Believing Is Seeing: A Physicist Explains How Science Shattered His Atheism and Revealed the Necessity of Faith

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The first half of the book is a revelation, making fascinating comparisons between the leaps of faith necessary to understand or attempt to explain quantum mechanics and relativity and those of ordinary religion. Truly, what we thought we knew about the universe shrank significantly after Einstein and his criticisms of science worship are well worth airing.

Further, in most matters it is wise to insist on seeing before believing. If a person comes to you peddling a cream to cure your cancer or a scheme to double your money in a week, I hope that you will treat such claims with a large dose of skepticism and say, “Show me the evidence” before you lay down your money or mortgage your home. I agree. As valuable as these testimonies are, I never felt compelled by them as a non-believer to believe. There (almost annoyingly) was a sense of profound logic that I could not ignore, though, about Christianity that I felt Christians were not as interested in. But this logic was the very thing that compelled me into understanding what a relationship with God was like and why I eventually became a follower of Christ. Loading the player ... "Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'." John 20:29 (NIV) By saying that “believing is seeing” I do not intend to deny or disparage the commonsense notion that “seeing is believing.” I believe you are here because I see you in front of me. You would rightly consider me crazy to doubt this. Yes, there are optical illusions and other ways our senses and reason can be unreliable guides to knowledge, but normally people can safely believe their eyes. One day, however, when I was feeling beaten down by a crisis ....., it happened. After decades of being an Atheist-scientist, of assiduously exploring the world's great religions, I relaxed ... let go ... and completely surrendered myself to the buoyancy of Jesus' promise."Guillen is very much a part of this book, first as an idiosyncratic PhD in 3 disciplines (math, physics, and astronomy), as a Harvard professor, and then as a science reporter who's done things like facing a brush with death while exploring the ruins of the Titanic. Another reviewer described it as memoir-esque, and I definitely agree. A lot of the intrigue of the book comes in getting to know and learn about Guillen himself, and his own evolving ideas about science and faith. He's an enthusiastic narrator who makes more obscure topics accessible and interesting, even if, at times, it feels like he could step out of the spotlight. I originally thought that this book was for a Christian audience. Having finished reading, I think a more appropriate audience would actually be people who are uncertain of their worldview. I can also see that this book is targeted toward a young audience, including Christians who may find that their worldview is being questioned. With that said, I think that Christians can definitely learn from and appreciate the book— particularly the idea that science and faith are not mutually exclusive. And the parallels between science and Scripture were a lot of fun! Notice that the whole section consists of the direct words of Jesus. If you’re reading a “red letter” Bible, all of these words are in red. Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." (John 9:39 RSV) Dr. Guillen has a new book with Tyndale titled, Believing Is Seeing: A Physicist Explains How Science Shattered His Atheism and Revealed the Necessity of Faith

neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9Some claimed that he was.As a thermal engineer, I rely on the laws of thermodynamics to make nearly all of my analyses and designs. I use them to put bread on the table. I appreciate their beauty and revel in their elegance. John 1:1 refers to Jesus as the logos. Traditionally this is translated as “word.” But it can also be translated as “logic.” Jesus *is* logic just as much as Jesus is love. He is literally the embodiment of logic. After all, God never contradicts himself! That was their preconceived conclusion. But the man refuses to become involved in a theological argument. I’ve always listened skeptically to other Christians’ conversion stories,” writes Guillen. “It’s not that I think they’re fibbing or stretching the truth… [but] their highly personal narratives are not legitimate scientific hypotheses.”

You have heard the saying, seeing is believing, but is that true? When faith and acceptance are involved, seeing may not be believing. Seeing is not foolproof, because perception is involved. We see images, but what does our brain perceive? How is the image interpreted by our brain? The answer to that is not clear-cut. It involves a myriad of beliefs and ideas cultivated by the observer prior to the act of seeing the image. These beliefs and ideas are projected onto the event and color the interpretation to fit their personal mental framework. Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.... But whoever comes into the truth comes into the light...” (John 3:18, 19 & 21)The unbeliever, the one who rejects and will not accept the words of Jesus – those very words will judge and condemn that unbeliever at the last day. Your decision now counts forever! As a soon-to-be college graduate, you have developed the ability to gather and analyze empirical data to test truth claims and to reason your way through complex questions. In the process, you may have acquired what is often called “healthy skepticism” when it comes to assessing claims of pitchmen and politicians. These skills and intellectual habits will serve you well.

Observe how he has grown. Now Jesus is seen as "from God" -- he is the one sent from God. The man's insight has grown tremendously. So they become very angry:Humans uniquely have an IQ and an SQ (spiritual quotient that can detect translogical realities) which are essential to our understanding of the universe. Translgocial realities are an area of disagreement or at least require great care and consideration before agreeing to.