An award-winning American scientist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes, and leadership of the Human Genome Project to map the entire human DNA, has described his journey from atheism to Christian belief to an international audience in England.
"There really is no conflict between faith and reason," Professor Francis Collins told the CS Lewis Foundation's international summer institute, Oxbridge 2008, on at St Aldate's Church, Cambridge, on Wednesday.
"As a committed materialist in college, I assumed the physical was all there was," said Collins, who in 1977 at the age of 27 completed a career change from chemistry to medicine and became a doctor. This, he said, forced him to confront pain and death face-to-face. "That was a dramatic turn for me. The concepts were not hypothetical anymore."
Through encounters with patients, pastors and, finally, by reading "Mere Christianity" by CS Lewis, Collins realised, "I had never really looked at the evidence. Atheism had only been a convenient pathway. I had to decide what was really the truth but I thought that faith and reason were on opposite poles."
"Mere Christianity" began life as a series of lectures given by Lewis in 1943, and the best-selling book that followed had a profound effect on Collins. "Even in the first few pages, all my arguments about faith just fell apart. It was breathtaking ... Lewis remains my best teacher," he said. Within a year, Collins had become a Christian.
Before a packed audience in Cambridge, Collins cited evidence for his beliefs based on the moral law and mathematical and universal laws. Defending his position as a "theistic evolutionist", Collins said that his beliefs as a Christian and his research as a scientist had led him to the view that faith and reason are compatible.
Collins, who has been involved in identifying the genes that cause cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease, formally retired on Friday, stepping down as director of the Maryland-based National Genome Research Institute.
Taking as his theme "The Language of God: A Scientist-Believer Looks at the Human Genome", Collins told his audience about his DNA work in mapping the 13 trillion gene pairs of the human organism. The DNA, Collins explained, is the "instruction book of the cell" and is made up of a double strand of chemical information coded as single letters. He added that having mapped the 3.1 billion letters, the genome project had made the information accessible to the worldwide scientific community as unpatented knowledge available for benevolent uses, most especially preventative medicine and gene therapy.
On 3 November 2007, Collins received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, his nation's highest civil award, for his revolutionary contributions to genetic research.
Francis Collins' lecture in Cambridge was one of a number of plenary presentations that make up Oxbridge 2008, which concluded on Friday. The summer institute moves to Cambridge until next Thursday under the theme of "Imago Dei? The Self and the Search for Meaning".
'Mere Christianity' makes sense, scientist tells CS Lewis Foundation
Added: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 18:40 (BST)
I was present at Oxford to hear Dr. Collins speak. The idea that Dr. Collins has not "troubled himself with the arguments of atheism" is a very uninformed and fact-less conclusion. Such a response may allow someone who does not want to TROUBLE THEMSELVES with the arguments for a Creator and Christianity to dismiss Dr. Collins and C.S. Lewis', Mere Christianity, out of hand. The fact is, Dr. Collins shared quite extensively about his journey from atheism to Christianity. And of course, he works in a field where it would be difficult, indeed, to avoid the beliefs, arguments and theories of those who hold to an atheistic view. This accusation is groundless and smacks of bias.
Dr. Gary L. Durham, Stuart, Florida, USA
Added: Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 9:39 (BST)
Statements like, " I've read about Dr. Collins before." is, to say the least rather patronizing. Lewis' works, including Mere Christianity, has had more than "only believers'" appeal.
Need Dr. Collins, with his acknowledged accomplishment/s be subjected to dissection when he gives testimony to a singled and universally- appealing author to a celebrated work, Mere Christianity?
I have read enough arguements of atheism to understand its bias and know its inconclusive suspension and wouldn't trade it for the amazing and uncanny miracles in my life, big and small, since I was brought to my knees and returned to faith in Him so that I can never ever deny Him.
An unashamed Believer.ong siong kai, Jakarta, Indonesia
Added: Saturday, August 2, 2008, 22:05 (BST)
I've read about Dr. Collins before. His appeal to Lewis' "Mere Christianity" is weak indeeed in that he hadn't read the online critique of that work.
Collins doesn't seem to have ever troubled himself with the arguments of atheism. Until he can discuss atheism, his appeal to Lewis is only for the believers.jimmiejazz, Charlestown, NH (USA)
