Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

George C. Cunningham, MD, MPH (San Francisco, CA), now retired, is the former chief of the Genetic Disease Branch of the California State Department of Health Services. He has published more than 150 articles in scientific publications, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, the American Journal of Human Genetics, and Pediatrics.

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DECODING THE LANGUAGE OF GOD

Prometheus Books

Contents

Acknowledgments.......................................................................11Introduction..........................................................................13Why I Wrote This Book.................................................................13A Note on Language....................................................................16Are Scientists Believers?.............................................................17Why Is Scientific Acceptance So Important to Believers?...............................18Science versus Religion...............................................................20Are You a Believer?...................................................................21References to God.....................................................................23Chapter One: From Belief to Atheism...................................................29A Personal Journey....................................................................29Chapter Two: Evidence and Rules of Argument...........................................37References and Source.................................................................37Belief, Knowledge, and Faith..........................................................38What Is Valid Evidence?...............................................................41Burden of Proof.......................................................................45Chapter Three: The War of Worldviews..................................................47Wish Fulfillment......................................................................48Will Wishing Make It So?..............................................................51Can Science Explain the Need for Religion?............................................52Harms of Religion.....................................................................54The Problem of Evil...................................................................57Free Will and God's Foreknowledge.....................................................58Natural Evil..........................................................................65Evil Is the Work of the Devil.........................................................66A Biblical Justification of Suffering.................................................67Miracles versus Science...............................................................68Why Are Miracles So Rare?.............................................................70Chapter Four: What's Wrong with the Moral Argument?...................................75The Moral Law: Does It Exist?.........................................................75Is the Moral Law a Product of Culture?................................................77Is the Moral Law Naturally Inherited?.................................................80What Accounts for Altruism?...........................................................81How Does Science Explain Moral Behavior?..............................................86Is the Moral Law as Natural as Speech?................................................88Is the Moral Law an Unintended Consequence of Evolution?..............................90Other Problems........................................................................90Chapter Five: Cosmology: Origins of the Universe......................................99What Came before the Big Bang?........................................................99Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?...........................................104What Is the Purpose of Creation?......................................................105Anthropic Coincidences................................................................107What about Genesis?...................................................................117Chapter Six: The Bible................................................................121My Experiences with the Bible.........................................................121Analysis of the Bible.................................................................123The Resurrection as Proof.............................................................131Collins's Defense of the Bible........................................................139The Bible and Science.................................................................151The Problem of Genesis................................................................153Other Problems with Genesis...........................................................157The Bible as Legend...................................................................159Are Atheists the Real Bible Literalists?..............................................161What Does the Popularity of the Bible Prove?..........................................164Chapter Seven: Naturalism (atheism and Agnosticism)...................................169Collins against Atheism...............................................................169Collins versus Freud..................................................................171Collins versus Dawkins................................................................172The Case for Atheism..................................................................176Is Our Universe the Work of God?......................................................177Is God Evil?..........................................................................178The Theodicy..........................................................................179The Free Will Defense.................................................................180Who Causes Natural Evil?..............................................................186Summary Statement.....................................................................187Chapter Eight: Supernaturalism (Ethical Monotheism, Spirituality).....................189Why Is Science Opposed to Christianity?...............................................189The Supernatural......................................................................193Is There Evidence for the Supernatural?...............................................196Miracles as Supernatural Events.......................................................198Prayer................................................................................202Paranormal Claims.....................................................................208Mysticism.............................................................................211Supernatural Visions..................................................................212Chapter Nine: A Personal God?.........................................................217What Is a Person?.....................................................................218Is God a Person?......................................................................221Is God Made in Our Image?.............................................................224Why Believe God Is a Person?..........................................................228Does God Have Multiple Personality Disorder?..........................................230Conclusion............................................................................233Summing Up............................................................................233Exhortation to Believers..............................................................237Exhortation to Scientists.............................................................241Commitment to...