Believing is Seeing!

Author Michael Guillen grew up in a strict, Spanish-speaking Pentecostal household. He writes how liberating he felt to be free of his family’s religious practice when he went Cornell University. He determined to make his whole life the world of science…becoming a scientific monk. Guillen simultaneously earned three doctorates, in physics, mathematics and astronomy. His heart’s passion was to understand the hidden secrets of the vast universe. But his atheistic worldview received a shock when he began to see how the universe is fine-tuned for life. Guillen describes how he began to dabble in religion because of his admiration for Carl Sagan. Sagan was studying Hinduism at that time. After reading the Vedas, Michael went on to explore Buddhist writing. Then for two years, he read completely through the Bible with his girlfriend, critically examining every verse. In the end, it was a combination of his reading scripture and his scientific insights that brought him to accept Christianity. The book asks why believing is so powerful. Dr. Guillen explains that we live in a day where personal belief trumps everything. “Personal truth” is more important that “the truth.” Beliefs become facts. There is also the practical issue that if you don’t expect to see something, you typically won’t see it. When we change our thinking (our worldview), it opens us up to fresh insights. The author shows how physics, astronomy and mathematics are fundamentally rooted in faith. He demonstrates how believing can create a bias in well-meaning scientists. “Believing is seeing. Seeing is reacting. The engineers who designed the Titanic believed she was unsinkable. That belief defined their reality; consequently, they saw no need to stock the ship with lots of life vests and lifeboats!”

Posted on May 3, 2024 by dwoetzel.