Francis/ Mere Christianity Test Flashcards
What is the goal of this course
Using testimonies from other individuals and accounts from their lives as models of those who have chosen to live as Christians
What is the name of the book by francis collins
the language of God
Collins described his parents as “free thinkers” , what was their “conventionally modern attitude toward faith”
it just wasn’t very important
what ivy league college did his parents meet at
yale
What was the name of the experimental community that was built in 1933, at the height of the Depression, as a social experiment to provide opportunities for redundant local miners and farmers where his parents worked after college? *
arthurdale, WV
who was the first lady that was heavily involved in this project
eleanor roosevelt
After this project failed, his parents worked at a college in North Carolina - what did Collins’ father collect in the hills of North Carolina that are a major part of a collection at the Library of Congress? *
folk songs
World War II interrupted this carefree academic life and his father went to work as a supervisor in a factory that built what item for the war effort? *
built bombers
After the war, his family wanted to return to nature and bought a 95-acre farm in what state? *
virginia
What was the name of the summer theater they started on their farm that still is in operation today? *
the oak grove theater
Collins and his brothers were homeschooled by their mother and it was here that he said developed what love? *
learning
Collins said that faith throughout his childhood was limited to what type of communication with God? *
childish bargaining
What did Collins say was the reason his parents sent him to the local Episcopal church? *
to practice in choir
What did Collins say was the “intense satisfaction” he got when studying chemistry, that led him toward a goal of becoming a chemist? *
the ordered nature of the universe
When studying at the University of Virginia, the debates about faith led him toward becoming an agnostic - what does that mean? *
someone who does not know whether or not God exists
What are the two extremes of being an agnostic that we discussed in class? *
1st Extreme: Intense analysis of evidence. 2nd Extreme: Comfortable position that allows them to avoid considering arguments they find uncomfortable
Which extreme did Collins find himself leaning toward? *
the comfortable position
What term by C.S. Lewis did Collins use to describe his attitude toward spirituality? *
“willful blindness”
While pursuing his Ph.D. at Yale, Collins said his attitude toward faith “gradually shifted from being an agnostic, toward….” what? *
atheist
Collins believed in a Naturalist Worldview - explain what this is? *
Everything in the universe basis of equations and scientific principles and there is nothing impacting the universe from outside of it
Faith is described as a Super Naturalist Worldview - explain what this is? *
Forces from outside the natural world, impact the natural world (Christianity it is God who created all; Holy Spirit, Devil and sin are forces impacting what happens in the natural world)
What crisis did Collins have two years into his Ph.D. program? *
That the path of life held little significance
How did a course in biochemistry lift him out of this crisis? *
Because the principles of DNA, RNA, etc. showed him that the human genetic code was precise and ordered. He could spend his life making discoveries in the code that provided benefits to humans
After Collins decided to enroll in medical school at the University of North Carolina, what did he say were the four areas that he “loved about medical school”. *
Intellectual Stimulation
Ethical Challenges
Human Element
Amazing Complexity of the Human Body
What specific area of the human body did Collins decide to focus on studying after a pediatrician brought patients to class that suffered from diseases such as sickle cell and Down syndrome? *
Human DNA Code
When he was in his third year of medical school, what did he find overwhelming when dealing with patients and their families? *
Emotional complexity when forming relationships with the sick, dying and their families
What actions by the patients and their families did Collins find amazing? *
The peace that came from their faith
When an older patient asked Collins what he believed in regards to faith, what did he say to her? *
I don’t know
Why did the patient’s “obvious surprise” stay in Collins’ mind and “haunt him for days”? *
Because the very nature of accepting “not knowing” when against the nature of who he was
Why did this interaction result in Collins not being able to “rely on the robustness of his atheistic position”? *
Because he hadn’t made a commitment to research the topic
After making a quick review of the world’s religions, Collins doubted that there was any “rational basis for spiritual belief” and decided to visit who? *
A local minister
What book did this person give to Collins? *
Mere Christianity, by CS Lewis
What concept from this book attracted Collins immediately? *
That Moral Law was a universal feature of human existence; regardless of their belief system
From this concept, Collins realized the behavior of altruism in people is evidence for a supernatural creator - what is altruism? *
Helping others even if nothing (attention, gratitude, etc) is received in return
This transformation of belief, combined with his clear focus in medical school, led Collins to be the leader of what international project? *
Human Genome Project
Who was the U.S. President that held a celebration of the success of this project at the White House? *
Bill Clinton
