Michael Potts's Blog: Bits and Pieces: Book Reviews and Articles on Writing, Horror Fiction, and Some Philosophy - Posts Tagged "religion"

Signposts to God: How Modern Physics and Astronomy Point the Way to Belief by Peter Bussey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Peter Bussey offers a clear introduction to the relationship between physics and religious (specifically Christian) belief. His discussion of the nature of matter given quantum field theory is fascinating--it is difficult, if not impossible, to say what matter is. This could suggest a softening of the Cartesian divide between mind and matter.

Bussey presents a detailed version of the Kalam Cosmological Argument for the existence of God. This version of the cosmological argument attempts to show that the universe had a beginning in time, and if so, it must have had a Creator since something cannot come out of nothing. He argues that current cosmological theories that posit "something from nothing" are not talking about true nothingness. Quantum fields or new universes forming are not nothing and still require an explanation. For Bussey, only God can be an adequate explanation.

Although I agree with Bussey's point about "nothing" as it is misused by some contemporary physicists, I am not yet convinced that the version of the cosmological argument he uses in such cases is the Kalam argument; rather, it seems to be a version of Aquinas' first three ways to prove God's existence. The heart of those arguments is that the universe is contingent, dependent on something or someone else in order to exist. All of Aquinas' versions of the Cosmological Argument assume that the universe exists everlastingly, although Aquinas personally disagrees with it due to his Christian faith. It does not appear that Bussey's argument, at least in response to Hawking or the bubble university theory or other theories of "something coming from nothing" can prove a temporal beginning of the universe. Bussey, however, does an excellent job of showing why none of those new theories disprove the existence of God.

I recommend this book to the layman interested in religion and science; it is readable and as easy to follow as any book on science and religion I have read.



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Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is one of the best novels I have read in my life. Although it begins as a traditional horror story about a boy having an "imaginary friend" whom he calls "the nice man," it turns into a horror/fantasy novel of epic proportions. It reminded me of some of the speculative fiction by George MacDonald. It also has similarities to C. S. Lewis' The Last Battle in the Narnia series, although the worldview in the book is not quite "orthodox" (with a small "o") Christian. There is a bit of good old fashioned American Gnosticism included, but that can be fun to read, too.

Imaginary Friend is one of the most frightening horror novels I have read. Chbosky's sense of timing a scare is exquisite, and some chapters end with lines that made me close the book to have time to absorb the scare.

The characters stand out and are well-developed. I grew to like the good characters and really dislike the bad ones, although even they have enough good so that I did not grow to hate them. Christopher, the main character, and his mother are particularly well-developed, but even the minor characters stand out almost as vividly as real people.

There are numerous plot twists, which I shall not give away. Generally I did not expect them and found them shocking, but they fit into the previous context in hindsight, like puzzle pieces into the right slot. I was kept guessing until the end.

The world-building is amazing. Some critics have said he does not develop the nature of his secondary world sufficiently; I disagree. The epic scope of Imaginary Friend reminds me of Tolkien.

This is theological horror, which may turn off people who hate religion, but that is not the author's problem. Chbosky was reared Roman Catholic, but does not practice and is a kind of "general theist;" that is, he believes in God. Even a non-religious person should be able to pretend a little while and be drawn into the story, which is well-worth the read. The critics who claim that the book leaves no room for redemption have not read the book. It is clear as a bell that the novel is a novel about redemption and forgiveness, and this is communicated through the story. I was lost in the story and did not find the book to be didactic or preachy. The novel will, however, make you think, and as a philosophy and religion professor, I found that aspect fulfilling.

As a writer myself, I know what a well-crafted novel is, and this is the best crafted novel I have read in years. The strangeness of the plot may be off putting to some readers, but everything does follow logically in the plot

If you want to read a horror novel with elements of the thriller and epic fantasy as well as expert characterization and plot and a high "creep-factor," then read this book from start to finish. It will be worth your time.



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Dismissing God: Modern Writers' Struggle Against Religion by D. Bruce Lockerbie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


D. Bruce Lockerbie is a long-time writer of Christian non-fiction and was one of the editors of the Macmillan English Series books for grades 10 and 12. Dismissing God is a fascinating account of the rejection and outright rebellion against the Judeo-Christian God by modern writers. The book traces the history of that rebellion to its roots in the nineteenth century, arguing that it was spurred on by the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species in 1859 and the rise of modern critical Biblical scholarship. Thomas Hardy's reluctant loss of faith was replaced by Swinburne's outright rebellion against God, saying that if Christ came and everyone bowed, he would remain standing. The Decadents revived the Romantic vision of the artist as rebel against conventional moral values, especially the values of orthodox Christian faith. Some may be offended by his discussion of the decadents, especially regarding sexual ethics, but Lockerbie is simply reiterating the standards the Christian Church has held from the beginning.

Lockerbie's discussion of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) is valuable for the insight into his rejection and ultimate hatred of Christianity. Later, nihilist writers denied any meaning to life at all. Of course Sartre and Camus are discussed, and there is also a fine chapter on post-Holocaust Jewish writers who find a God who could or would not help them in the death camps to be irrelevant. I would add that since this book was written over twenty years ago, things have not changed -- postmodern writers are just as hostile to traditional Christianity today, if not more so, than in the past. There is much anger at God among writers -- and my question to them is, "Why be angry at a being that you do not believe exists?" There seems to be, as Lockerbie himself points out, a residual belief in God that remains in these writers. Lockerbie's analysis of eight types of atheism in contemporary writers is valuable.

The book has excellent style throughout and flows well. Even though it is an older work, I highly recommend it as a text in Christian colleges and universities as well as in seminaries. It is valuable reading for anyone interested in modern and contemporary writers' rejection and hostility to God.





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Voodoo and Hoodoo by James Haskins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a good, short introduction to voodoo and hoodoo that is useful to the layman or to someone just beginning research on these practices. Haskins summarizes the origins of both practices in West African religions and does a good job of tracing their development in time. He discusses the influences of Roman Catholicism on voodoo as well as on some hoodoo practices. There is a large section of the book with recipes for spells that hoodoo practitioners have used for good or evil. The principle of like influences like looms large in hoodoo magic. Thus two sticks put together and pulled apart may represent separation. It is an interesting read.

There should have been more discussion of varieties of root doctor in the South--their practices are not uniform from region to region, although there are some similarities. Haskins also gives short change to the alleged precognitive powers of hoodoo practitioners, a power that looms large in some accounts of root doctors in the South. However, I recommend this book as a good introduction to voodoo and hoodoo, especially in the American context.



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