Book review

Submitted on March 05, 2009

Send to friend"THE FAITH OF SCIENTISTS: IN THEIR OWN WORDS," edited by Nancy K. Frankenberry, Princeton University Press (Princeton, N.J., 2008), 523 pp., $29.95. Reviewed by Christopher Fenoglio Catholic News Service For centuries, some of the greatest minds in history have grappled with the relationship between religion and science: Did God create the universe? Is man’s position above all other creatures the work of divine management, a natural selection process or a lucky chance? Can we look deep into the universe or inside our own DNA and see the fingerprints of God? These questions have been debated since they were first posed and will continue to be discussed for all time. In our efforts to understand these issues, we tend to look first to the latest papers or focus on the newest interpretations. That’s a mistake, suggests Nancy Frankenberry in her new book, "The Faith of Scientists: In Their Own Words." To really explore these human and historical questions about God, the universe and science, one should first seek to understand the scientists themselves.