Belief: Readings on the Reason for Faith
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £1.60
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Belief: Readings on the Reason for Faith for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £1.60, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Any seeking clarity on the debate between reason and faith will find this an engrossing collection."--The Bookwatch
Product Description
While many people turn to the Bible for their primer on belief, countless others are inspired by the work of intellectuals, philosophers, preachers and poets. Similar to what Christopher Hitchens did in "The Portable Atheist", bestselling author of "The Language of God" Francis Collins collects the most important writings on faith and belief. From C.S. Lewis to Madeline L'Engle, Martin Luther King to Merton, this is a must have companion for everyone interested in faith in a cynical world.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As with any anthology of writings, this is going to be hit and miss. There are some outstanding sections in here that has prompted me to read the full books from which extracts are taken, and there are some that leave you wondering what the point of their inclusion was. The standout writings are those by Tom Wright and Deitrich Bonhoeffer. It was almost inevitable that Alister Mcgrath would have to be included, but the selection that was used was not his best. Perhaps his chapter on faith in "Dawkins' God" would have been a better choice. The early part of the book is tough-going and took several re-reads to fully grasp the arguments.
Is it good? Undoubtedly. Is it likely to convince many people to alter their views? Probably not.
A worthwhile read, but The Language of God remains Collins' best work to date.
Is it good? Undoubtedly. Is it likely to convince many people to alter their views? Probably not.
A worthwhile read, but The Language of God remains Collins' best work to date.
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Any anthology of this sort is bound to draw argument and disapproval from some. The book itself is a compilation of extracted chapters from over 30 author's major works.
Whilst the major argument is bound to centre on weather a certain piece should have been included or whether another article would have been better suited the book has more than enough to cater for everyone's individual tastes, no matter how varied. For me, the highlights included:
St Anselm - God as being that which nothing greater can be conceived
Blaise Pascal - On Pascal's Wager
Keith Ward - On the irrationality of `religion' as a construct
Desmond Tutu - On suffering and Nelson Mandela
Timothy Keller - On justice and misconceptions
Martin Luther King - On human dignity
Paul Brand - On his experiences as a medical surgeon
John Polkinghorne - On the correlation between science and faith
Mother Teresa - On human kindness
Anthony Flew - On rationality, and following the argument wherever it goes
For me these articles stood out amongst the rest, however, for others I'm sure different articles would be listed.
The book itself is nicely presented, in good size front. Each essay is designed to be read in a singular sitting, and therefore none of the essays are particularly long. At the start of each article Collins gives an introduction to the author and the piece included. The purpose of the book is to highlight intellectual theism and the rationality of faith.
Whether the arguments made convince you is irrelevant. Rather as Alister McGrath says: "the hallmark of intelligence is not whether one believes in God or not, but the quality of the processes that underlie one's beliefs". Thus this book is all about the processes that underlie belief.
Overall I was thoroughly pleased by the book itself and found it highly enjoyable. It's definitely a book I'll keep as I'll no doubt revisit certain articles at different points. On this basis I give the book 5 stars and a thorough recommendation to all.
Whilst the major argument is bound to centre on weather a certain piece should have been included or whether another article would have been better suited the book has more than enough to cater for everyone's individual tastes, no matter how varied. For me, the highlights included:
St Anselm - God as being that which nothing greater can be conceived
Blaise Pascal - On Pascal's Wager
Keith Ward - On the irrationality of `religion' as a construct
Desmond Tutu - On suffering and Nelson Mandela
Timothy Keller - On justice and misconceptions
Martin Luther King - On human dignity
Paul Brand - On his experiences as a medical surgeon
John Polkinghorne - On the correlation between science and faith
Mother Teresa - On human kindness
Anthony Flew - On rationality, and following the argument wherever it goes
For me these articles stood out amongst the rest, however, for others I'm sure different articles would be listed.
The book itself is nicely presented, in good size front. Each essay is designed to be read in a singular sitting, and therefore none of the essays are particularly long. At the start of each article Collins gives an introduction to the author and the piece included. The purpose of the book is to highlight intellectual theism and the rationality of faith.
Whether the arguments made convince you is irrelevant. Rather as Alister McGrath says: "the hallmark of intelligence is not whether one believes in God or not, but the quality of the processes that underlie one's beliefs". Thus this book is all about the processes that underlie belief.
Overall I was thoroughly pleased by the book itself and found it highly enjoyable. It's definitely a book I'll keep as I'll no doubt revisit certain articles at different points. On this basis I give the book 5 stars and a thorough recommendation to all.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
14 reviews
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Intellectual integrity meets 21st century thought
10 May 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a physician and cancer research scientist, and a Christian, and I have for decades seen no conflict (indeed, I have seen the opposite) between the truth I see in nature (including Darwinian evolution) and belief in the God of Abraham. The so-called conflict is largely, in my opinion, contrived for the purpose of some religious leaders and other radicals to help them maintain control and wealth. This is not a new struggle, as history shows, and one that Jesus also faced with the Pharisees and the Romans.
Belief is a collection of writings from thoughtful men and women throughout the ages (beginning with Plato) who, using their reason, explain the basis for their faith-based belief system. While specifics change, there is a fundamental acknowledgement that all belief (whether in a God or not, and whether in a personally-involved God or not) is a matter of faith; indeed, we must all base our beliefs, in God or not, on faith since we cannot "test outside the box" of the universe, being contained completely within it.
Belief does a credible job dealing with the great question of the First Cause and with mankind's need for a moral fulcrum. The former is a mystery of mysteries, and the latter is surprisingly similar in all belief systems. Indeed, without the latter, we will end up with either one end of extremism (totalitarian Fascism) or the other (totalitarian Communism) - both of which are remarkable similar in effect and both of which are unacceptable.
Ultimately, this collection of writings demonstrates that one can be both a believer in God and also intellectually intact - these two options are not mutually exclusive, despite the false dicotomy often presented by others with a variety of agendas. I am glad to see a thoughtful response to this too-often tirade against "religion" as the "opium of the people." Belief demonstrates that having faith that "God is" just as intellectually legitimate and defensible as having faith that "God is not" and that, if thoughtfully and morally applied, can be personally rewarding.
Belief is a collection of writings from thoughtful men and women throughout the ages (beginning with Plato) who, using their reason, explain the basis for their faith-based belief system. While specifics change, there is a fundamental acknowledgement that all belief (whether in a God or not, and whether in a personally-involved God or not) is a matter of faith; indeed, we must all base our beliefs, in God or not, on faith since we cannot "test outside the box" of the universe, being contained completely within it.
Belief does a credible job dealing with the great question of the First Cause and with mankind's need for a moral fulcrum. The former is a mystery of mysteries, and the latter is surprisingly similar in all belief systems. Indeed, without the latter, we will end up with either one end of extremism (totalitarian Fascism) or the other (totalitarian Communism) - both of which are remarkable similar in effect and both of which are unacceptable.
Ultimately, this collection of writings demonstrates that one can be both a believer in God and also intellectually intact - these two options are not mutually exclusive, despite the false dicotomy often presented by others with a variety of agendas. I am glad to see a thoughtful response to this too-often tirade against "religion" as the "opium of the people." Belief demonstrates that having faith that "God is" just as intellectually legitimate and defensible as having faith that "God is not" and that, if thoughtfully and morally applied, can be personally rewarding.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Any seeking clarity on the debate between reason and faith will find this an engrossing collection
11 July 2010
Format:Hardcover
Belief: Readings on the Reason for Faith provides readings selected by Francis Collins, author of THE LANGUAGE OF GOD. It examines the nature and possibilities of faith and belief, gathering under one cover essays that examine faith from an intellectual perspective. Any seeking clarity on the debate between reason and faith will find this an engrossing collection.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
A thought provoking collection of essential writings
4 April 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Dr. Collins states in the introduction: "The increasingly secular Western world seems to be loosing touch with the long history of intellectual arguments supporting a rational basis for faith." As a student and thinker of history who has read most of the Western classics, I find this book very timely. It is my understanding that every previous effort to drive God and faith out of social beliefs has ended in the downfall of all of those regimes. I have a science degree and was often challenged both externally and with internal questions about the meaning of faith and is there a God. A bit like C. S. Lewis and many others, I have often endeavored to prove in my own mind by extensive study and thought that God may not exist.
This book Belief offers a broad spectrum of essential writings for all to ponder and draw their own conclusions based on "a long history of intellectual arguments supporting a rational basis for faith," rather than the current secular media and political agenda. The book Belief should be required reading in order to receive a high school diploma in the US to help prevent cultural and college brainwashing! Historically, curious intellectual thinking people of faith have prospered and advanced, whereas the secular entertainment oriented perspective has always led to the end of that society and is a detriment to civilization. This book is must reading for all.
This book Belief offers a broad spectrum of essential writings for all to ponder and draw their own conclusions based on "a long history of intellectual arguments supporting a rational basis for faith," rather than the current secular media and political agenda. The book Belief should be required reading in order to receive a high school diploma in the US to help prevent cultural and college brainwashing! Historically, curious intellectual thinking people of faith have prospered and advanced, whereas the secular entertainment oriented perspective has always led to the end of that society and is a detriment to civilization. This book is must reading for all.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
