Guest post from Intern Jesse:

While browsing in Kramerbooks, I decided to glance at Francis Collins’ The Language of God. I had heard that it was an interesting book trying to show how science and religion could coexist – Collins is a well-respected geneticist as well as a religious man. However, when I opened up to a random page, the first thing that I saw was this:

“Science is not the only way of knowing. The spiritual worldview provides another way of finding truth. Scientists who deny this would be well advised to consider the limits of their own tools…”

Collins’ point simply doesn’t follow. To say that there are limitations to science lends no credibility to spirituality’s ability to find truth. It would be like saying, “Space shuttles are not the only way to get into orbit around the Earth. Pogo sticks are another way. Engineers who deny this would be well advised to consider the limits of their shuttles.” Sure, shuttles have things they can’t do, but that does not mean pogo sticks can go into orbit.

But let’s not just make fun of the statement, let’s go deeper and examine the idea behind the claims. Sure, there limits to what science can tell us. It addresses the “hows” of the world, the physical laws and the positive truths. It can’t answer what our purpose is, how to treat each other, or what to eat for breakfast (I’m partial to Special K). But just because science can’t answer those questions doesn’t mean that spirituality can. It means that we don’t know the answers. Collins needs to present evidence to support his claim that spirituality is “another way of finding truth,” not just point to science’s limits.

And spirituality has not shown that it is another way of finding truth. Different people pray and ask God whether gays should be allowed to marry – and they get wildly different answers, although they profess to be absolutely certain to have learned the truth. The problem is that the word ‘truth’ implies a universal, objective fact that is independent of the observer. Religions try to provide those answers by appealing to divine authority – telling us that a particular way of life is best because God says so. But it is our perspective that gives things value. A painting is beautiful if we find beauty in it, not because there is something inherently beautiful about it. And a life is meaningful if we find meaning in it. We must recognize that there is not an overarching ‘truth’ to be discovered, and that it is up to us as a society and as individuals to decide how to treat each other, how to live our lives, and what to do for breakfast.