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A review by professorfate
Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer
4.0
I must have enjoyed this book, since I finished it in just over three days.
A spaceship lands in front of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. An alien emerges and walks into the museum, wanting to meet with a paleontologist. This alien (and others not only of her race but of another) have been travelling around the Universe trying to scientifically prove that God exists. The paleontologist that she meets up with, Tom Jericho, is dying of lung cancer and is an atheist. The two have a good, healthy exchange of ideas but then are forced to confront the ugly side of religion on this planet when two Christian fundamentalists try to destroy an exhibit of fossils and to convince the alien that Jericho is lying to it, that God exists and created the world 6,000 years ago, etc. etc. etc.
There are two reasons why I bought this book. First was because I like Mr. Sawyer’s writing (although I have only read one other book of his, “WWW: Wake”) and the title and description intrigued me. The second was to try to piss off the reactionary, holier-than-thou Bible thumpers here in South Carolina (guess the second mission failed because I read it so fast). Don’t get me wrong: Christians are cool (to me) as long as they keep their beliefs to themselves. Unfortunately, around here, that doesn’t happen: it is assumed that all people are Christian and if you’re not, you’d better keep quiet. I am an agnostic—I think the existence of a god is most unlikely, but since I can’t prove it, I can’t discount the possibility.
The book really does not take a side one way or the other. Jericho does have a conversion of sorts at the end of the book (due to an event that I won’t tell you about—read the book), but the author doesn’t say that yes, God does exist; it is left up to the reader to decide for themselves. It is a book that will make you think, believer or not. And it does stay with you (I finished it this morning and I’m still thinking about it). Will it make you change your beliefs? It might, but probably not, but it will entertain and challenge you. Highly recommended.
A spaceship lands in front of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. An alien emerges and walks into the museum, wanting to meet with a paleontologist. This alien (and others not only of her race but of another) have been travelling around the Universe trying to scientifically prove that God exists. The paleontologist that she meets up with, Tom Jericho, is dying of lung cancer and is an atheist. The two have a good, healthy exchange of ideas but then are forced to confront the ugly side of religion on this planet when two Christian fundamentalists try to destroy an exhibit of fossils and to convince the alien that Jericho is lying to it, that God exists and created the world 6,000 years ago, etc. etc. etc.
There are two reasons why I bought this book. First was because I like Mr. Sawyer’s writing (although I have only read one other book of his, “WWW: Wake”) and the title and description intrigued me. The second was to try to piss off the reactionary, holier-than-thou Bible thumpers here in South Carolina (guess the second mission failed because I read it so fast). Don’t get me wrong: Christians are cool (to me) as long as they keep their beliefs to themselves. Unfortunately, around here, that doesn’t happen: it is assumed that all people are Christian and if you’re not, you’d better keep quiet. I am an agnostic—I think the existence of a god is most unlikely, but since I can’t prove it, I can’t discount the possibility.
The book really does not take a side one way or the other. Jericho does have a conversion of sorts at the end of the book (due to an event that I won’t tell you about—read the book), but the author doesn’t say that yes, God does exist; it is left up to the reader to decide for themselves. It is a book that will make you think, believer or not. And it does stay with you (I finished it this morning and I’m still thinking about it). Will it make you change your beliefs? It might, but probably not, but it will entertain and challenge you. Highly recommended.