A modern apologetic with appeal for like-minded readers.
Conservative writer and speaker D’Souza (The Roots of Obama’s Rage, 2010, etc.) draws on years of experience publicly debating atheists in crafting a new argument for the existence, and benevolence, of God.
Though widely sympathetic to the reasons that most atheists and agnostics have decided against faith, the author argues that too often belief against the existence of God stems primarily from a disappointment with God, which is then rationalized into unbelief. Therefore, a defense of God’s existence cannot be divorced from a sound theodicy, an explanation of why God allows pain and evil in the world. After providing a solid background in the concepts of theodicy, free will and atheist arguments as they have been formulated over centuries, the author dives into the heart of his thesis. We live, D’Souza argues, in a world, and a universe, made for humans. In such a world we necessarily encounter positives and negatives. Tectonic plates are seemingly unique to earth, and their slow movements are necessary for life as they create and regulate carbon dioxide on a global scale. The downside? They create earthquakes that sometimes take innocent lives. Water is a foundation to the existence of life. The downside? Floods, which cause extensive damage and lost lives. D’Souza argues this is not proof that God doesn’t care; instead, he asks, what alternative would we prefer? His argument climaxes with the anthropic principle, which points to the tremendous level of chance necessary to create a universe that would lead to life at all, let alone to the existence of humans, as proof that there is a creator. The author is erudite, accessible and clear, and he offers a tremendously wide range of sources. However, he has entered a realm in which no one can be entirely pleased or convinced. Fundamentalists will not like his acceptance of evolution or an “old” universe, while other readers will wince at conclusions like, “While animals feel pain, they do not suffer.”
A modern apologetic with appeal for like-minded readers.Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4143-2485-2
Page Count: 290
Publisher: Tyndale House
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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