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NIH Director
Francis Collins, MD, Ph.D.
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Throughout his undergraduate and graduate
school career in the physical sciences, Collins was quick to dismiss religion
as an explanation to phenomena that came about before the dawn of science, and
therefore was not applicable in the modern scientific world. However, during
his medical school education, everything began to change. As a resident,
confronted each day with life and death, Collins began to question his then
atheist beliefs. One day, after reading C. S. Lewis’s book Mere Christianity, which explains belief in God as a rational
decision process, Collins came to the conclusion that he too, wanted to become
a Christian.
But how do these decisions relate
to his work as a physician scientist? Even Collins himself has been asked,
“Doesn’t your brain explode?” referring to the coexistence of evolution and
religion in his life. As he is still alive and functioning, the answer is
obviously no, and here’s how. Collins, like many Christians, sees no conflict between
what he has studied in science and found in Christianity. Referencing a
non-literal translation of Genesis and the creation story, he finds no issue
with saying that descent from a common ancestor is true. For that matter,
evolution could have been God’s plan for the creation of species. During an
interview with PBS, Collins spoke regarding religion and evolution, calling the
evolution versus creation argument one of the great tragedies of the past 100
years:
“On
the one hand, we have scientists who basically adopt evolution as their faith,
and think there's no need for God to explain why life exists. On the other
hand, we have people who are believers who are so completely sold on the
literal interpretation of the first book of the Bible that they are rejecting
very compelling scientific data about the age of the earth and the relatedness
of living beings. It's unnecessary. I think God gave us an opportunity through
the use of science to understand the natural world.” (Collins, Francis. The Question
of God. PBS. WGBH, Boston. Television.)
Throughout the book, The Genome War by James Shreeve,
Collins’ beliefs become apparent. However, it is important to note that neither
during his direction of the Human Genome Project nor during his time at the
NIH, has he ever deviated from the scientific goals of his job. Some were
concerned after President Obama appointed him as director of the NIH in 2009
that his religious beliefs might hinder the NIH’s scientific progress. But, it
was soon discovered there is a benefit to having a Christian in control of one
of the most influential health organizations in the country. As pointed out in
a Washington Post article, Collin’s status as a “born-again Christian… may help
him build bridges with those who view some gene based research as a threat to
religious values.”
Without a doubt, Francis Collins
has been and continues to be at the forefront of genetic and medical research, becoming
in my opinion an extremely successful scientist because of his unique
experiences and the applications of knowledge gained from those experiences to
direct the program to decode the book of life. When I began reading The Genome War, I was definitely
surprised to find out about Collin’s faith and his openness to discussion of
his opinions. However, I feel he does so in a way to not impede on anyone’s
beliefs while simultaneously challenging the reader to contemplate the way he
has found religion and science to be intertwined. The statements he makes and stances he takes
in response to very touchy topics in today’s society shows how established he is
in his beliefs and his work that he has done and continues to do.
To read more about Collins and his experiences
regarding how the Human Genome influenced his life, he has published a book
entitled Language of God: A Scientists
Presents Evidence for Belief.
I think it's really interesting to hear a scientist talk about his religion, because religion and science are so often debated. Also, religion can vary when it comes to personal interpretation, so seeing how this professional has integrated both his dedication to science and his faith is something I have never heard much about before..
ReplyDeleteI truly respect Francis Collins for allowing his religious beliefs to be compatible with scientific facts and discoveries. In today’s society, many people believe that science and religion are two areas that simply cannot be combined, but Collins has proved otherwise. It’s fascinating to think that as he furthered his scientific education, Collins possessed more and more faith in God. I admire him for not trying to hide his religious beliefs from his colleagues, since his religion may have hurt his job opportunities or caused fellow scientists to think negatively of him.
ReplyDeleteWhat is most impressive to me is that Collins is able to prevent his belief of religion from impeding his knowledge of science and vice versa. I think that most of the debate between the two sides stems from an underlying fear of the unknown—we do not know which side is correct, so we tend to latch onto the side with which we are most comfortable. Collins’s duel faith in science and religion proves that the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive, but can exist in synergy.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great read. This was a fascinating post, indeed!
ReplyDeleteWith the topic of genetics being such a frontrunner in today's scientific community, it's easy to say Francis Collins could be argued as one of the most impactful scientists of our time. Personally, as a devout Catholic, it's difficult to be able to distinguish my religious beliefs from my scientific knowledge. Collins has taught me that it is possible to view them not as two separate entities, but as one, interwoven. Additionally, not only does he makes me proud, but he makes me confident. He is willing to stand up for what he believes in, regardless of what his colleagues may think of him, and that truly takes character.
I also found the story of Collins's conversion very inspiring. What especially struck me was how he was able to merge Christianity and science while coming from a solely scientific background. As someone who has been raised religious and with a respect for science, it has been fairly easy for me to accept both a non-literal reading of Genesis and evolution, as an example of one point of contention. I feel that a religious and scientific view of the world makes more sense than just a scientific one, personally. I do not believe that science and faith ever have to be reconciled, because they are both true, but coming from a scientific perspective only, it must have seemed like science and religion were perfectly at odds very often. This is why I admire Francis Collins so much for seeking out the relationship between the two.
ReplyDeleteAfter learning about Francis Collins through reading "The Genome War," this post surprises me in the fact that Collins is trying to bridge the gap between religion and science as someone who converted to Christianity rather than someone who was raised as a Christian. Too often we hear about arguments among scientists and the religious over whether evolution or creationism is truly how earth as we know it came about. I agree with what you said about how Collins can be beneficial as the director of the NIH since he has shown that he can balance both his religious and scientific beliefs. As you also said, I believe he is especially fit in his position as a "Born-again Christian" since he has experience both as an Atheist and a Christian, therefore he can sympathize with both those who, like he, try to balance religion and science along with those who strictly believe in evolution.
ReplyDeleteI too found the discussion in the book of Collins' conversion to Christianity incredibly interesting, especially when delving into his desire to connect where science was heading and where religion has been established, instead of driving them apart like so many in today's world wish. Having been raised Christian and absolutely loving science, it makes me really glad that there are still people like Collins who wish to see spirited discussion on both matters without excluding either, keeping an open mind when doing so, and having meaningful advances in conversation as opposed to mud-slinging.
ReplyDeleteI find it very comforting that for once religion and science are not colliding with each other. For over a thousand years, religion and science have been separated as believing in one or the other which sparked many conflicts. Seeing that Collins has fused these two together in his morals and beliefs is a very progressive step in the mission to bring these two subjects together. I think that Collins stands as a role-model for other scientists and researchers who are open to other beliefs to brings both religion and science together as one in their research. I think this will create less conflict and more harmony among researchers.
ReplyDeleteI think that Obama was acting very intelligently in appointing Francis Collins to the Director position of the NIH. While some may have backlashed at the idea of having a religiously involved individual in a position of power such as Collins was, it was his dedication to keeping his two worlds separate that made him the perfect candidate to me. He was a devoted scientist and knew that his scientific pursuits needed to remain separate from his religion, and that only he himself could ponder his own beliefs outside of his job. This does, however, give Collins something that is very important yet sometimes rare in the scientific community: an open mind willing to discuss anomalies in the facts. Collins recognized that his scientific pursuits did not always support his religious beliefs at times. However, realizing this and being able to have an intelligent discussion about the differences and similarities is ultimately what I believe led Obama to see Collins' worth as the director of such as fundamental organization as the NIH. He could relate to both sides of the debate.
ReplyDeleteI think religion and science have a special relationship. They coexist in everyday life. It is just really depends on which way a person wants to explain a phenomenon. Just like the birth of universe, one group will believe in Big Bang theory and the others will believe in an omnipotent force . About Francis Collins, I think he must have tried very hard to let both religion and science coexist in his work. The great job he did,I think, because he has a belief to keep him trying and knowledge of science to work with.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between religion and science is very interesting to me. As I read through the article, I found a thing about Collins that made me reflect upon my own experience. During middle school, and most of my high school, I did not hold religious belief because I thought that science could answer everything. Now, I still do believe that science has the answers for everything but there is a change in my mindset, and that change is similar to the quote from Collins in the article. For example, we can,and we should explain the birth of the universe scientifically but have we ever wondered why did that explosion happen in the first place. I think that we should not let religious belief hold back the advancement of science. I also think that religious relief can help advance science, depending on the definition of religious belief.
ReplyDeleteHaving been a Christian my entire life and also pursuing a career in medicine in the future, I know exactly the message that Collins is trying to convey. Both my faith and interest in science, however, has strengthened my beliefs. When it comes to evolution vs. creation, a debate that I believe will be had until the end of humanity, I do agree with those who advocate for evolution, but that only explains how humans were created from the first life on Earth. I've always been fascinated about what was "there" before the big bang and what caused that to happen, and I like to think that there was and is some higher being that set off the chain of events that got us here today.
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