Story of God

Having watched Robert Winston's excellent BBC programme "Making Babies", I was intrigued by his venture into the science/religion debate. Winston acknowledges at the outset that his scientific position that, "humans evolved from hominids; apes that naturally stand upright on two legs" will offend some religious people. He also understands that, as a practising Jew, he holds views which many fellow scientists will dismiss as soft headed. He states his own position clearly, "I am not an atheist. I do not pretend to understand the nature of God; I do not know whether our moral code is a human construct, a piece of genetic programming or a God-given gift; I do not fully understand the concept of a soul and I have no idea whether there is an afterlife - but I am prepared to accept that God may exist." Such open mindedness brings a breath of fresh air to what is often a sterile debate.

Winston attributes the survival of humans to "our relatively large brain" admitting that, "the evolutionary causes of this....are not certain". He recognises the inevitability of conflict between those who would attribute the human brain as "a gift from God" and scientists, like himself, who believe "the similarity between our brains and those of apes make the idea of evolution irrefutable." At the same time he points out that, "of all apes, body weight for body weight, we have been the weakest, the least agile, the least fleet of foot and so - with few natural weapons - the most defenceless. With our soft, fleshy young, remaining dependent for so long upon their parents, we were the perfect snack for the many predators around us" He suggests that it was humans' ability to adapt to the environment in which they existed, coupled with their imagination, which enabled them to survive.

While Winston's argument appears strong he has to fall back on the word "probably" and other suppositions which prevent many of those of religious opinion to accept his interpretation without question. He examines a wealth of archaeological evidence to support his contention, much of which can be accurately dated, although its relationship with evolution is done by inference. This includes the suggestion that ancient people thought about God . Winston writes, "Whenever we look at the evidence for religious belief in our ancestors and antecedents, we see that it centres on the business of death and the dead." He claims, "we are wired to survive" thus dead bodies create an error message in the human psyche. Religion is one way in which humans deal with death, not in a fear of dying but in the belief that the dead are only dead physically. He draws attention to E B Tylor's view that animism and magic gave way to organised religion and eventually to science which he regards as too simplistic an explanation of religion.

Winston's knowledge of the subject is extensive and, while he is not an expert in the field, he does provides a balanced account of the Bible and the three main monotheistic religions. He clearly understands the intermix of politics and religion which has led to the rise of fundamentalism as a means of restoring traditional values. This was a theme seen in the messages of the Old Testament prophets. Jesus, who Winston accepts is an historical figure, provided a somewhat different view by emphasising commitment over ritual. Winston also traces the doctrinal and political schisms which occurred within the three large monotheistic religions arguing that the good in each should not be " hijacked by a few people who have confused bigotry and fanaticism with religion and a blind denial of moral behaviour with God." Irrespective of one's own theological beliefs Winston provides a well balanced potted account of each religion, including the way in which science emerged as a competitor for knowledge as a result of the decline of traditional loyalties in the wake of the Renaissance and Reformation.

He covers a range of scientific/religious conflicts and, while he lauds Dawkins's ability as a scientist, criticises him for believing that religion is the expression of sickness within the human psyche. If so, Winston argues, "why does he suppose (this) will vanish with the abolition of religion." In other words the behaviour arising from some religious beliefs is not necessarily symptomatic of religious belief alone. The notion that the ends justify the means is not confined to religion and applies equally to some who hold no such beliefs.

At the height of the debate on stem cell research Winston found himself the subject of attacks from religious quarters and even his Roman Catholic secretary was put under pressure to refuse to do his work - which she laudably resisted. While disagreeing with some of Winston's assumptions, interpretations and conclusions, I recommend this book as a splendid read. Personally I learned some new historical information and am more fully informed about the nature of stem cell research. Winston ends his book as he started it from a position of uncertainty. Neither religion nor science produce evil it is the uses to which each is put, especially when based on an unjustifiable certainty, that creates such evil. Winston argues it is the search for ultimate answers that gives meaning to life and his personal account of that search is interesting even if incomplete. Five stars.

christmas present (0/1 people found this helpful)

although not a christmas present for this year, but previously, I had no problems with the seller as regards condition and despatch.

Athiest comment (0/0 people found this helpful)

If you are an athiest (or even maybe a non-athiest), it is quite possible you have asked the question "why do human beings have the need to believe in a God"?
This book goes a long way to answering that question. Fantastic to read, from the mind of a brilliant man. Robert Winston is also being very clever in not giving away his own personal opinion as to whether or not a God exists.

the (?) story of god (2/4 people found this helpful)

This volume is a prime example of `one of the country's best-known scientists' (back cover) sounding authoritative on a subject (`the story of god') about which he is actually no more qualified to speak than anyone else. Robert Winston, Professor of Fertility Studies, Consultant Gynaecologist and agnostic Jew, here meanders widely through the humanities of politics, history, theology and biography, touching only occasionally on an aspect of science in which he personally has any expertise. The book (which draws on little of his TV documentary) reads like a hardback tabloid, full of snippets of scandal and `human' stories of dubious representativeness, yet when it refers to something one confidently knows about, is frequently factually wrong.
For example, we read that `In Darwin's view ... only the best-adapted individuals could survive' (p.290) (whereas under `natural selection', any organism fit enough to reproduce will) and, puzzlingly, that `quarks in turn are divided into two classes: baryons and mesons.' (p.294). Winston further asserts (p.39) `Consciousness ... separates us from our animal counterparts' - just how does he know this then?
We are also told that `Christians celebrate ... in the springtime' `that Jesus Christ died and was born again' (p.52) and that `the [then] Prime Minister and the Queen of England both believe in a God-made-man, born of a virgin, impregnated by a ghost' (p.295). Do they really? Tommyrot! Moreover, we learn that Abraham, who in the Jewish Bible immediately afterwards had a son, Ishmael, by his wife's maidservant, was an `infertile man' (p.335). Plainly it was she, Sarah, who was barren. Is this not obvious to the learned professor of fertility?
Indeed, it would have been most interesting to hear Winston's take on the account in Genesis (chapter 20) of how God healed Abimelech's household of sterility and then (chapter 21) Sarah herself, or on the technical possibility of human parthenogenesis, or Jesus' curing the woman with chronic haemorrhaging (Luke chapter 8) or on any of the other numerous mother-and-baby events from his own religious tradition, but he remains silent on such topics.
Instead, Winston seems to focus repeatedly on sniping at Christianity, as seen from a very disappointingly western perspective, and at the Catholic Church in particular. He delights to narrate, often in gory detail, incriminating stories of `Christians against Christians' (p.226). And it is not until the last 10 pages that we glimpse an understanding of the underlying mystery surrounding this tone of his book.
The author there relates some of his harrowing experiences while working on human IVF in the mid 1980s. He was the victim, by some individuals he dubs `fundamentalists' (p.328), of threats, intolerance and discrimination of an outrageous nature, which has clearly left an enduring impression on him. The reader can only sympathise. Such behaviour is, of course, utterly reprehensible. However, two wrongs do not make a right, and, while it might have been cathartic for him to dedicate this much time and effort to a surreptitious counter-offensive, it is hardly worthy of him and does not make for a good read either.
In short, this `personal journey' (front cover) is not an especially helpful publication for anyone seriously wishing to appreciate the development of the delicate `relationship between science and religion across time' (front cover).

Informative (1/2 people found this helpful)

Informative look at the history of religion and God but could be better written and more structured.

Robert M.L. Winston

Reader Reviews:

A Breath of Fresh Air (3/3 people found this helpful)

christmas present (0/1 people found this helpful)

Athiest comment (0/0 people found this helpful)

the (?) story of god (2/4 people found this helpful)

Informative (1/2 people found this helpful)

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