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Did Man Create God?: Is Your Spiritual Brain at Peace With Your Thinking Brain?
Winner of USA Book News Best book for Religion and Finalist for Science. Recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Awards that honor excellence in family-friendly media, products and services.
Unlike recent popular books that call for the end of faith and religion, this book by Dr. David Comings, an internationally renown physician, human geneticist and neuroscientist, proposes that spirituality is genetically hardwired into a specific part of the brain, is pleasurable, is critical to the evolution and survival of man, and will never go away.
The primary goal of the book is to allow the reader to develop a rational spirituality in which their thinking brain and spiritual brain can live in peace. A basic assumption of most humans is that God created man and divinely influenced the writing of all his sacred books. This book dispassionately explores the possibility that in premodern times man created the theory of a personal God to answer questions about the physical world like, Where did we come from? Where do we go when we die? in order to satisfy the transcendent yearnings of our spiritual brain. In an era when politicians are judged on the basis of the strength of their belief in God, when schools are urged to teach Intelligent Design, and when religious terrorists threaten the existence of Western civilization it is critical to dispassionately examine the question Did God Create Man or Did Man Create God?
The book examines a wide range of issues including intelligent answers to intelligent design; the relevance of modern cosmology to the existence or non-existence of god; the role of genes in spirituality; the evolution of spirituality; innate morality; the positive and negative aspects of religion; the problem of evil, and many others.
Combined these chapters indicate that humans are inherently happy and good, independent of religion, and that spirituality played a critical role in the evolution and survival of man. A feeling of being associated with something that transcends one s self became an important, rewarding, comforting, and innate part of the human condition. Michael Shermer called this the most detailed and up-to-date science ever generated on the subject of religion and suggested it will be the definitive scientific reference on religion for some time to come.
The world recently learned that Mother Theresa had life-long doubts about her faith. This book is for others who have also questioned any part of their faith but treasure their spirituality and want answers that are not hostile to religion.
Dr. Comings concludes that religious intolerance, wars and terrorism are based on irrational spirituality where there is an incompatibility between the rational and spiritual brain, where individuals believe that one person s God is better than another's. By contrast a rational spirituality allows individuals of all religions to live in peace. This book is a potentially life changing read for anyone who has ever had doubts about their faith or religion but wanted responses that were sympathetic to their spiritual brain.
Unlike recent popular books that call for the end of faith and religion, this book by Dr. David Comings, an internationally renown physician, human geneticist and neuroscientist, proposes that spirituality is genetically hardwired into a specific part of the brain, is pleasurable, is critical to the evolution and survival of man, and will never go away.
The primary goal of the book is to allow the reader to develop a rational spirituality in which their thinking brain and spiritual brain can live in peace. A basic assumption of most humans is that God created man and divinely influenced the writing of all his sacred books. This book dispassionately explores the possibility that in premodern times man created the theory of a personal God to answer questions about the physical world like, Where did we come from? Where do we go when we die? in order to satisfy the transcendent yearnings of our spiritual brain. In an era when politicians are judged on the basis of the strength of their belief in God, when schools are urged to teach Intelligent Design, and when religious terrorists threaten the existence of Western civilization it is critical to dispassionately examine the question Did God Create Man or Did Man Create God?
The book examines a wide range of issues including intelligent answers to intelligent design; the relevance of modern cosmology to the existence or non-existence of god; the role of genes in spirituality; the evolution of spirituality; innate morality; the positive and negative aspects of religion; the problem of evil, and many others.
Combined these chapters indicate that humans are inherently happy and good, independent of religion, and that spirituality played a critical role in the evolution and survival of man. A feeling of being associated with something that transcends one s self became an important, rewarding, comforting, and innate part of the human condition. Michael Shermer called this the most detailed and up-to-date science ever generated on the subject of religion and suggested it will be the definitive scientific reference on religion for some time to come.
The world recently learned that Mother Theresa had life-long doubts about her faith. This book is for others who have also questioned any part of their faith but treasure their spirituality and want answers that are not hostile to religion.
Dr. Comings concludes that religious intolerance, wars and terrorism are based on irrational spirituality where there is an incompatibility between the rational and spiritual brain, where individuals believe that one person s God is better than another's. By contrast a rational spirituality allows individuals of all religions to live in peace. This book is a potentially life changing read for anyone who has ever had doubts about their faith or religion but wanted responses that were sympathetic to their spiritual brain.
694 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2008
5 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
David E. Comings
5 books6 followersDr. Comings is a physician, behavioral and molecular geneticist who was the Director of the Department of Medical Genetics at the City of Hope National Medical Center for 37 years before retiring in 2002. He is an internationally known scientist-physician who has written over 490 scientific articles and five books. His research included human behavioral and molecular genetics, specializing in Tourette Syndrome and ADHD in children. He was past editor of the American Journal of Human Genetics and past president of the American Society of Human Genetics. He served on several grant review boards including NIH Genetics Board and the March of Dimes Basal O’Connor Grants.
After he retired, he turned his research interests to climate change and global warming and set up a non-profit TheComingsFoundation.org devoted to combating global warming. He is very concerned about the anti-climate change policies of the Trump Administration. His latest book is “The Science of Global Warming. Four Ways to Fix It.” A major purpose of this book was to show climate change deniers, including those in the Trump Administration, that the science strongly supports the reality of climate change and global warming, that it is due to the burning of fossil fuels, and with great effort, it is fixable. The book describes in detail four approaches to combating global warming emphasizing CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal and safe sequestration). It has been estimated that it will be necessary to remove 10 gigatons of CO2 per year up to 2050 and 20 gigatons per year until 2100 and on. These four CDR’s can do that.
The book also points out that our youth are at the greatest risk of climate change. If no efforts are made now to combat global warming global temperatures are likely to be 3oC to 4oC or more, higher than preindustrial time and by the time our youth are in their 60’s to 80’s - with draconian results. It is of note that we are currently putting CO2 into the atmosphere 10 x faster than occurred with the “the Great Dying” of the Permian-Triassic Extinction, the world’s greatest extinction event.
The book is due out the end of August 2025. An earlier version
If I Were a Billionaire, these are the Four Things I Would do to Combat Global Warming and Help Save the Planet. The Science of Global Warming is available on Amazon.
SEJ version
Dr. Comings is a physician, behavioral and molecular geneticist who was the Director of the Department of Medical Genetics at the City of Hope National Medical Center for 37 years before retiring in 2002. He is an internationally known scientist-physician who has written over 490 scientific articles and five books. His research included human behavioral and molecular genetics, specializing in Tourette Syndrome and ADHD in children. He was the past editor of the American Journal of Human Genetics and the past president of the American Society of Human Genetics. He served on several grant review boards, including the NIH Genetics Board and the March of Dimes Basal O’Connor Grants.
After he retired, he turned his research interests to climate change and global warming and set up a non-profit, TheComingsFoundation.org, devoted to combating global warming. He is very concerned about the anti-climate change policies of the Trump Administration. His latest book is “The Science of Global Warming. Four Ways to Fix It.” A major purpose of this book was to show climate change deniers, including those in the Trump Administration, that the science strongly supports the reality of climate change and global warming, that it is due to the burning of fossil fuels, and with great effort, it is fixable. The book describes in detail four approaches to combating global warming, emphasizing CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal and safe sequestration). It has been estimated that it will be necessary to remove 10 gigatons of CO2 per year up to 2050 and 20 gigatons per year until 2100 and on. These four CDRs can do that.
The book also points
After he retired, he turned his research interests to climate change and global warming and set up a non-profit TheComingsFoundation.org devoted to combating global warming. He is very concerned about the anti-climate change policies of the Trump Administration. His latest book is “The Science of Global Warming. Four Ways to Fix It.” A major purpose of this book was to show climate change deniers, including those in the Trump Administration, that the science strongly supports the reality of climate change and global warming, that it is due to the burning of fossil fuels, and with great effort, it is fixable. The book describes in detail four approaches to combating global warming emphasizing CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal and safe sequestration). It has been estimated that it will be necessary to remove 10 gigatons of CO2 per year up to 2050 and 20 gigatons per year until 2100 and on. These four CDR’s can do that.
The book also points out that our youth are at the greatest risk of climate change. If no efforts are made now to combat global warming global temperatures are likely to be 3oC to 4oC or more, higher than preindustrial time and by the time our youth are in their 60’s to 80’s - with draconian results. It is of note that we are currently putting CO2 into the atmosphere 10 x faster than occurred with the “the Great Dying” of the Permian-Triassic Extinction, the world’s greatest extinction event.
The book is due out the end of August 2025. An earlier version
If I Were a Billionaire, these are the Four Things I Would do to Combat Global Warming and Help Save the Planet. The Science of Global Warming is available on Amazon.
SEJ version
Dr. Comings is a physician, behavioral and molecular geneticist who was the Director of the Department of Medical Genetics at the City of Hope National Medical Center for 37 years before retiring in 2002. He is an internationally known scientist-physician who has written over 490 scientific articles and five books. His research included human behavioral and molecular genetics, specializing in Tourette Syndrome and ADHD in children. He was the past editor of the American Journal of Human Genetics and the past president of the American Society of Human Genetics. He served on several grant review boards, including the NIH Genetics Board and the March of Dimes Basal O’Connor Grants.
After he retired, he turned his research interests to climate change and global warming and set up a non-profit, TheComingsFoundation.org, devoted to combating global warming. He is very concerned about the anti-climate change policies of the Trump Administration. His latest book is “The Science of Global Warming. Four Ways to Fix It.” A major purpose of this book was to show climate change deniers, including those in the Trump Administration, that the science strongly supports the reality of climate change and global warming, that it is due to the burning of fossil fuels, and with great effort, it is fixable. The book describes in detail four approaches to combating global warming, emphasizing CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal and safe sequestration). It has been estimated that it will be necessary to remove 10 gigatons of CO2 per year up to 2050 and 20 gigatons per year until 2100 and on. These four CDRs can do that.
The book also points
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 22, 2009
The title of this book is unfortunate, in a way. It's bound to turn off many potential readers, and there's so much interesting and valuable scientific information here that could benefit people from a variety of faiths (or lack of faith).
I was tempted to give the book five stars, but I couldn't do it because I don't think Comings entirely succeeded in acheiving his goal of arguing for a more rational spirituality. It's not that his arguments are irrational. It's that spirituality is, by definition, irrational. Comings seems to believe in Stephen J. Gould's concept of non-overlapping magesteria, but at the same time he show's so well that the concept of god (if not the existence of god) can be scientifically investigated. But he can't have it both ways! He also needs to deal with Karen Armstrong's persuasive argument that modern fundamentalism is a direct result of people attempting to be more rational about spirituality.
All that being said, this book has a great deal to offer and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subjects of science and religion.
I was tempted to give the book five stars, but I couldn't do it because I don't think Comings entirely succeeded in acheiving his goal of arguing for a more rational spirituality. It's not that his arguments are irrational. It's that spirituality is, by definition, irrational. Comings seems to believe in Stephen J. Gould's concept of non-overlapping magesteria, but at the same time he show's so well that the concept of god (if not the existence of god) can be scientifically investigated. But he can't have it both ways! He also needs to deal with Karen Armstrong's persuasive argument that modern fundamentalism is a direct result of people attempting to be more rational about spirituality.
All that being said, this book has a great deal to offer and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subjects of science and religion.
July 18, 2019
Profound, fascinating and utterly convincing
The obvious answer to the not so rhetorical question in the title is yes, of course. Comings however gives a most complete and thoroughly convincing answer in 694 carefully considered pages. The book left this reader a bit in awe of not only his erudition, energy and competence, but most impressed with his generosity of spirit in tackling the project in such a thorough manner. The deeper question of whether God exists independently of man's creation is of course another question entirely, and not one that I think anybody can answer, and certainly Comings does not attempt to do so. He writes:
"…[T]he questions 'Did Man Create God?' or 'Is the Theory of God a man-made theory?' are fundamentally different from the question 'Does God Exist?' It is perfectly possible that the answer to the question, 'Did Man Create God?' is 'Yes,' and yet a God, different than the one man made, still exists." (p. 640)
Dr. Comings makes it clear however that such gods as depicted in the Bible and other religious works, gods that bring havoc upon the world and intercede in human affairs, answering or not answer prayers, defeating or not defeating enemies, etc., are, by their very nature, obvious projections of the human mind. One the reasons that Comings went to the considerable trouble to produce this rather remarkable tome is to remove any doubt on that score. The evidence he presents from a wide range of disciplines is all but overwhelming.
In addition to being a physician, Dr. Comings is also a neuroscientist and a molecular geneticist. A good portion of this book is devoted to applying knowledge gleaned from neuroscience and genetics to the question "Did Man Create God?" Additionally Comings brings evidence from evolution, history and philosophy to "provide strong evidence that man made up the Theory of God in an attempt to explain how the universe, the earth, and man were created." (p. 642) Comings shows how God is maintained in our brains and in human society because belief in God has proven adaptive in the Darwinian sense and efficacious psychologically in the sense that God is the answer to all the unanswerables, and as such, is essential to humanity's mental homeostasis.
To maintain this dualism, however, Comings sees humans as having a split consciousness. He writes: "One of the central themes of this book is the remarkable ability of man to possess both a rational brain that critically analyzes and assesses all…important questions and a spiritual brain that does not care much about facts and just plunges ahead with its need to find the transcendent, to rise above mere mortality, and to connect with an all-encompassing spiritual presence." (p. 642)
Belief in God can be seen as part of a spiritual dimension to human existence. However I would say that belief in the sort of God that would reward mass killings with sexual fun in heaven with many virgins is not spiritual at all, but is instead a kind of bestial expression of human politics and the war system. In contrast, a desire to transcend the reality of mortal flesh is what is spiritual. Comings demonstrates that genetically and neurologically, this spirituality is what is hardwired into our brains and not a specific belief in God or gods. He writes: "Spirituality can be defined as a feeling of a connection with something greater than oneself including any form of social order. Perhaps the greatest factor in the evolution of spirituality is that such a trait would maximize the development of man as a social animal." (p. 530)
Most books exceeding 600 pages have proven in my experience to be too long and in need of reduction. Dr. Comings' book is the exception. He writes long because he writes thoroughly with a keen desire to make an irrefutable case. I believe he has succeeded admirably. Some of the material he covers is difficult, but he writes in such a clear and engaging manner that we are marvelously informed. Additionally the text is adorned and augmented with numerous color prints, drawings, tables, photos, graphs and other artwork. The entire book is printed on expensive glossy paper so that it weighs 2.65 pounds. (Yes, I weighed it.) This is indeed a magnum opus, a fitting testament to all that Dr. Comings has learned in a lifetime of study and practice.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If only--if only!--this book were required reading for all of humankind how much better we would understand ourselves and others, and how so much of the hatred, prejudice, plain ignorance and stupidity that characterizes human affairs and leads to untold amounts of pain and suffering would dissipate like the wisps of a bad dream.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
The obvious answer to the not so rhetorical question in the title is yes, of course. Comings however gives a most complete and thoroughly convincing answer in 694 carefully considered pages. The book left this reader a bit in awe of not only his erudition, energy and competence, but most impressed with his generosity of spirit in tackling the project in such a thorough manner. The deeper question of whether God exists independently of man's creation is of course another question entirely, and not one that I think anybody can answer, and certainly Comings does not attempt to do so. He writes:
"…[T]he questions 'Did Man Create God?' or 'Is the Theory of God a man-made theory?' are fundamentally different from the question 'Does God Exist?' It is perfectly possible that the answer to the question, 'Did Man Create God?' is 'Yes,' and yet a God, different than the one man made, still exists." (p. 640)
Dr. Comings makes it clear however that such gods as depicted in the Bible and other religious works, gods that bring havoc upon the world and intercede in human affairs, answering or not answer prayers, defeating or not defeating enemies, etc., are, by their very nature, obvious projections of the human mind. One the reasons that Comings went to the considerable trouble to produce this rather remarkable tome is to remove any doubt on that score. The evidence he presents from a wide range of disciplines is all but overwhelming.
In addition to being a physician, Dr. Comings is also a neuroscientist and a molecular geneticist. A good portion of this book is devoted to applying knowledge gleaned from neuroscience and genetics to the question "Did Man Create God?" Additionally Comings brings evidence from evolution, history and philosophy to "provide strong evidence that man made up the Theory of God in an attempt to explain how the universe, the earth, and man were created." (p. 642) Comings shows how God is maintained in our brains and in human society because belief in God has proven adaptive in the Darwinian sense and efficacious psychologically in the sense that God is the answer to all the unanswerables, and as such, is essential to humanity's mental homeostasis.
To maintain this dualism, however, Comings sees humans as having a split consciousness. He writes: "One of the central themes of this book is the remarkable ability of man to possess both a rational brain that critically analyzes and assesses all…important questions and a spiritual brain that does not care much about facts and just plunges ahead with its need to find the transcendent, to rise above mere mortality, and to connect with an all-encompassing spiritual presence." (p. 642)
Belief in God can be seen as part of a spiritual dimension to human existence. However I would say that belief in the sort of God that would reward mass killings with sexual fun in heaven with many virgins is not spiritual at all, but is instead a kind of bestial expression of human politics and the war system. In contrast, a desire to transcend the reality of mortal flesh is what is spiritual. Comings demonstrates that genetically and neurologically, this spirituality is what is hardwired into our brains and not a specific belief in God or gods. He writes: "Spirituality can be defined as a feeling of a connection with something greater than oneself including any form of social order. Perhaps the greatest factor in the evolution of spirituality is that such a trait would maximize the development of man as a social animal." (p. 530)
Most books exceeding 600 pages have proven in my experience to be too long and in need of reduction. Dr. Comings' book is the exception. He writes long because he writes thoroughly with a keen desire to make an irrefutable case. I believe he has succeeded admirably. Some of the material he covers is difficult, but he writes in such a clear and engaging manner that we are marvelously informed. Additionally the text is adorned and augmented with numerous color prints, drawings, tables, photos, graphs and other artwork. The entire book is printed on expensive glossy paper so that it weighs 2.65 pounds. (Yes, I weighed it.) This is indeed a magnum opus, a fitting testament to all that Dr. Comings has learned in a lifetime of study and practice.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If only--if only!--this book were required reading for all of humankind how much better we would understand ourselves and others, and how so much of the hatred, prejudice, plain ignorance and stupidity that characterizes human affairs and leads to untold amounts of pain and suffering would dissipate like the wisps of a bad dream.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
February 21, 2016
I consider Did Man Create God to be a lucky treasure find at HPB. I wasn't feeling good that day and just wanted to go home, but my husband knew that new books always help me feel better, so in we went. Unfortunately, I had to set this one down after awhile because things got hectic around here, and just now finished it. Like I said, this is one of those lucky treasure finds for me.
I've read quite a few books about man creating God and God creating man, all from authors with various standpoints. If they give a rundown of natural history, it's usually the extreme Cliff's Notes version and then it's on to the topic of the book.
Mr. Comings did it differently with his book. As you see, this is not a short book, and that's because natural history, the brain and religion are covered in great detail. In a debate of this sort, it's important to cover everything, including the natural history of the world and its creatures. Did Man Create God? goes over this thoroughly and doesn't cut corners.
The human brain is examined in great detail from various different angles. From the evolution of the brain to near-death experiences, nothing is left out here. There are charts, diagrams and pictures to go along with whichever subject is being discussed, which is a great help for both the beginner and the expert. Studies are brought in that examine various viewpoints. Even neurological disorders are discussed.
The title alone is enough to either intrigue the reader or turn them away. If you are interested in this, chances are you've read at least one biased publication either for man creating God or for God creating man. The length of this book alone told me this wouldn't be a biased book, and it isn't. Religion is examined from the very beginning and it progresses through history. The good and the bad of religion is looked at and discussed.
A lot of works done on this subject try to sway the reader one way or another. Mr. Comings does not do that; he presents his evidence, writes in a non-biased manner, and essentially leaves it up to the reader to decide where they stand after reading his work.
The only worry I have about this book is the depth of it. If you are used to this kind of book, you shouldn't have any trouble with terms and definitions. I had to look up a few things, but otherwise I didn't have an issue, and that's only because I've been studying science and religion for many years. If you are a novice, read this with patience and a dictionary or Google nearby. It may seem overwhelming but it is well worth it.
If you are looking for a very detailed, science based study about man and God, this is the book for you. The reward you get at the end is well worth it. There is much to be learned from this book, and even if you just take the science away from it, it's a book worth reading. Take your time, enjoy it, think about it and learn from it. It is now a favorite of mine and has earned its place on the table among my other favorite nonfiction titles.
I've read quite a few books about man creating God and God creating man, all from authors with various standpoints. If they give a rundown of natural history, it's usually the extreme Cliff's Notes version and then it's on to the topic of the book.
Mr. Comings did it differently with his book. As you see, this is not a short book, and that's because natural history, the brain and religion are covered in great detail. In a debate of this sort, it's important to cover everything, including the natural history of the world and its creatures. Did Man Create God? goes over this thoroughly and doesn't cut corners.
The human brain is examined in great detail from various different angles. From the evolution of the brain to near-death experiences, nothing is left out here. There are charts, diagrams and pictures to go along with whichever subject is being discussed, which is a great help for both the beginner and the expert. Studies are brought in that examine various viewpoints. Even neurological disorders are discussed.
The title alone is enough to either intrigue the reader or turn them away. If you are interested in this, chances are you've read at least one biased publication either for man creating God or for God creating man. The length of this book alone told me this wouldn't be a biased book, and it isn't. Religion is examined from the very beginning and it progresses through history. The good and the bad of religion is looked at and discussed.
A lot of works done on this subject try to sway the reader one way or another. Mr. Comings does not do that; he presents his evidence, writes in a non-biased manner, and essentially leaves it up to the reader to decide where they stand after reading his work.
The only worry I have about this book is the depth of it. If you are used to this kind of book, you shouldn't have any trouble with terms and definitions. I had to look up a few things, but otherwise I didn't have an issue, and that's only because I've been studying science and religion for many years. If you are a novice, read this with patience and a dictionary or Google nearby. It may seem overwhelming but it is well worth it.
If you are looking for a very detailed, science based study about man and God, this is the book for you. The reward you get at the end is well worth it. There is much to be learned from this book, and even if you just take the science away from it, it's a book worth reading. Take your time, enjoy it, think about it and learn from it. It is now a favorite of mine and has earned its place on the table among my other favorite nonfiction titles.
May 10, 2011
Ambitious but the author pulls it off - very, VERY impressive work of thought and scholarship. I can literally replace more than a dozen books on my bookshelf with this one volume.
July 21, 2019
This is a very thorough analysis of belief, covering so many aspects of human proclivity towards a credence in a superior and supernatural being. In fact, it can easily be used as a text book for students of belief or critical thinking, having exhaustive summaries at the end of each chapter. It is both truthfully brutal and intellectualy respectful. I consider, as the most important parts of this book, the chapters dedicated to God and the brain, especially in relation to the temporal lobe.
March 22, 2013
Somewhat hard to follow you will wind up taking notes researching before you continue - Definitely brush up on your neurological notes before proceeding.
March 24, 2013
This book covers every topic; biology, psychology, philosophy. A very good read.
May 5, 2013
although the author tries to be impartial, really this book is a skeptical point-of-view and doesn't understand deeper notions of oriental philosophy
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews