Hi - thanks for visiting. Ian’s piece has generated lots of comment and traffic so we thought people might like something that addresses the points he makes directly.

Ian was disappointed that John Polkinghorne didn’t give more specific positive reasons for his belief in God.  The book does discuss this in some detail, you might want to click here.

He also wondered about whether religious belief was some form of neuropathology - this is also discussed and if you’re interested you could click here.

British Academy President Onora O'Neill chairing launch discussion at Royal Society

There was an interesting launch discussion at the Royal Society (which upset poor Grayling so much that he went on about it being a scandal).  In fact it was a very high-level discussion event chaired by the immensely distinguished philosopher Prof Onora O’Neill to which all FRSs and FBAs who reasonably might attend were invited (including Dawkins) - videos and partial transcripts are on the “Launch Discussion at the Royal Society” tab.

Science and religion are both vital to our understanding of the universe, and there is no contradiction between up-to-date science and Christianity. John Polkinghorne, renowned scientist-turned-theologian, demonstrates this clearly in a new book with collaborator Nicholas Beale. Questions of Truth outlines fifty-one important questions on science and religion and their responses by both Polkinghorne and Beale. The book has a foreword by Tony Hewish and an endorsement from William D Phillips - both Nobel Prizewinners - as well as endorsements from renowned evolutionary scientists Prof Martin Nowak and Dr Francis Collins. The science is solid, the responses intruiging. Questions posed in the book include:

• Can God’s existence be proved? The book does not claim that God’s existence can be proved in the same kind of way that you can prove 2+2=4. For an outline of what the authors say on the topic
• Is God a Delusion?
• What about Evil - natural and human?
• How did the universe begin?
• Is evolution fact or theory?
• Why is there cancer?
• Does religion inspire evil acts?
• Do we have souls?

Readers can follow their own paths through the book, selecting questions that interest them and looking at the additional material if they choose.

AAAS President Jim McCarthy chairing US Launch Workshop at AAAS with authors

If anyone wants to know why we believe that small objects can be both waves and particles; that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead; that the theory of evolution (properly understood as science, not as dogma) is true; that God exists and loves us; that most of the matter in the universe is not composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons; that other people have minds; or why, even without treatment, HIV can take many years to develop into AIDS, then we have to answer, “Come and see.”