Our lives are full of non-material experiences and emotions as love, happiness, joy, wonder, empathy, deep connection between mother and child, sense of morality, achievement, realization; all of which speak of our spiritual nature. Presently, there is a great divide between the purely scientific and materialistic view of the world which denies the existence of anything spiritual or non-material, and the view that our existence is much more than pure quarks and electrons, we are endowed with a rich spiritual, purposeful and meaningful life. The book tackles profound questions regarding our existence. Explain the facts supporting evolution as well as the fact that evolution does not exclude the presence of the Creator who started the process. Also approaches the main subject of consciousness and the many neurological and physiological explanations for it, as well as the fact that although we understand how the brain works to some degree, it is not enough to explain consciousness pointing toward its transcendence beyond the physical body. The book settles the big controversy of Free Will from a neurophysiological standpoint, then reviews the big gap and differences between Religion and Spirituality, the positive and also negative aspects of religion which have moved the current generation apart from those institutions. The book concludes by stating the fact that for both Science and Spirituality the ultimate and deep answers of our existence and the origin of life and the universe lie on faith since most of those questions are not falsifiable.
book review by Kat Kennedy
"When one reads the Origin of Species, one can only realize the greatness and quality of the biologist."
Since the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859, the tensions between religion and science have escalated, with some eschewing belief in a creator and others refusing to accept evolution. This book attempts to illuminate the reader to the idea that the two need not be at odds. Science, which increasingly leads to Darwin's natural selection theory as an accepted fact rather than a theory, does not negate a creator's existence. The author's discussion of the phenomenon of one's transformation from something physical, such as viewing art, to a transcendental experience such as joy, is a wonderfully descriptive introduction to his argument. The author presents his view with both scientific studies and the sincerity of one who seeks truth and an understanding of the essence of human existence.
Vergara presents a fascinating study of the intersection of the scientific and material world with the spiritual. His attempt to answer questions such as how consciousness and free will have come into existence and explain the difference between religion and spirituality makes for an interesting read. Many of the author's arguments are enlightening, and readers who enjoy reading the kind of discourse that leads to examining their own belief system will find much to like within the book. It is evident that Vergara writes with the earnestness of one who wishes to share his beliefs with others in hopes that they discover something worthwhile and valuable. The author sums up this desire in his closing paragraph when he states, "… let us cultivate our full existence, let us embrace science but include spirituality…" This isn't a light read, but it is an exceptional one.
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RECOMMENDED by the US Review.
http://www.theusreview.com/reviews/No-Greater-Faith-Than-That-of-Science-by-Manuel-S-Vergara.html
Can we still believe in a Creator while holding to our beliefs in science and evolution? Manuel Vergara reminds us that we experience transcendence in our lives every day which cannot only be accounted for only through the physical and biological processing of the brain. We are more than matter, and our consciousness is linked to an essence that lies beyond our mere bodies.
In No Greater Faith than that of Science, Vergara highlights aspects of evolution, meditation, free will, near-death experiences, and religion and examine how the conscious and unconscious mind work to create our sense of identity or Self. And while there are certainly biological processes that explain the workings of our world, some phenomena just cannot be accounted for purely on a scientific level. And so, Vergara takes his reader on a journey that straddles the fine line between science and faith. Go on the journey—you just might be surprised where you fall in the end.
Cristine Taylor. Editor-in-Chief. Kissing Dynamite Poetry Press. M.L.I.S.
