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The Reality of God: The Layman's Guide to Scientific Evidence for the Creator
Does God Exist? Which is evolution, creation . . . or both?
The Reality of God addresses these all-important questions by providing an introductory overview of key scientific evidence, philosophical reasons, and insights drawn from human nature demonstrating God's existence.
In simple, accessible language―and well-supported by scientific experts―author Steven Hemler guides the reader through compelling evidence for the existence of God. Hemler shows how natural sciences such as biology, chemistry and physics―far from disproving religious belief―suggest and reveal the existence of a Creator at every turn.
Catholics and others seeking sound reasons, credible science, and faithful theology supporting belief in God will cherish this easy-to-read book.
The Reality of God The Reality of God puts forth in layman's terms how science and the natural world point to God's existence. Anyone seeking answers to life's deepest question will find in author Steven Hemler an indispensable guide.
The Reality of God addresses these all-important questions by providing an introductory overview of key scientific evidence, philosophical reasons, and insights drawn from human nature demonstrating God's existence.
In simple, accessible language―and well-supported by scientific experts―author Steven Hemler guides the reader through compelling evidence for the existence of God. Hemler shows how natural sciences such as biology, chemistry and physics―far from disproving religious belief―suggest and reveal the existence of a Creator at every turn.
Catholics and others seeking sound reasons, credible science, and faithful theology supporting belief in God will cherish this easy-to-read book.
The Reality of God The Reality of God puts forth in layman's terms how science and the natural world point to God's existence. Anyone seeking answers to life's deepest question will find in author Steven Hemler an indispensable guide.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 26, 2015
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55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 30, 2019
I picked this up because it was highly recommended by Richard Rohr in The Universal Christ. It is short and easy to read - which makes it somewhat simplistic at times. I very much appreciated the section on the cosmos/universe. Honestly, I do not see this book “convincing” so called unbelievers, but it is interesting reading for those who do believe. I’m a bit tired of hearing people trying to argue God’s existence in logical terms, but at the same time, we should be matter of fact about how we see God in the natural world. So, I think it is ultimately more beneficial for those who believe in God, but the book is not presented this way.
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February 4, 2019The Reality of God: The Layman's Guide to Scientific Evidence for a Creator
by Steven R Hemler. He asks and attempts to answer those difficult questions that everyone of us has asked at times, through the means of science.
Does God Exist? Which is true? Evolution, or creation, . . . or both?
The question does God exist? is critical to understanding our place in the universe and how we live our lives. That's because what one believes about God affects everything else he or she believes and does. Indeed the five most consequential questions in life are these.
1 Origin: Where did we come from?
2 Identity: Who are we?
3 Meaning: Why are we here?
4 Morality: How should we live?
5 Destiny: Where are we going?
The implications of a universe with a beginning coupled with the discoveries of modern cosmology have lead scientists to unmistakenly theological solutions.
British physicist Edmond T whitaker; " There is no ground for supposing that matter and energy exisited before and were suddenly galvanized into existence - it is simpler to postulate creation - Divine will constituting nature from nothingness"
Allan R Sandage, a world leading Astronomer; "We cannot understand the universe in any clear way without the supernatural"
And Robert Jastrow, world renowned Astrophysicist; "The essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same. The chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy"
He went on to say " For the scientist who has lived in the faith of his reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the highest mountain of ignorance and about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries"
Another amazing book and scientific study on the reality of God actually being just that the reality behind our very being.
Are we no more than a momentary, meaningless collision of molecules? Or do we owe our existence to a Creator,
who has willed us (and everything else) into being, and who has a plan and purpose for our lives?
The Reality of God addresses these all-important questions by providing an introductory overview of key scientific evidence,
philosophical reasons, and insights drawn from human nature demonstrating God’s existence.
This scientific and human evidence of God’s existence is clearly and concisely presented in plain language. No Ph.D. required!
In simple, accessible language—and well-supported by scientific experts—Hemler guides the reader through the most compelling evidence
for the existence of God, and shows how natural sciences such as biology,
chemistry and physics—far from disproving religious belief— suggest and reveal the existence of a Creator at every turn.
by Steven R Hemler. He asks and attempts to answer those difficult questions that everyone of us has asked at times, through the means of science.
Does God Exist? Which is true? Evolution, or creation, . . . or both?
The question does God exist? is critical to understanding our place in the universe and how we live our lives. That's because what one believes about God affects everything else he or she believes and does. Indeed the five most consequential questions in life are these.
1 Origin: Where did we come from?
2 Identity: Who are we?
3 Meaning: Why are we here?
4 Morality: How should we live?
5 Destiny: Where are we going?
The implications of a universe with a beginning coupled with the discoveries of modern cosmology have lead scientists to unmistakenly theological solutions.
British physicist Edmond T whitaker; " There is no ground for supposing that matter and energy exisited before and were suddenly galvanized into existence - it is simpler to postulate creation - Divine will constituting nature from nothingness"
Allan R Sandage, a world leading Astronomer; "We cannot understand the universe in any clear way without the supernatural"
And Robert Jastrow, world renowned Astrophysicist; "The essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same. The chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy"
He went on to say " For the scientist who has lived in the faith of his reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the highest mountain of ignorance and about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries"
Another amazing book and scientific study on the reality of God actually being just that the reality behind our very being.
Are we no more than a momentary, meaningless collision of molecules? Or do we owe our existence to a Creator,
who has willed us (and everything else) into being, and who has a plan and purpose for our lives?
The Reality of God addresses these all-important questions by providing an introductory overview of key scientific evidence,
philosophical reasons, and insights drawn from human nature demonstrating God’s existence.
This scientific and human evidence of God’s existence is clearly and concisely presented in plain language. No Ph.D. required!
In simple, accessible language—and well-supported by scientific experts—Hemler guides the reader through the most compelling evidence
for the existence of God, and shows how natural sciences such as biology,
chemistry and physics—far from disproving religious belief— suggest and reveal the existence of a Creator at every turn.
March 11, 2016
I'm going to tackle this review by examining how well the book accomplishes its advertised goals.
"In The Reality of God Steven Hemler puts forth in layman’s terms how science and natural world point to God’s existence."
There is plenty "food for thought" provided that could lead a willing reader to begin thinking about the existence of God being the answer for unanswered/unanswerable questions. There's also plenty to be desired as a full proof but this book is only presented as evidence, not proof, a key point in approaching it.
"Are we no more than a momentary, meaningless collision of molecules? Or do we owe our existence to a Creator, who has willed us (and everything else) into being, and who has a plan and purpose for our lives?
The Reality of God: The Layman's Guide to Scientific Evidence for a Creator addresses these all-important questions by providing an introductory overview of key scientific evidence, philosophical reasons, and insights drawn from human nature demonstrating God’s existence."
Steven R. Hemler does an excellent job with his introductory overviews of each topic. He does get bogged down in some minutiae about DNA for some reason but other than that his explanations of things like the Big Bang, universal laws of nature, evolution, and philosophy are admirable. Being familiar with most of the subjects already it was mostly review for me, so tough to judge whether a complete neophyte would have as easy a time, though I suspect they would get by well enough.
"This scientific and human evidence of God’s existence is clearly and concisely presented in plain language. No Ph.D. required!"
No argument here. The book is extremely concise (only 153 pages, with plenty of blank ones for chapter/part breaks) which focuses the author's language and arguments.
"In simple, accessible language—and well-supported by scientific experts—Hemler guides the reader through the most compelling evidence for the existence of God, and shows how natural sciences such as biology, chemistry and physics—far from disproving religious belief— suggest and reveal the existence of a Creator at every turn."
We start to enter the heart of the matter here. Readers should note this book is not titled something like "Scientific Proof for God". In fact, in the closing conclusion (each of the three parts has its own conclusion) Hemler outright states "While there is compelling evidence it is not possible to absolutely prove the existence of God beyond any doubt. A 'leap of faith' is required from each of us." That's a very refreshing opinion on the matter of "Science V. Religion" where the sides appear locked in combat to disprove each other. However, it also greatly weakens the arguments since pretty much every chapter's point winds up being something like there's no other (discovered) cause/purpose/reason for the item in question (e.g. the conditions being just right for humans to exist in the universe at all) so it must be God. You can essentially win any argument when you can simply say anything unknown is God. Also, the philosophical arguments, such as a moral code seemingly share across humanity across the ages, aren't very scientific. Which is fine for what they are, but the book's title states "Scientific Evidence", leaving me to wonder if Hemler ran out of steam after the first two parts but needed a third to pad it out. Or else he did feel the philosophical arguments are logical enough to be adjacent to scientific reasoning.
"Catholics and others seeking sound reasons, credible science, and faithful theology supporting belief in God will cherish this easy-to-read book. The Reality of God provides:
· as an opportunity to address doubts about God’s existence
· persuasive reasons for belief
· the argument that faith and reason are not incompatible
· answers on evolution vs. creation"
Like I said before, I love that this book promotes the idea that faith (i.e. religion) and reason (i.e. science) are not diametrically opposed. It's totally feasible that all the laws of nature, including cosmological constants and evolution, are the work of a higher being. To say things are "too perfectly simple" such as E=mc^2 or F=ma, seems a bit reductionist, though. But the differentiation between "primary causes" and "secondary causes" is an interesting point that deftly allows religion to provide the primary cause for everything (i.e. God) and science to iron out and discover all the secondary causes (i.e. God uses/guides evolution to His ends). The "persuasive reasons for belief" is one of the most interesting chapters but also one of the weak links since it relies so much on pure philosophical and theological arguments. Including "Pascal's wager" dumbs down the argument for the existence of God, since even though it's a sound purely philosophical explanation (which places it closer to science than religion actually), it boils down to the fact you might as well believe in God because all the other options are no-win situations.
"In The Reality of God Steven Hemler puts forth in layman’s terms how science and natural world point to God’s existence."
There is plenty "food for thought" provided that could lead a willing reader to begin thinking about the existence of God being the answer for unanswered/unanswerable questions. There's also plenty to be desired as a full proof but this book is only presented as evidence, not proof, a key point in approaching it.
"Are we no more than a momentary, meaningless collision of molecules? Or do we owe our existence to a Creator, who has willed us (and everything else) into being, and who has a plan and purpose for our lives?
The Reality of God: The Layman's Guide to Scientific Evidence for a Creator addresses these all-important questions by providing an introductory overview of key scientific evidence, philosophical reasons, and insights drawn from human nature demonstrating God’s existence."
Steven R. Hemler does an excellent job with his introductory overviews of each topic. He does get bogged down in some minutiae about DNA for some reason but other than that his explanations of things like the Big Bang, universal laws of nature, evolution, and philosophy are admirable. Being familiar with most of the subjects already it was mostly review for me, so tough to judge whether a complete neophyte would have as easy a time, though I suspect they would get by well enough.
"This scientific and human evidence of God’s existence is clearly and concisely presented in plain language. No Ph.D. required!"
No argument here. The book is extremely concise (only 153 pages, with plenty of blank ones for chapter/part breaks) which focuses the author's language and arguments.
"In simple, accessible language—and well-supported by scientific experts—Hemler guides the reader through the most compelling evidence for the existence of God, and shows how natural sciences such as biology, chemistry and physics—far from disproving religious belief— suggest and reveal the existence of a Creator at every turn."
We start to enter the heart of the matter here. Readers should note this book is not titled something like "Scientific Proof for God". In fact, in the closing conclusion (each of the three parts has its own conclusion) Hemler outright states "While there is compelling evidence it is not possible to absolutely prove the existence of God beyond any doubt. A 'leap of faith' is required from each of us." That's a very refreshing opinion on the matter of "Science V. Religion" where the sides appear locked in combat to disprove each other. However, it also greatly weakens the arguments since pretty much every chapter's point winds up being something like there's no other (discovered) cause/purpose/reason for the item in question (e.g. the conditions being just right for humans to exist in the universe at all) so it must be God. You can essentially win any argument when you can simply say anything unknown is God. Also, the philosophical arguments, such as a moral code seemingly share across humanity across the ages, aren't very scientific. Which is fine for what they are, but the book's title states "Scientific Evidence", leaving me to wonder if Hemler ran out of steam after the first two parts but needed a third to pad it out. Or else he did feel the philosophical arguments are logical enough to be adjacent to scientific reasoning.
"Catholics and others seeking sound reasons, credible science, and faithful theology supporting belief in God will cherish this easy-to-read book. The Reality of God provides:
· as an opportunity to address doubts about God’s existence
· persuasive reasons for belief
· the argument that faith and reason are not incompatible
· answers on evolution vs. creation"
Like I said before, I love that this book promotes the idea that faith (i.e. religion) and reason (i.e. science) are not diametrically opposed. It's totally feasible that all the laws of nature, including cosmological constants and evolution, are the work of a higher being. To say things are "too perfectly simple" such as E=mc^2 or F=ma, seems a bit reductionist, though. But the differentiation between "primary causes" and "secondary causes" is an interesting point that deftly allows religion to provide the primary cause for everything (i.e. God) and science to iron out and discover all the secondary causes (i.e. God uses/guides evolution to His ends). The "persuasive reasons for belief" is one of the most interesting chapters but also one of the weak links since it relies so much on pure philosophical and theological arguments. Including "Pascal's wager" dumbs down the argument for the existence of God, since even though it's a sound purely philosophical explanation (which places it closer to science than religion actually), it boils down to the fact you might as well believe in God because all the other options are no-win situations.
January 8, 2019
A succinct summary of the arguments for God from cosmology, biology, and philosophy. I anticipate using this book as a resource for Confirmation catechesis.
April 22, 2024
~school read~
"Since true love cannot be forced, God desires that we each freely choose to know, love, and serve Him."
"Since true love cannot be forced, God desires that we each freely choose to know, love, and serve Him."
April 19, 2015
This is such a lucid and necessary book! Steve Hemler explores three distinct disciplines and their evidence for a creator: space, including laws of nature, biology, including evolution and genetics, and human logic and philosophy. He covers each area thoroughly and convincingly but without overwhelming the reader with jargon. There is enough depth to participate in a debate about the details with someone else, such as a teen, a sibling or a co-worker. For instance, as a physician I have learned the science and I am glad the book describes enough of the concepts that I can have an intelligent conversation with colleagues about the evidence for God in the scientific details. A non-scientist, though, will still understand the arguments and evidence the author presents. You don’t need to be preparing for a debate to enjoy this book. Just reading it for yourself, you will come away with renewed awe and wonder for what our Creator has made for us. God is in the details, and Mr. Hemler's book will reveal or remind you of those details.
As a parent, I am glad he reminds the reader of John Westerhoff's four stages of Christian faith : experienced faith (bells & smells), affiliative faith (connecting in a faith community), searching faith (with which this book will be immensely helpful), and owned faith (with which this book will be immensely re-affirming). My own three teenagers and many of their friends challenge the very ideas that Mr. Hemler covers. He gives a very thorough and convincing explanation of the evidence. Teachers and parents will love this book.
The book is well written and well edited. If you are an informal member of the "Grammar Police," as I am, this book will not leave you irritated by typos and misspellings. All of the i's are dotted and t's are crossed. The book is well referenced, and has a bibliography and index. There is also a Kindle edition if you prefer.
After presenting all the evidence, I am glad Mr. Hemler ended the book with this quote by Norman Geisler, "God has provided enough evidence in life to convince anyone willing to believe, yet has also left some ambiguity so as to not compel the unwilling." Mr. Hemler adds," ...it is not possible to absolutely prove the existence of God beyond any doubt. A 'leap of faith' is required from each of us."
It just so happens that I chose this book to read on a recent vacation in Arizona. As my children and I looked over the Grand Canyon, my scientific mind was trying to integrate the facts of rock formation and water and soil erosion with the amazing grandeur in front of us. Why would rock and erosion be this beautiful? The obvious explanation is that the creator wanted us to be in awe. This was the evidence that Mr. Hemler writes about. As we stood there among the crowds of people at the Canyon that day, people of all ages, from all over the world, all faiths, all levels of education, I had this realization: not one of the birds, deer, squirrels, much less the trees and rocks are in awe at this site, but every single human there was in awe!
Read this book. Learn or remind yourself of the evidence God has provided to convince you, then take that leap of faith in Him.
As a parent, I am glad he reminds the reader of John Westerhoff's four stages of Christian faith : experienced faith (bells & smells), affiliative faith (connecting in a faith community), searching faith (with which this book will be immensely helpful), and owned faith (with which this book will be immensely re-affirming). My own three teenagers and many of their friends challenge the very ideas that Mr. Hemler covers. He gives a very thorough and convincing explanation of the evidence. Teachers and parents will love this book.
The book is well written and well edited. If you are an informal member of the "Grammar Police," as I am, this book will not leave you irritated by typos and misspellings. All of the i's are dotted and t's are crossed. The book is well referenced, and has a bibliography and index. There is also a Kindle edition if you prefer.
After presenting all the evidence, I am glad Mr. Hemler ended the book with this quote by Norman Geisler, "God has provided enough evidence in life to convince anyone willing to believe, yet has also left some ambiguity so as to not compel the unwilling." Mr. Hemler adds," ...it is not possible to absolutely prove the existence of God beyond any doubt. A 'leap of faith' is required from each of us."
It just so happens that I chose this book to read on a recent vacation in Arizona. As my children and I looked over the Grand Canyon, my scientific mind was trying to integrate the facts of rock formation and water and soil erosion with the amazing grandeur in front of us. Why would rock and erosion be this beautiful? The obvious explanation is that the creator wanted us to be in awe. This was the evidence that Mr. Hemler writes about. As we stood there among the crowds of people at the Canyon that day, people of all ages, from all over the world, all faiths, all levels of education, I had this realization: not one of the birds, deer, squirrels, much less the trees and rocks are in awe at this site, but every single human there was in awe!
Read this book. Learn or remind yourself of the evidence God has provided to convince you, then take that leap of faith in Him.
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