New books about science and religion

Decoding the Language of God: can a scientist really be a believer?: a geneticist responds to Francis Collins by George C. Cunningham. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2010. (Library location is 215 CUN.)


Written by a scientist but easily read by nonscientists, this title is a response to another geneticist's book, The Language of God by Francis Collins (2007). In Cunningham's book, the author refutes the findings Collins made in his book about science and religion. In Decoding the Language of God Cunningham argues that there is no scientific evidence to argue the belief in a personal God, and he argues that much scientific evidence debunks this belief.


Belief: readings on the reason for faith by Francis Collins. New York: HarperOne, 2010. (Library call number is 202.2 COL.)

Here Collins brings together a collection of writings about faith and God from numerous faiths and religious thinkers, scholars and believers around the world. Collins is defending the basis for a belief in God that he states is the most profound question humankind continually asks. This is a good collection of some of the world's profound thinkers and spiritual leaders, such as Augustine and C.S. Lewis to Annie Dillard and Elie Wiesel.


The Language God Talks: on science and religion by Herman Wouk. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2010. (Library call number is 201.65 WOU.)
In this book, Wouk frequently looks back on his friendship with physicist and atomic bomb scientist, Richard Feynman. Feynman was a humanist, and he and Wouk had many discussions about faith and science. Wouk writes about his life of belief as an Orthodox Jew while also relating his scientific discussions and research for many of his great works of fiction. This is an interesting read about one man's journey through a life of faith.