The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

Collins has encountered resistance to evolutionary theory from some religious believers, notably evangelical Protestant Christians, who sincerely believe that evolutionary theory undermines the biblical account of God’s creation of the world found in the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. Collins analyzes the biblical text, pointing out that it uses allegory and symbolism and does not seem to be intended in a strictly literal sense. Furthermore, what human beings discover about the natural world through their God-given use of reason cannot possibly contradict God’s truth.

The case of the Italian astronomer Galileo is instructive about the relationship between science and religion in history. Galileo’s scientific observations led him to heliocentrism—the fact that the Earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around as previously believed. In his time, the Catholic Church felt Galileo’s theories undermined scripture and theology and pushed for him to retract his scientific findings. Nevertheless, Galileo held fast to his ideal that “scientific exploration was not only an acceptable but a noble course of action for a believer” (158).

Such conflicts between science and religion are understandable, because scientific theories often touch on the most profound questions of God and humanity, inevitably exploring questions relating to “the meaning of life” (158).