Did Man Create God? Is Your Spiritual Brain at Peace with Your Thinking Brain? [Hardcover]

David Comings (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2008

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The scientific attempt to explain religion has been around for over a century, but only recently has it exploded onto the cultural scene with the renewed interest in the relationship of science and religion, and particularly with the advances in the neurosciences. It now appears that we are getting close to understanding what is going on inside the religious mind, and David Comings has written a remarkable analysis, that includes the most detailed and up-to-date science ever generated on the subject of religion. Did Man Create God? will be the definitive scientific reference on religion for some time to come.
Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic Magazine, Monthly columninist for Scientific American and author of Why Darwin Matters, The Science of Good and Evil, and How We Believe. --Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic Magazine, Monthly columninist for Scientific American and author of Why Darwin Matters, The Science of Good and Evil, and How We Believe.

About the Author

Dr. Comings is a physician, neuroscientist, 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 450 scientific articles and three books including Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior. His research areas included cytogenetics, human behavioral and molecular genetics, and he ran a large behavioral medicine clinic specializing in Tourette Syndrome, ADHD and oppositional defiant behavior in children. He was past editor of the American Journal of Human Genetics and past president of the American Society of Human Genetics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 694 pages
• Publisher: Hope Pr; 1st edition (April 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878267736
• ISBN-13: 978-1878267733
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When I was in grade school I was interested in all aspects of science. I found a set of The Book of Knowledge encyclopedias and read about evolution and all the geological epochs. It was possible to 'wind the tape' of evolution backward to single celled bacteria, and then still further to the beginnings of the universe. It seemed these probably came from something still simpler. Which was simpler, God, the most complex and complicated entity ever envisioned by man, or some still simpler sub-atomic precursors? The latter seemed far less complex. If God was chosen as the creator of everything, this still left the question who or what created God? The trouble with the God hypothesis is that it simply postponed finding the answer. I call this 'the problem of postponement.'
As I discuss in the Introduction of 'Did Man Create God?' I experienced considerable hostility whenever I repeated these thoughts with religious friends. I thus decided to not talk about it and just go on with life, which included attending the University of Illinois at age 16, entering Northwestern University Medical School at age 19, and obtaining my MD degree at age 23. I graduated from Medical School in 1958 and took a general internship, residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Hematology at Cook Count Hospital, then the largest hospital in the world.
At the time I took hematology, so many exciting things were happening in the field of genetics that I decided to take a second fellowship in human genetics with Arno Motulsky at the University of Washington in Seattle. I subsequently became the Head of the Department of Medical Genetics at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Southern California where I remained for 37 years.
From 1968 until 1979 I was involved in both clinical genetics and basic research into human chromosome structure and DNA metabolism. In 1980 I undertook a major switch to become involved in the molecular and clinical genetics of human behavior especially relating to Tourette Syndrome (TS), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Conduct Disorder. From 1980 until retired I ran one the largest Tourette Syndrome-ADHD clinics in the world. In 1988 I began to compile my experience into an 800-page book entitled 'Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior.' I set up Hope Press to publish it and numerous other books by other authors on the same subject. The TS book sold very well and was reprinted many times. It was called 'The Purple Bible on TS' by hundreds of mothers.
I viewed TS as a 'behavioral spectrum disorder' because is was associated with many other problem behaviors including attention deficit disorder, obsessive compulsive disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, and others. This, and my idea that all behavioral disorders were caused by the coming together of many different genes interacting with the environment (polygenic inheritance) initially caused much controversy and led me to write a second book entitled 'The Search for the Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior Genes.' This is no longer so controversial since virtually everyone in the field now agrees that TS and ADHD are polygenic behavioral spectrum disorders.
My third book, 'The Gene Bomb' was written to try to explain why ADHD and other behavioral disorders including autism, seem to be increasing in frequency. By the time I retired from the City of Hope Medical Center at the end of 2002 I had written over 470 scientific papers. The writing of 'Did Man Create God?' came about after I retired from the City of Hope Medical Center. It was a result of my childhood fascination with evolution, religion, God, and 'the problem of postponement' and my adult fascination with genetics, behavior and the human brain. Many further details about the book and a listing of all my publications can be found at www.didmancreategod.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound, fascinating and utterly convincing, April 8, 2009

By 

Dennis Littrell (SoCal) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Did Man Create God?: Is Your Spiritual Brain at Peace With Your Thinking Brain? (Paperback)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The end of the debate is nigh, November 8, 2009

By 

J. Pietersen "to hell with superstition" (Western Cape, South Africa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Did Man Create God?: Is Your Spiritual Brain at Peace With Your Thinking Brain? (Paperback)

Soon humanity (at least those who can read) will be divided into three types: The informed who have read and (perhaps with minor qualifications) accept the book's conclusions, the denialists who have read yet refuse to accept its conclusions (and who may, in vain, attempt to refute it), and the ignorant who have not read it, either through personal refusal or suppression by others. Unfortunately, the countries whose citizens are in dire need to learn of this book's content and conclusions will most probably ban it.

I will not repeat what others have written. Yes, the book does contain some typos, but all considered (including an abundance of graphs, diagrams and colourful plates) it is an absolute steal at the price. Yes, it does get quite technical at times but it covers an incredibly wide field of knowledge, and as nobody can possibly be an expert on every topic it needs to be technical. And yes, close on 700 pages of densely filled, narrow-margin pages do take a little dedication to get through but it is exceptionally clearly written, easy to follow and printed on quality paper. It deserves to be read, re-read and recommended to everyone on this planet.

And most of all, you don't absolutely have to read every word. Just reading the handful of red-text summaries per chapter, usually less than half a page at a time, plus the 18-page summary at the end, quite possible in a single sitting, is enough to grasp the beauty of the author's central argument, the scope and thoroughness of his research, the value of the book and the astonishing effort that must have gone into its research and writing. One can always go back and fill in the detail as time and energy allows.

There certainly are other valuable books on religion out there (many of them in my library), but Dr Comings has probably written the definitive introduction and informed layperson's reference to the human phenomenon called religion.

Did man Create God? will no doubt soon become an authorative reference on human religion, epitomising the "Aha!"-moment in mankind's understanding of God. Even if it should fail to break new scientific ground it must be appreciated for its sheer jaw-dropping comprehensiveness, simplicity and quality of argument.

THANK YOU Dr Comings for producing such a thorough, comprehensive, satisfying and easy to read analysis of religion. You must be (pardon the pun) one hell of a person. We owe you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explaining the God Enigma, February 8, 2011

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Herbert L Calhoun "paulocal" (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Did Man Create God?: Is Your Spiritual Brain at Peace With Your Thinking Brain? (Paperback)

As many of us did, David E. Comings discovered at an early age, that God had to be man made, otherwise, among many other reasons, why did others act so violently towards those who did not share their belief in him? And indeed, why if it were the reverse, that God made man, did He allow so much evil to exist in the world and refuse to answer our prayers?

This author has put together an immensely useful and helpful book for those who may have developed questions about their childhood beliefs, or who may still have doubts about various elements of their own religious faith, or who may just want to be better informed about the changes in science that increasingly are beginning to have a bearing on their beliefs.

In what can only be considered a scientific tour de force (as well as a tour de horizon), the author covers both the history and the science of God in a straight forward common sense fashion -- that is to say, devoid of scientific jargon. This especially applies to the theory of evolution, intelligent design and creationism (where he engages the debate head-on); as well as to understanding the structure of the brain and certain aspects of genetics that as a direct result of evolution, bear directly on the question of why we believe in gods in the first place. But the bonus of the book is that the author goes even further: into the Cosmology resulting from science, physics in particular. Here he gives more than just a layman's tutorial on the new physics, covering with great skill the implications the "Big Bang theory, relativity, quantum physics and string theory, among others.

Dr. Comings is himself a scientist who does not believe in god but has no particular axe to grind in this regard. He lays out the facts, as they are, not just to defend his own beliefs or to challenge those of others, but to explain why he believes there is no contradiction between man's belief in god (as irrational as that may seem to non-believers) and the science of neurology that may in fact support the "reasons" for such beliefs. And while I have read a lot in this area, I have not witnessed a more level-headed and clear presentation of both scientific and historical facts bearing on both sides of the arguments for and against the idea of God being man made. This book is a fine tribute to the adage that "we may learn to disagree without being disagreeable."

The crux of his argument rests on recent discoveries in neuroscience which suggests rather strongly that unsubstantiated beliefs, do indeed have survival value and have therefore been a part of the evolutionary process of our brain's development. So much so that our human brains have retained structures that apparently have been "genetically selected" based on this "faith-based" or "spiritual" survival component? One may quibble about how valuable such a genetic quality has been in promoting man's survival; however, a consensus is emerging that this is no longer just fanciful thinking, but is rapidly becoming accepted scientific fact.

The author's step-by-step carefully indexed discussions of all the scientific topics are sweeping and captivating; and it must be said, also always first rate. For instance, both his detailed discussion of the intricacies of evolution as well as the Cosmology behind the "Big Bang" Theory, including both Relativity and Quantum physics, is certainly alone worth the price of the book. However, to be able to confidently place them all in the context of our cultural and religious history and beliefs as he does, is a singular achievement that even Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris or Daniel Dennett were unable to do, and thus alone deserves five stars as a minimum.