The God Experiment by Russell Stannard - review

The blurb for this book talks about an experiment which, at the time of writing, was underway. 1200 people undergoing heart surgery knew they were part of this experiment and may or not be prayed for. The experiment was to see whether there would be a difference in recovery between the tow groups. As this experiment was still ongoing at the time of writing, the book does not cover the results of the experiment. I did find this a bit misleading, but there was plenty of other evidence which the author discussed.

The object of this book was to use science, especially quantum and particle physics to prove the existence of God. The author himself is a nuclear physicist who used to work at Cern, so there is a strong understanding of the way the quantum world works.

Included within the book are descriptions of  the origins of time, space and humans (in different chapters). Using these, with the current scientific knowledge available, the author attempts to show this is not possible without an overseer and creator. Put another way, the world, time, space and the whole universe is only here because of God.

It's an interesting read and, as far as possible, the author has attempted to make this accessible to all. He has managed it to a certain degree, but some of what he was discussing is in the realms of theoretical physics that it's really difficult to get your head round. I must admit reading those bits thinking I should have had some aspirin first!

Generally, the arguments are good. I know the more I find out about the theories of how the universe was created and how much a "Goldilocks" planet Earth is, it adds more and more weight to what I already know - this is God's creation. However, I think anyone from the other side of the argument could just as easily take these pieces of evidence to show there is no God. At the end of the day, we know God through faith. Science may add weight to this knowledge, but without faith, where is God? He still is there, watching and being concerned for us, but is unknown to us. No amount of theorising can achieve a relationship with God, which is what he really wants with all his children and I am glad to have.

As an aside, it took me ages to figure out what the front cover of the book was. It's an X-ray of praying hands.

The Year of Living Biblically

I heard about this book, by AJ Jacobs a while back, so I couldn't resist giving it a read when I came across it in Stirling's Oxfam bookshop.

[I love charity bookshops. All those bargains. All those out-of-print books. All those obscure books you'd never find in a main stream bookshop. Oh, and did I mention the books?]

In this book, Jacobs attempts to live according to the rules of the bible as literally as possible. Some are easy and obvious (like the 10 commandments), others illegal (like stoning adulterers and animal sacrifice) and some obscure (like no mixed fibres). It's not an easy task, as there is much disagreement within both Judaism and Christianity (and between those faiths, too, it has to be said) as to which rules still apply. To Jews, some where only applicable when the temple in Jerusalem was still standing. To Christians, many where over-ruled (sorry, can;t think of a better phrase) by the new covenant God made with his people in the death and resurrection of Jesus. All very complicated. Jacobs did his best, though.

Jacobs described himself as a secular Jew, with no real belief in God. By the end of the year, although not implicit in black and white, it is pretty clear his views seem to have changed.

Jacobs approached this experiment with a certain amount of open-minded cynicism (if you can be both). He also tried to find ways to adhere to the rules in New York. At one point he acquired some pebbles, asked a man if he was an adulterer and sort of threw the stones at the guy's chest. Well, adulterers are to be stoned. As you can imagine, that didn't go down well and the man threw them back at Jacobs!

The book is a very astute, yet funny, take on the rules in the bible. There's a lot of humour and irony in this book, though I'd imagine you would need a lot of humour it get through a year of living by these rules when you don't really know them, haven't been brought up with them and you're wife doesn't take too kindly to you refusing to sit on a seat she's sat on. (So much so, she sat on all the seats in their flat while he was out, leaving his 2 year old son's chair - she missed that one!).

I'd definitely recommend this book. It's funny, astute and well written. Some of Jacobs adventures are hysterical. Some are very moving. All may change how you view the bible.

Becoming Human: Book Review

I reviewed this book a while ago, as part of my Introduction to Pastoral Care course with Aberdeen uni. I thought I'd publish it now, as others may find it useful.


Becoming Human is based on a series of lectures Jean Vanier delivered on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1998. Vanier founded L'Arc, an intentional group of centres which care for people with intellectual disabilities. Much of what is written in this book comes from his experience working in this field. Through the book, Vanier attempts to persuade the reader that in order to become fully human they must open up to their vulnerabilities, reach out to those out with their normal spheres of reference and accept themselves for who they really are.

Vanier argues that opening up to our inner-selves, our true-selves, is necessary in order to become wholly who we really are. He states by holding onto past hurts, excluding people we do not normally relate to and hiding behind power restricts this.

He also argues, by opening up to other people - those who have hurt us or we feel are superior (or inferior) to us - leads to growth in us as individuals. Holding onto hurts creates negative relationships which degrade individuals' dignity and lead, in time, to a degrading of their self-worth. As we open up to others, as we let them into out lives and learn to forgive past hurts, relationships grow, communities grow and individuals become more human.

Opening up to others is a painful and dangerous activity, Vanier acknowledges. People who we have hurt or who have hurt us may not accept us. They may not accept our forgiveness. Also, when others have hurt us, it may be very difficult to forgive them. Only through learning to forgive others can we fully let go of the hurt, Vanier argues, and move on with our lives.

Overall, this book deals with love. Love of self, love of others and love of God. Only through accepting ourselves as we are can we be who we are. When we know who we are and love ourselves, we can take the risks involved in loving and caring for others, even in (especially in, Vanier would say) risky situations. Also, if we love others, we accept them for who they are, individuals who deserve respect, love and support, no matter their background or intellectual ability. Through this love, we can build a better society which nurtures and cares for the supposed weakest and worthless.

Vanier's style is an easy one to read and his arguments are robust, especially as the reader is aware they are based on his own experiences. Upon reading the book, I felt life-affirmed and uplifted. I agreed with, and could personally relate to, many of Vanier's arguments, especially where he talked about forgiveness setting one free and dealing with past hurts.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone struggling with who they were. I would also recommend it to those undertaking pastoral care, as they must take the risk with the weakest in society to help them grow. This can only be achieved once the pastoral carer has opened up and examined their inner self.