The Return of the God Hypothesis: Compelling Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God
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- Create Date：2021-04-24 12:31:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Stephen C. Meyer
- ISBN：1982662484
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Reviews
Stuart R。
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The Excellent Treatise On God Steven Meyer has done it again， another fantastic book against naturalistic materialism。 I enjoyed how he advocated that the God of the Bible is the best solution to the beginning of the universe and life on this planet！Stuart
jerald james mitchell
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I feel Academia has been hiding much from its studentsWho would have known that there is in fact an overwhelming amount of evidence that materialistic naturalism as a metaphysical belief has pretty much ran into a concrete wall。 Even though I was more than a little educated on much of the topics in this book through my higher education （Nuclear Engineering Technology）， I feel as if the discussion always ended with the flavors of “Neo-Darwinian theory， chemistry，quantum cosmology， chemistry have I feel Academia has been hiding much from its studentsWho would have known that there is in fact an overwhelming amount of evidence that materialistic naturalism as a metaphysical belief has pretty much ran into a concrete wall。 Even though I was more than a little educated on much of the topics in this book through my higher education （Nuclear Engineering Technology）， I feel as if the discussion always ended with the flavors of “Neo-Darwinian theory， chemistry，quantum cosmology， chemistry have answered all that matters， and the rest is just around the corner。” None of the lectures or textbooks I came across ever showed the challenges brought forth by Intelligent Design proponents， Science Philosophers， other scientist leveled against the sciences （SINCE THE 60’s） was ever discussed， even though the merits of such are much stronger than I even believed could be possible。 Academia has effectively smashed Theistic beliefs into smithereens and has no place in the halls of the Learned。。。。But wait！This treatise from Dr。 Meyer shows that the more we learn scientifically， the more logical Theism becomes， and that the scientific evidence actually supports the belief。。。。。。Well， let’s just be direct: The scientific evidence keeps showing that materialistic naturalism and cosmology can’t explain the origin of life/universe， and is highly improbable that it ever will， rendering Theism as necessary for the sciences to actually be logically coherent。 This isn’t a God Of The Gaps argumentation that just plugs in God as the answer to the unknowns， but a rigorous scientific methodology of using the evidence at hand and inference to the best explanation that scientists have relied on for almost all scientific/logical reasoning。If you have had your faith in God by either what your professors and their required texts told you， or if you believe that the Science vs。 Religion battle is finished， or have been told that the science is settled -read this book。If you are a scientifically interested individual， just curious， or about to head off to college -read this book。 。。。more
Phillip Cole
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For a long time， people have tried to fill their need for God by relying on science。 It is a fairly widespread belief that science has disproven God， but there are discoveries that show this to be incorrect。 Stephen C。 Meyer addresses three of the major ones in Return of the God Hypothesis。Science has been one of my favorite subjects since I was in elementary school。 I went through classes that said God was not necessary， though it was not stated in those words。 In recent years， that idea has go For a long time， people have tried to fill their need for God by relying on science。 It is a fairly widespread belief that science has disproven God， but there are discoveries that show this to be incorrect。 Stephen C。 Meyer addresses three of the major ones in Return of the God Hypothesis。Science has been one of my favorite subjects since I was in elementary school。 I went through classes that said God was not necessary， though it was not stated in those words。 In recent years， that idea has gotten stronger support。 Seeing this book， I was hoping to read it for information that I could use in discussions that I may encounter。 I got that and more， as there is plenty to read and think about in the book。I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
BreeAnn （She Just Loves Books）
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I really， really wanted to love this。 I was looking forward to this， and was so excited to get an audio copy of it。 It was an okay read that I found some good information in， but overall， honestly， it was just a bit too dry for me to stay interested in the whole way through。 So many readers are going to enjoy this， but for me， it was just a bit too deep in the science。 It wasn't that I couldn't understand what was being written， but for me， a non-scientist， regular human。 It was hard to stay int I really， really wanted to love this。 I was looking forward to this， and was so excited to get an audio copy of it。 It was an okay read that I found some good information in， but overall， honestly， it was just a bit too dry for me to stay interested in the whole way through。 So many readers are going to enjoy this， but for me， it was just a bit too deep in the science。 It wasn't that I couldn't understand what was being written， but for me， a non-scientist， regular human。 It was hard to stay interested so that I could get to the meat of the story。 Maybe I wasn't meant to be the intended reader for this book？ That's totally possible， but unfortunately， I was interested in it， and I wanted to know what Meyer had to say。 I think a lot of people will love this one， so if the topic is interesting， check it out！I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free。 I am leaving my review voluntarily。 。。。more
Louis Baggett
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Intelligent Design 2021Dr。 Meyer presented a balanced and thoughtful approach to the question。of origins。 The evidence from biology， physics and geology underscores the rationale for intelligent design in the universe。 This is a must read for theologians and scientists alike。He points out that one can be both at the same time。 As a biologist and chemist， I appreciate the arguments presented for different theories。
Philip Young
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A rock to build onThis was a tough read， a refreshing read， an encouraging read - and a timely read。 Good to know that there are gifted men who can stand in the face of a very fierce opposition。
Elizabeth
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This book is of utmost relevance to us all。 Dr。 Meyer presents information and arguments that are thorough， fair， and sensible。
CALEB
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This is one of the best， most readable books I’ve ever encountered。 If you have also read Signature in the Cell and Darwin’s Doubt you are， no doubt， familiar with Meyer’s gift of explaining complex concepts and his ability to follow the logic of metaphysical assumptions to their ultimate end。 The sweep of this book is vast; from the beginning of time to the tiny machines that run the cell to the digital that runs down the spine of the double helix。 All that and it never got dry or boring。 The s This is one of the best， most readable books I’ve ever encountered。 If you have also read Signature in the Cell and Darwin’s Doubt you are， no doubt， familiar with Meyer’s gift of explaining complex concepts and his ability to follow the logic of metaphysical assumptions to their ultimate end。 The sweep of this book is vast; from the beginning of time to the tiny machines that run the cell to the digital that runs down the spine of the double helix。 All that and it never got dry or boring。 The states are huge - materialism or design。 You may not agree but you won’t be bored。 。。。more
Ragnar
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The logic and reason used in this book to portray the truth was refreshing ！ Easily readable and enjoyable ！ Science and faith compliment one another instead we have been told and are being told they compete with one another。 Great book ！ Highly recommend it for any one interested in facts and science。
Beth SHULAM
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Thank you to HarperOne and Netgalley for the ARC to read and review。As a non academic searching for answers to the most basic of questions， What or Who created life and existence， I just want to thank Stephen C Meyer for writing this book。 I cannot write a succinct summary of this book as it will take more time to read （at 500 pages） this than I have available to give a review。As a person who is a theist， but struggling with normative Christian doctrines about the origins of life and a creator， Thank you to HarperOne and Netgalley for the ARC to read and review。As a non academic searching for answers to the most basic of questions， What or Who created life and existence， I just want to thank Stephen C Meyer for writing this book。 I cannot write a succinct summary of this book as it will take more time to read （at 500 pages） this than I have available to give a review。As a person who is a theist， but struggling with normative Christian doctrines about the origins of life and a creator， this book is a food for thought。 Meyer's writing style is approachable which is a great help to my scientifically untrained mind。 。。。more
Paul
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This is quite good and is essentially a summary of a long list of scientists' （and other's） theories and ideas about the existence of God。 It's readable for a layman and includes lots of illustrations。 Recommended for the curious and scientific minded。I really appreciate the review copy！！ This is quite good and is essentially a summary of a long list of scientists' （and other's） theories and ideas about the existence of God。 It's readable for a layman and includes lots of illustrations。 Recommended for the curious and scientific minded。I really appreciate the review copy！！ 。。。more
Alan Fuller
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Atheists often declare the advance of modern science as the chief reason to reject religion。 The material universe has always existed and could arrange itself without a preexistent designer or creator。 Astronomers such as Fred Hoyle believed the universe existed in a steady state。 Then observation showed that the universe was expanding and must have had a beginning。 The cosmic background radiation confirmed it。 The uniformity of this radiation and many other observations require fine-tuning beyo Atheists often declare the advance of modern science as the chief reason to reject religion。 The material universe has always existed and could arrange itself without a preexistent designer or creator。 Astronomers such as Fred Hoyle believed the universe existed in a steady state。 Then observation showed that the universe was expanding and must have had a beginning。 The cosmic background radiation confirmed it。 The uniformity of this radiation and many other observations require fine-tuning beyond chance。 Intelligent activity can be recognized whenever a highly improbable object or event matches an independently specified or meaningful pattern。 “In 2008 in the film Expelled， Richard Dawkins publicly acknowledged that “we don’t know” how life originated in the first place and even speculated that the information in DNA might represent a “signature of some kind of designer。” p。 281Intelligence is the only known cause capable of generating large amounts of specified information。 The sudden appearance of many major groups of organisms in the fossil record does not fit easily into the picture of gradual evolutionary change。 Random mutational changes are overwhelmingly more likely to degrade biological function。 “The many-worlds interpretation and the mathematical universe hypothesis flagrantly violate the Ockham’s razor principle。 Indeed， both interpretations multiply theoretical entities infinitely。” p。 588These are some of the reasons Dr。 Meyer supports The God Hypothesis。 I’m convinced。 。。。more
Dan Lee
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Great book。 An honest history of the development of science and the scientists behind the enlightenment， followed by some very interesting aspects of nature that point to intelligence。I will say that it’s not an “easy” read。 You’d either need a moderate scientific background or a keen interest in the topics to enjoy this book。 That said， it definitely has something to teach everyone and opens up the current shallow debate to more deep conversations。
Lynne Baron
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A uniquely powerful challenge to scientific materialismIf Meyer has science right as it certainly appears he does， he builds a case for the God hypothesis that every atheist and physicalist believer must take seriously。 One hopes that those who disagree will confine their counter arguments to the same high level appeal to science and logic as Meyer， and forgo the expected nasty ad hominem attacks。
Gilad Sommer
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First of all， I really admire Meyer's intellectual depth and width。 His ability to understand and explain different areas of scientific knowledge is impressive。 I read his book "Signature in the Cell"， and I found his arguments for the need of intelligent intervention in the formation of the DNA code and his criticism of the unsatisfying explanations of Neo-Darwinism convincing。I had a few problems with this book， however。 The first part of the book is a synthesis of the ideas he developed in hi First of all， I really admire Meyer's intellectual depth and width。 His ability to understand and explain different areas of scientific knowledge is impressive。 I read his book "Signature in the Cell"， and I found his arguments for the need of intelligent intervention in the formation of the DNA code and his criticism of the unsatisfying explanations of Neo-Darwinism convincing。I had a few problems with this book， however。 The first part of the book is a synthesis of the ideas he developed in his last two books， as well as new ideas about the "fine tuning" of the universe。 As usual， he covers them with aplomb， although I felt he was less pedagogic than usual。 His criticism of the inadequate materialistic explanations of the origins of life and the universe are convincing。 When it comes to theological arguments， however， that's when he becomes a Christian apologist instead of a scientist or philosopher。 He treats other theologies in quite a superficial way。 For example， his description of Hinduism as a form of pantheism， and its one-page cancellation， is quite condescending and shows a shallow view of the topic。 In my opinion， Meyer should have stopped in the possibility of the existence of a Judeo-Christian-like creator God， but not try and explain it as the best possibility among different theological causes。 To sum， this book brings up interesting reasonings for the possibility of a Judeo-Christian creator god， but lacks a theological depth and width equal to its scientific-intellectual one。 If you're a Christian looking to justify your already held beliefs then this book is for you。 If you're looking for a serious scientific discussion of the mysteries of the universe， I recommend his other two books。 。。。more
Trevor Rolls
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If you follow Stephen C。 Meyer， then whether you are friend or foe， you likely know what to expect from this book。 I do want to try to tailor this review to the person that might not know what to expect， but I also think it only fair to disclose my bias。 I have been following Dr。 Meyer for some time now， read much of his previous work， and enjoyed several occasions to speak with him through webinar and zoom conferences， so keep that in mind when considering my opinion。 Finally， I want you to und If you follow Stephen C。 Meyer， then whether you are friend or foe， you likely know what to expect from this book。 I do want to try to tailor this review to the person that might not know what to expect， but I also think it only fair to disclose my bias。 I have been following Dr。 Meyer for some time now， read much of his previous work， and enjoyed several occasions to speak with him through webinar and zoom conferences， so keep that in mind when considering my opinion。 Finally， I want you to understand what Meyer is trying to do here， so be aware that my summary will contain some content from the book。 While I will try to keep it at a minimum， avoid my review if you direly disapprove of spoilers。Summary:While Dr。 Meyer presents a sophisticated argument for theistic intelligent design， he does so in a fairly straightforward argumentative format。 He starts with background of the areas he will discuss， in two parts。 He then offers an explanation of the methodology he will use before applying it to the areas of interest regarding his thesis。 From there he considers counterarguments to his points。 Finally， he offers his conclusions。The background begins with sort of a tour of the history and philosophy of science in order to refute the pervasive warfare myth between theism and science。 The second part of his background treatment offers the history and current beliefs regarding the origin of the universe， the fine tuning of the universe， and the presence of information in both the origin and explosion of life。Explaining his methodology and reasoning， Dr。 Meyer discusses various modes of evaluation as well as various worldviews and their positions on metaphysical components to reality。 From here， Meyer， using the method of abductive reasoning， seeks to show the adequacy and explanatory power of the God hypothesis， that is， theism， as compared to the competing hypotheses of deism， naturalism， and pantheism， to account for the beginning of the universe， the design of the universe， and the design of life。After applying his methodology in examination of the three main ideas， Dr。 Meyer addresses responses， potential refutations， and conjectures on behalf of the positions he claims are inadequate causally and explanatorily regarding his main thesis points。 Some of these include chemical evolution， RNA world， evolutionary biologists （theistic and atheistic）， various multiverse theories， quantum theories， and more。Finally， Meyer moves to his conclusion， which is as the title suggests， that the God hypothesis has come full circle and is， once again， a viable and （in his opinion） superior explanation for the previously named phenomena。Critique:As I am fond of， I will offer my critique in a， “The good， the bad， and the ugly” format。First， the good。 Meyer is a storyteller。 He doesn’t simply make assertions， such as， say， “The big bang suggests a big banger。” Rather， he will tell you the whole story of the big bang， how it was arrived at， what it means， why it is still around， who likes it， who doesn’t like it， and all such else。 Then， he will， in light of those facts， explain the philosophical implications。 This is just an example， but this is his style。 He is very thorough。 On that note， if you look at the bibliography， you will see over 500 sources。 Again， he doesn’t just make claims， he presents whole accounts。 When you read his work， you really get the feeling that you are getting a detailed and fair treatment of an issue or topic。This leads to the bad。 Sometimes， it is just too much for the average layperson to grasp。 I did okay with this book because I am familiar with most of the material， but if a person is just learning about these topics for the first time， it can seem a little overwhelming。 In his previous works， I had to， at times， skip through some of the more technical explanations and move to the parts in the chapters that were summaries。The ugly。 Dr。 Meyer is on the bleeding edge of development in a philosophical and scientific turf war （or arms race if you prefer）。 He did a great job refuting the myth that science and religion were at odds in times past， but he is completely aware of the war of the worldviews currently in play。 This is an ugly subject， and while he was ever the gentleman in his presentations， I expect a deluge of ad hominem attacks and invective from those who hate him and his position。Conclusion:If you are even at all interested in the relationship between science and religion， buy this book。 If you don’t like having your presuppositions and worldview challenged， don’t buy this book。 If you are open and objective， you will be pressed and stretched， whether theist， deist， or naturalist。 If you buy the book and don’t like what it says， all of the claims are sourced and open for investigation。 。。。more
Arevik Heboyan
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A very solid 3。5-star work of non-fiction， combining and explaining ever opposed and forever in competition worlds of religion and science。 Sure， this book is another attempt to synthesize both branches of world-understanding: religion and science。 Interestingly， these 2 complex systems of understanding the world have been always presented as opposed and in competition， always being pushed against one another， and in human understanding， these 2 complete phenomenons are mutually-excluding。 As so A very solid 3。5-star work of non-fiction， combining and explaining ever opposed and forever in competition worlds of religion and science。 Sure， this book is another attempt to synthesize both branches of world-understanding: religion and science。 Interestingly， these 2 complex systems of understanding the world have been always presented as opposed and in competition， always being pushed against one another， and in human understanding， these 2 complete phenomenons are mutually-excluding。 As someone deeply interested in both， I am sure most of the time this opposition is very artificial and this opposition limits the development of both branches。。。 The book attempts to include recent scientific wins in the explanation of the existence of outer power responsible for the creation and control of human living and trying to remove the artificial opposition we have for more than a millennium。 。。。more
Kristjan
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I enjoyed this book， albeit from the aspect of somebody that didn't need much convincing。 It starts with a quick review of the "war" between science and faith， pointing out how religion （specifically Christianity） help jump start what eventually becomes the scientific method， the foundation of modern science today。 Then it moves into a discussion [in Part II] on the improbability of life anywhere in the universe if the conditions for life were not so finely tuned， suggesting the existence of int I enjoyed this book， albeit from the aspect of somebody that didn't need much convincing。 It starts with a quick review of the "war" between science and faith， pointing out how religion （specifically Christianity） help jump start what eventually becomes the scientific method， the foundation of modern science today。 Then it moves into a discussion [in Part II] on the improbability of life anywhere in the universe if the conditions for life were not so finely tuned， suggesting the existence of intelligent design （very similar to Schroeder's Science of God， with more detail and better support）。 Unfortunately the bulk of the argument in support of the "God Hypothesis" realistically stops there 。。。 without definitive proof of Divine Creator， the author then advances the idea that Intelligent Design is the most probable hypothesis 。。。 and he does this by developing poorly constructed strawman arguments to undermine materialism/naturalism， pantheism， panspermia （aliens 。。。 which IMHO was never a true contender for intelligent life on earth） in Part III。 Seriously 。。。 I am already a believer and even I wasn't convinced here。 I really had a hard time pushing through this part。 Unfortunately it just gets more incoherent as the books goes on。 I may not have a PhD; however， I do have formal training in thermodynamics and information theory and I really don't think the author gets these right 。。。 or else he just does an abysmal job with his explanation; either way it makes it difficult to trust his portrayal of the science as accurate。 By the end it feels like the author is trying hard to insert a square peg into a round hole 。。。I was given this free advance reader copy （ARC） ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review。#TheReturnoftheGodHypothesis #NetGalley 。。。more
James McKinley
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I am neither a theologian nor a scientist and the relationship between the two subjects fascinates me。 It is not hyperbole to say I think about it every day of my life。 One could say that there has been a war between scientists: those that believe science “proves” the existence of God and those that believe science discredits God’s existence and this book explores both sides of this argument。 It is really heavy stuff。 So heavy that I found my eyes glazing over while reading this immensely dense I am neither a theologian nor a scientist and the relationship between the two subjects fascinates me。 It is not hyperbole to say I think about it every day of my life。 One could say that there has been a war between scientists: those that believe science “proves” the existence of God and those that believe science discredits God’s existence and this book explores both sides of this argument。 It is really heavy stuff。 So heavy that I found my eyes glazing over while reading this immensely dense text。 This did not detract much from my reading experience but enough so that I didn’t love it as much as I hoped。 Now please don’t let this dissuade you hardcore scientists or theologians。 There is a lot of great material here （though it leans more toward religion） and the research and work that went into this is something to be admired。 It just isn’t for someone with a passing interest like myself。 。。。more
Lisa Konet
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