offers her thoughts about the most controversial topics of our time.

Customer Reviews:

Ultimate Answer.......2007-10-06

I must confess I have been following her public life since she became Secretary of State. I am her most avid reader having read her memoir six times. I ended my last reading on that book almost two weeks ago, and I finished reading the mighty and the almighty in five days last friday. To the point, I expected her second volume not to be a research work, it seems as though if I had to talk about the Middle East in school, this book would definitely be my guidance on that matter.

Now in all seriousness, I expected this book to be more about her accomplishments in government, and her sharp insights regarding recent events. This book could've just as easily be called 'The Mighty, The Almighty and Middle East Conflicts'. Do NOT get me wrong, I am all for that, I do believe the Middle East is, will and has shaped the world in every single way. Religion must be taken seriously into account as a player in world events, definitely. I am not against the content nor the topics of this book. I just wanted it to be more 'Madeleiney', if you will.

Mrs. Albright, if you are, or someone who knows you, reading this, I want you to know I expect your third book to be the ultimate answer to today's US Government Administration failures.

An Admirable Lady!.......2007-09-16

I think very highly of Madeline Albright and respect her accomplishments very much. I feel that the book is a little difficult to read though and I had a hard time sticking with it. It is however filled with lots of facts and events that make it worth the dedication.

Return to High American Ideals.......2007-08-26

This book may be directed to the "choir," as other reviewers have noted, but even the choir needs some encouragement from time to time. We've been through a rough 8 years.
I'm with her in her final comment: "I will never accept, however, that the United States is not better than we have been these past few years; nor will I stop believing (or praying) that we will recover our balance and begin again -- and soon -- to command the world's respect, and our own."
Human beings are religious animals, and we do perceive things differently. It is important to be tolerant of the beliefs of others; many of us are seeking God the best way we know how.
Politics and religion are both valid aspects of human life, but they are not the same thing.

Intelligent work about the subtleties of foreign policy wrt religion.......2007-07-17

Ms. Albright starts the book by providing background on how Americans have best handled religion in general. She gives several quotes from the founding fathers:

"George Washington disclaimed any interest in whether people were 'Mohametans, Jews or Christians of any sect, or Atheists.' His sole concern was that they should have the right to exercise freedom of worship, expression, and thought."--Page 18.

She then almost ventures into political heresy by giving a meaningful historical-political context to the Jewish-Palestinian conflict: (I had not been aware of the extent to which power elites in the world had gotten on board the Zionist mission.)

The remainder of the book is full of background about Judaism, Christianity, but especially Islam, that few are aware of--certainly not the current gang at the helm. Well worth the read, though Ms. Albright does not appreciate, or acknowledge anyway, the role of the CIA in creating the "world of terror."

...

For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie
reviews, please visit my site [...]

Brian Wright
Copyright 2007

Terrific.......2007-07-08

A great book written by a knowledgeable person. I treasured it and have shared it with friends.

Dance of the Gods (The Circle Trilogy, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Good book.
Who knew she wrote more than Gooey Romance.
wonderful book, especially if you enjoy fantasy and romance!
Dance of the Imagination...
Very enjoyable, even if it's a little too much like Buffy!

Dance of the Gods (The Circle Trilogy, Book 2)
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Fantasy, Futuristic & Ghost | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0515141666

Book Description

Second in the new paranormal Circle Trilogy.

With one vampire determined to rule the earth, the Circle of Six prepares to battle for their lives-and their hearts.

Customer Reviews:

Good book........2007-10-17

Pretty typical Nora Roberts book. I like vampire stories and this one was had some interesting twists. The 1st and 3rd are excellent as well.

Who knew she wrote more than Gooey Romance........2007-09-18

This series was my first exposure to Nora Roberts, I have to admit I never gave her books a second look, why would I read a trashy romance novel. Well I found I had been painting her with a very prejudiced brush, what a mistake! This is a great fantasy series, and the romance there is is very fun and not over the top. I will definitely look for more fantasy books from Ms. Roberts.

wonderful book, especially if you enjoy fantasy and romance!.......2007-08-19

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had the perfect mix of fantasy and romance. Blair is not your typical romance novel heroine. All of the main characters contribute to the story with their unique personalities and style. This is a great trilogy!

Dance of the Imagination..........2007-08-16

Not as superb as the first book of the triology, but still fabulous! The story had some lags and the romance between the two was just not as intense as that of Hoyt and Glenna, but still another smash hit filled with all awe! Fantasy and reality have a heavenly mix once again! A MUST READ TRILOGY!!

Very enjoyable, even if it's a little too much like Buffy!.......2007-06-08

It took me a long time to get into the 1st book in this series, but after I did I couldn't put them down. I read all three back to back and really enjoyed them. I am a huge fan of Buffy and Angel, the shows, and found a lot of odd similarities between some of the characters from the TV shows and in the books, but oh well. All in all, enjoyable. If you're a Nora Roberts fan, give them a chance, I'm sure you will enjoy!

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