The scientist who led the team that cracked the human genome is to publish a book explaining why he now believes in the existence of God and is convinced that miracles are real. Francis Collins, the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute, claims there is a rational basis for a creator and that scientific discoveries bring man "closer to God".

His book, The Language of God, to be published in September, will reopen the age-old debate about the relationship between science and faith. "One of the great tragedies of our time is this impression that has been created that science and religion have to be at war," said Collins, 56.

"I don't see that as necessary at all and I think it is deeply disappointing that the shrill voices that occupy the extremes of this spectrum have dominated the stage for the past 20 years."

For Collins, unravelling the human genome did not create a conflict in his mind. Instead, it allowed him to "glimpse at the workings of God".

"When you make a breakthrough it is a moment of scientific exhilaration because you have been on this search and seem to have found it," he said. "But it is also a moment where I at least feel
closeness to the creator in the sense of having now perceived something that no human knew before but God knew all along.

"When you have for the first time in front of you this 3.1 billion-letter instruction book that conveys all kinds of information and all kinds of mystery about humankind, you can't survey that going through page after page without a sense of awe. I can't help but look at those pages and have a vague sense that this is giving me a glimpse of God's mind."

Collins joins a line of scientists whose research deepened their belief in God. Isaac Newton, whose discovery of the laws of gravity reshaped our understanding of the universe, said: "This most beautiful system could only proceed from the dominion of an intelligent and powerful being."

Although Einstein revolutionised our thinking about time, gravity and the conversion of matter to energy, he believed the universe had a creator. "I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details," he said. However Galileo was famously questioned by the inquisition and put on trial in 1633 for the "heresy" of claiming that the earth moved around the sun.

Among Collins's most controversial beliefs is that of "theistic evolution", which claims natural selection is the tool that God chose to create man. In his version of the theory, he argues that man
will not evolve further.

"I see God's hand at work through the mechanism of evolution. If God chose to create human beings in his image and decided that the mechanism of evolution was an elegant way to accomplish that goal, who are we to say that is not the way," he says.

"Scientifically, the forces of evolution by natural selection have been profoundly affected for humankind by the changes in culture and environment and the expansion of the human species to 6 billion members. So what you see is pretty much what you get."

Collins was an atheist until the age of 27, when as a young doctor he was impressed by the strength that faith gave to some of his most critical patients.

"They had terrible diseases from which they were probably not going to escape, and yet instead of railing at God they seemed to lean on their faith as a source of great comfort and reassurance," he said. "That was interesting, puzzling and unsettling."

He decided to visit a Methodist minister and was given a copy of C S Lewis's Mere Christianity, which argues that God is a rational possibility. The book transformed his life. "It was an argument I
was not prepared to hear," he said. "I was very happy with the idea that God didn't exist, and had no interest in me. And yet at the same time, I could not turn away."

His epiphany came when he went hiking through the Cascade Mountains in Washington state. He said: "It was a beautiful afternoon and suddenly the remarkable beauty of creation around me was so overwhelming, I felt, `I cannot resist this another moment'."

Collins believes that science cannot be used to refute the existence of God because it is confined to the "natural" world. In this light he believes miracles are a real possibility. "If one is willing to
accept the existence of God or some supernatural force outside nature then it is not a logical problem to admit that, occasionally, a supernatural force might stage an invasion," he says.

Sounds interesting... but wouldnt this fit better into free minds forum? Which is far too empty.

You gonna delete free minds!!! That site had some good stuff... Gonna see if I can post some sh!t there tryin to keep it alive...

Also if you want I can bring some people to register there cause I know some people who would like that site.

"Genome Scientist Peers Into the Mind of God"

wonderful example of manipulation that is journalism today

haha i get what you are pointing at Shekk, the reason i posted this is cuz of the underlying message of the book "Language of God" and so on ... which basically is about how technology and Religion aren't 2 extremes.

Rather one is just leading to another.

Really?? I didn't know that, technology is leading to religion or vice versa ... hmm ... I think I should stop thinking about sex everyday and concentrate on my study and 9D instead.

I didn't know "God" has a mind... does that mean "God" is human?

Still... does that imply "God" can think? or have thoughts process?

If "God" indeed thinks... then does that mean "God" is not omnipotent? Because if "God" knows everything and is in control of everything, there is no need to think.

Thinking is only required if there are some unknown that need to be rationalized out, reasoned out, or thought out... So does it imply that "God" is not omnipotent since "God" does think?

There is no GOD so its plain and simple for me

That all depends of your definition of "GOD".

Yeah very True Triss I mean the GOD in the religious term!!

What is the religious definition of "GOD" anyway?

The creator? The omnipotent being? The one that controls everything and knows everything?

Well my interpretation of God is the Creator of all life who is aware of its actions ( Religious View point ) but for me its easier to not believe in any form of GOD

If "GOD" is the creator of all life...

and humans can give birth to human babies (one life), does that make humans as "small" GOD?

hrm ... as a first i think i might have jumped the gun when i named this section "religion" ... maybe i should be more mindful of the vastness of our community and rename it ... how about "Evolution or
Intelligent design or maybe something else" ...

and no that ain't a pun, i mean that, everyone is entitled to their own views and i don't want the forums to have a biased disposition towards either .... like i keep saying ... Destiny is family, meaning its a safe place for any and all views ... so Triss/Hawk/everyone else what do you guys think?

about the response to your questions.

I've started a new topic on it so we can deliberate and knock our brains out on the matter ... its at
http://www.destinycrew.org/religion-f86/to-you-what-is-god-t1000.htm

"Religion" is fine with me; or you can use "Theology" as the formal term, or anything you want.

Btw, from your new post and your observation that "GOD" is timeless, formless, and massless, it contradicts with your statement that "GOD" does think.

Because... space to matter (matter occupies space) is like time to mind (ie: mind occupies time)

One way to understand it is... mind = thoughts/memory, and every memory has a time frame associated to it eg. childhood memory, adult-hood memory, your first kiss memory, etc...

Therefore, if you said that "GOD" does indeed think, then "GOD" must be in the field of time; this contradicts with what you said in your new post.

Triss, watch the pilot of Deep Space 9 and you'll understand what xs means with timeless.

eternal can have a beginning (even if it's at the begining of time itself) and it's traped in the timeline. It "ages" ethernaly with the flow of time. Timeless is something that exists also in the space but not necesarily in time. It's not a "prisoner" of the time continuum as we are. I really want that you watch the pilot episode of deep space 9 because they explain it better that i can... I got the concept but i can't explain it right...

Wahhhh!! This is too deep for me... you guys are wrecking my brain with your philosophy!!!

as you said. it's science - fiction. of course there is no practical science in the series but there are concepts that are true.

let me explain the concept again. GOD is supposed to have created the universe. So he created the three dimensions x, y and z. Te 4th dimension is generaly accepted to be time. So this was also created by GOD because time began to exist with the beginning of the universe. There are no scientific evidences that time existed before the universe. And if the universe was created by GOD, then he is not a being who is "trapped" in time. If he existed before the time itself existed then he's timeless.