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demagogue alert

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|NEXT STORY »

OPINION

Obama's Health Czar Brings God Into Lab

Choice of geneticist a breakthrough for evangelicals: Gerson

By Jason Farago| Posted Jul 15, 09 9:00 AM CDT|

(Newser) – Francis Collins, President Obama's nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health, is a pioneering biologist who led the team that mapped the human genome. He's also an evangelical Christian—a rarity among scientists, only 7% of whom say they believe in God. For Michael Gerson of the Washington Post, selecting Collins speaks well of Obama and of evangelicalism, "which is starting to abandon some of its least productive debates with modernity."

Collins has written extensively on faith, detailing how religion and science are not irreconcilable systems but "ways of thinking about two very different sets of questions." His appointment should be embraced by evangelicals, who owe a debt of gratitude to Obama for selecting the best candidate for the NIH. "Obama has affirmed something important," writes Gerson: "that anti-supernaturalism is not a litmus test at the highest levels of science."

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, has been nominated to lead the National Institutes of Health. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

Collins, possibly the nation's leading geneticist, is the author of the best-selling 'The Language of God.' (AP Photo/Evan Vucci,File)

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By definition, science yields information about only the physical world. As human beings, we still seek to know why things exist and how we should live. Science is silent on these matters; we need
not be. - Michael Gerson, Washington Post

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

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25 comments

VIEWING:

Unaffiliated
Jul 15, 09 9:09 AM CDT

We need more scientists willing to stand up and say that science may not be the appropriate channel for some questions we come up with. We need more religious people to stand up and say that science has a very beneficial role in our lives and that understanding the world around us can bring us closer to God. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Mad
Jul 15, 09 10:15 AM CDT

Wow, Scottie, first time I've read a comment from you, and it's brilliant! ^5 Brother !

IN RESPONSE:

emptycalm
Jul 15, 09 10:56 AM CDT

Which god!? This is ridiculous. Keep your deities out of science where they have no place.

-1

IN RESPONSE:

Snowleopard
Jul 15, 09 1:18 PM CDT

Well said scottie. (emptycalm obviously didn't grasp what you were saying)

IN RESPONSE:

AClotfelter
Jul 15, 09 1:43 PM CDT

Discussions of supernatural beings has no place next to science. They are two completely different things. One based on evidence and proof, the other can not possibly have either.

-1

IN RESPONSE:

Reader64481089
Jul 15, 09 5:20 PM CDT

Scottie, I agree and would go one step further. We need more people also to do the same, I am not talking about the Right Wing fringe who say God Commanded I invade this or that country but people in general who are willing to stand their ground on personal beliefs without cramming them down the throat of one who might not share the same value system.

IN RESPONSE:

Snarfeh
Jul 15, 09 10:23 PM CDT

The "supernatural" & science actually go hand in hand. If you don't think there's something "supernatural" about some of the physics theories out there, you're not paying attention. Dimensional portals, time travel, parallel quantum universes, multi-universes with a you in each one that takes different paths in life, M-theory, Holographic universes, dark matter, dark energy, the 11th dimension.... I read about quantum theory a lot and I don't claim at all to understand most of it, but much of it sounds just as fantastical as snakes tricking women into eating apples. And many in science are as pig headed about their "beliefs" as fundamentalist religious nuts. Narrow-mindedness is *not* limited to fundies. Many of science's greatest insights and inventions were initially scoffed at by....SCIENTISTS...imagine that. Open your mind to anything that hasn't been proven one way or the other. I'm not saying you have to advocate it; just acknowledge, for example, that you don't know for sure if there are invisible spirits surrounding us or not. Some religious & spiritual folk believe that while many scientists allow for the possibility that people in a parallel world can see us although we can't see them. Spirit worlds, parallel worlds...what's the difference? Who the eff knows for sure? Until we do, scoffing at any point in the learning process is ignorance at its charming best.

| 0 minutes ago

nick
Jul 15, 09 9:10 AM CDT

All taboos eventually are overcome! Reply

-3

IN RESPONSE:

Reader64481089
Jul 15, 09 5:27 PM CDT

Well considering they give a liberal estimate of the adult population of only 12% I would tend to say that even though they do tend to make much more noise than Christians with them being outnumbered by 88% still leads me to think that perhaps the Christians still well outnumber the non believer, perhaps it may take a bit longer than you are anticipating? Also, instead of asking where I get the figure do your own research, I am tired of spoon feeding this week

| 0 minutes ago

doingtherightthing
Jul 15, 09 9:14 AM CDT

Obamacare is in trouble and he's trying to get evangelicans on-board with his healthcare program. No the economy is not ready to add 3 trillion to the governments debt. How's the stimulus going Obama? Reply

-8

IN RESPONSE:

Altoecko
Jul 15, 09 9:36 AM CDT

It'll equal out to about 680 billion dispersed over 7 to 8 years if the health care in talk now is passed and the stimulus is going fine.

-3

IN RESPONSE:

kokuaguy
Jul 15, 09 2:29 PM CDT

If what you are saying is true, the strategy is brilliant, don't you agree, rt?

| 0 minutes ago

Odoggy
Jul 15, 09 9:35 AM CDT

One day the next great civilization will laugh at the silly beliefs of today. Reply

-5

IN RESPONSE:

Mad
Jul 15, 09 10:20 AM CDT

If they are truly great, they won't 'laugh' at our beliefs, but may strive to understand why we believed what we did. (though, the ridiculousness of the Bush administration might bring a chuckle)

IN RESPONSE:

GenuineJames
Jul 15, 09 10:54 AM CDT

I agree. They will laugh at how we thought we could disregard philosophy and theology with complete faith in Naturalism.

-2

| 0 minutes ago

GenuineJames
Jul 15, 09 10:59 AM CDT

I appreciate Francis Collins because he is committed to both solid scientific inquiry and a rational, analytical faith. When his scientific findings contradict what he believes; he analyzes his science to make sure he's right and he analyzes his faith and understanding of scripture to see if he's misinterpreted anything. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

emptycalm
Jul 15, 09 11:31 AM CDT

rational faith is an oxymoron. How can one rationally believe in something that isn't there?

-4

IN RESPONSE:

GenuineJames
Jul 15, 09 5:08 PM CDT

Until Naturalism has a cogent answer for how life originated... how the first single cell organism got here... there is plenty of room for faith and philosophical debate. The question of Origins has simply not been answered by science. So, I would turn the question right back to you, emptycalm... How can you rationally believe in answers that are not there?

IN RESPONSE:

emptycalm
Jul 15, 09 9:01 PM CDT

I never said there was no room to debate but You are basically saying you're going to have faith in something that has no evidence because science cannot disprove it. That's illogical. I believe in things that can actually be experienced by humanity, not something we created in our minds because we couldn't figure out all the answers to the origin of life.

-1

IN RESPONSE:

GenuineJames
Jul 16, 09 12:41 PM CDT

EmptyCalm, the very definition of faith is believing is something that ultimately cannot be 100% proven. That doesn't make it illogical or irrational. A Naturalist looks at this world and believes in things that can only be proven scientifically. That's fine, but I don't have that much faith in science. Science has it's limits. I believe there are elements to this life that cannot be studied in a lab. That of the metaphysical. You can call that illogical, but I think it's perfectly rational to believe that there is a spiritual component to this life, even if it can never be proven.

| 0 minutes ago

nathanielfoster
Jul 15, 09 11:27 AM CDT

The man is a very gifted Scientist and has done a lot to contribute to genetics. I don't agree with his magical thinking but so long as he does his job unbiased and doesn't try to push a religious agenda everything should be just fine. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

dontlikeyou
Jul 15, 09 12:09 PM CDT

---- He's also an evangelical Christian—a rarity among scientists, only 7% of whom say they believe in God. ---- That is a lie. Studies show that 40% of scientists in any given poll believe in God. I hate how non believers must resort to distortion and half-truths to reinforce their distorted world view. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Mad
Jul 15, 09 1:17 PM CDT

You make up a stat then decry "how non believers must resort to distortion and half-truths to reinforce their distorted world view". LOVE IT! Republicans are completely ignorant to the hypocrisy they spew!

IN RESPONSE:

emptycalm
Jul 15, 09 9:03 PM CDT

That is just not true. What right wing blog did you pull that from? Or maybe you read it wrong. Maybe 40% of them wont say there is no god because they cannot actually disprove a negative.

| 0 minutes ago

Reader64481089
Jul 15, 09 5:14 PM CDT

@ AClotfelter, just asking so are you saying ALL scientist are not or should not be allowed to have their own beliefs? That IF they choose to believe in a higher power then they are inferior to others? If so you might find some of the more brilliant minds through the years prove your theory wrong I fear. As long as they don't start with the Creationism crap and view it as two separate issue as mentioned in the article then I see no problem at all with it personally. That is one thing skipped when the Bill of Rights was shredded, they happened to miss the right to religion part I think Reply

| 0 minutes ago

View all 25 comments »

Barack Obama • Christianity • genetics • Christians • evangelicals • National Human Genome Research Institute • National Institutes of Health • Obama administration • Francis Collins

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Obama's Health Czar Brings God Into Lab