Book Review: God's Undertaker

Fundamentalist Atheists are on the rise. As militant as any army, they march on society, seeking to denounce and refute anything that stands in their way, or even attempts to criticise their views. Science and religion are in a battle, and with Richard Dawkins leading the challenge, it appears that science will win very shortly.

However, there are those who can stand against the rhetoric and science of Darwinism as purported by Dawkins et al. John Lennox is one such writer who has presented an exceptional discussion of the issues at the heart of Darwin's theory of natural selection as explaining everything, even the origin of species and life itself. As Lennox progresses through his chapters, he exposes the faulty reasoning, poor logic and shaky science of Darwin's theory, and presents major evidence for an Intelligent Designer of the universe.

With impeccable logic, such that I wish had been recommended the book and read it during the Cosmology classes at Trinity, Lennox makes his first major point - that the war between science and religion is actual a phony. There is no war here - rather, the war is between naturalism and theism - between those who claim that the whole material world came about by itself, and those who claim that there was an outside input. In this war, science is just a tool to weigh the proofs of each claim.

In a very helpful analogy, Lennox directs the reader to consider Aunt Matilda's cake. A beautiful cake, which scientists are analysing, and which they discover contains so many calories, and the chemicals which make up the ingredients etc. All well and good - science is telling us what science can tell us - the what, and maybe even the how. But science can never tell us why. The scientists won't be able to say why the cake was made in the first place, despite being very thorough in their own specialist fields. 'The grin on Aunt Matilda's face shows she knows the answer, for she made the cake, and she made it for a purpose.' (p. 41)

As he turns to the science of the universe, Lennox provides some amazing statistics, as he discusses the fine-tuning of the universe. This is made up of a series of constants, all of which must be within very small limits for there to be a chance of life existing on earth. These include the distance of the earth from the sun (too close and we'd boil, too far and we'd freeze); surface gravity to ensure an atmosphere; the speed of the earth's rotation. Other examples are provided for the entire universe, such as the nuclear ground state energy to produce carbon, the ratio of the nuclear strong force to the electromagnetic force to ensure stars are formed, and the level of entropy in the universe, which is 10 to the power 123 (10 multiplied by itself 123 times).

Further, Lennox very helpfully breaks down just what is meant by evolution, showing that micro-evolution (within species) occurs all the time, whereas macro-evolution (to form new species) has not been proven at all, much less can it be used to explain the origin of life at the start. As he points out, there is an edge to evolution - limits beyond which it cannot function, no matter how loud Dawkins shouts. this is demonstrated by the faulty fossil record - there are no 'missing links' proving species turn into other species; and through lengthy discussions of genetics and information theory. At parts, these were heavy going, with detailed science, mathematics and genetics. However, there was a light at the end, and through good humour and simple explanations for idiots like me, we got through it!

While risking a Dawkins Certificate of Lunacy for questioning evolution, Lennox emerges to point out that the Emperor of Atheism has no clothes in denying a Creator God who is more complex than the universe.

I really enjoyed this book, even though it was tough reading at times. If you're struggling to keep up with or counter the arguments of Richard Dawkins in the God Delusion, then this is a great book to read and remember. We may not be called to present the finer points of the details of the argument, but the book certainly increases confidence in Intelligent Design, and reveals the glory of God as seen in his creation.

Angels and Demons: Book Review

Following the success of The Da Vinci Code, Hollywood is turning to another of Dan Brown's novels for more conspiracy thriller movie moments. Having previously enjoyed reading Angels and Demons, I thought I would return to it before the movie is released.

The book is centred on the events of the Vatican Conclave of cardinals, when the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church gather to elect a new Pope. The last time I read the book was round about the time of the election of Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, which gave it even more topical interest. Having read it again, I notice that it's even more topical, with its descriptions of the CERN Large Hadron Collider, seeking the Big Bang 'God Particle' which provides the antimatter terror threat exploited by the Illuminati. The Illuminati are the successors of a bunch of scientists condemned by the Vatican who formed a secret society to plan the overthrow and destruction of the Catholic Church in revenge.

As with the Da Vinci Code, Brown sends his hero symbologist, Robert Langdon, on a high-speed chase across Rome seeking to save lives and follow the ancient Path of Illumination, as the seconds tick away on the antimatter hidden within the Vatican. Expect more conspiracy theories, secret societies, architectural gems, suspicious characters and the usual unexpected twists in the tale.

However, the central issue which is discussed time and again is that of science and religion. Are they complementary or contradictory? How do scientists have faith, or how do churchmen view science? Will the Roman Catholic Church continue to war against the advance of science, or will it make peace with the footsoldiers of atoms?

As usual, Dan Brown's theological view seems to be all over the place. Occasionally he says something worthwhile, but then it quickly descends into nonsense again. However, it might be useful for some Christians to re-read the book (or read it for the first time) before the film hits our cinemas in May 2009, to be able to discuss the issues. Certainly, it's a page-turner, and will provide discussion starters with those on the outside of the church.

Does Richard Dawkins Exist?

I'm not sure if you have heard of Richard Dawkins. He's probably the leading sceptic in the world today, fighting against religious belief, and arguing against the existence of God. He's had a number of books published, including 'The Blind Watchmaker', 'The Selfish Gene' and 'The God Delusion.' The following is a parody of 'The God Delusion', in which Dawkins argues that God does not exist using various means of proof. This is very clever, and while this is only the first paragraph, the whole story can be read by clicking here.

As I thumbed my way through the pages of "The God Delusion", a question dropped into my head. Does Richard Dawkins really exist?

Being a scientific and rational person, I decided that I wasn't going to just accept any old theory on this question. If Richard Dawkins exists, then I would need to be shown the proper evidence for it. Others can have their own superstitious beliefs, based on who-knows-what, but I would only be convinced by empirical science. If there is a Dawkins, why hasn't he shown himself to me?