"Not at all, Collins has been very careful to separate his belief from his work."
I'll have to try and remember to look for this book when it comes out...and then I hope I still understand enough about science to be able to absorb some of it.
"One example is - in an attempt to prove nature could not produce complexity you have to presume that only intelligence can produce complexity."
That is an interesting topic. I think there is an innate tendency in many people (and I am one of them) to look at the complexity of the human body..and organ functions, and the immune system, and vision, and so on and so on...and it is difficult to think that "only" nature produced such complexity.
And yet I often run into people who aren't fazed at all....they say evolution had millions of years to work its wonders.
"How did you know your teacher was an atheist?"
Some of them were open about it. Some of them gave it away by saying things like "I know you christians aren't going to be happy with this but...."
Some teachers, you couldn't tell.
"How will you deal with your faith if science does succeed in reproducing the origin of life?"
I don't think it would affect it at all. My faith isn't based on whether or not I properly understand how everything came to be.
Science has managed to learn how to heal, how to communicate, how to fly....that doesn't mean that God has never done those things...or has stopped doing them.
"Based solely on my posts to you, what do you think my stance is on God?"
I haven't a clue. You don't seem hostile to people of faith, but I don't know if that means you have faith or not.
That has always been the case. The very human tendency is to look for an intelligence behind what we do not understand or in which our knowledge is incomplete.
"And yet I often run into people who aren't fazed at all....they say evolution had millions of years to work its wonders.
Although there may be a basic variance in the mode of thinking between the two, I believe it has more to do with the need for something bigger than oneself that provides a sense of purpose and future. (In other words what we think may be more important than how we think)
"I don't think it would affect it at all. My faith isn't based on whether or not I properly understand how everything came to be.
As it should be.
"Science has managed to learn how to heal, how to communicate, how to fly....that doesn't mean that God has never done those things...or has stopped doing them.
I must say you seem much more flexible that the majority that tread the crevo halls. It is quite refreshing.
"I haven't a clue. You don't seem hostile to people of faith, but I don't know if that means you have faith or not. "
I have been an atheist for more than 45 years but have been married to a woman of faith for 30 years. My wife's and my disparate belief systems have lead to more than one nasty argument but it has also lead me to a better understanding of what it means for a person to believe in God.
That right there is what distinguishes you from the anti-evo trolls seen around these parts. First, that your faith is not tied to some understanding (or lack thereof) of the physical world. Nor should it be, IMHO. It also suggests that you don't know everything (and that you acknowledge such) about the Theory of Evolution, which spans numerous fields of study and is supported by evidence equally varied in source. That makes two of us.
I applaud your civility, genuine curiosity, and willingness to have an actual discussion.