RELIGION, THE UNIVERSE AND EVOLUTION
A DOWN-TO-EARTH, NO NONSENSE REALITY CHECK
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As a schoolboy teenager, I belonged to the church’s youth club, cycling some 5 miles each way to play table tennis and other enjoyable activities, none of which demanded any particularly Christian dedication. At around 16 I began to wonder about God and whether he really did answer prayers; there having been no results from any of my attempts at prayer so far. I realized that my prayers, beyond the usual Lord’s Prayer, were largely self-centered and thus, I reasoned, may not have deserved to be answered. So I devised prayers designed to benefit others and then if they were answered, I would have some sort of evidence to continue ‘believing.’ Nothing of any concrete nature came of these efforts, in fact, as often as not the reverse came to pass. Of course this led to the question, does God really exist? None of the folks in the church’s activities: Sunday service, Sunday school, the church brass band or youth club were of any assistance in this; all questions to the minister, deaconess, club leader or parents being met with vague non-specific reassurances. I half accepted this, thinking that maybe all would become clear a little later in life . . . . It did not. In any case there was homework to do, soccer games to play, girls to be sought out and much more immediate and more practical demands on my time. And anyway, at 16 one expects to live forever, so the point was somewhat moot, and certainly of no urgency. During my 6 years at university, living in a residence hall, I lived with many young folks professing a strong Christian faith; but again, no one produced any evidence beyond non-verifiable personal experiences. Other folk’s solitary personal experiences never did, and still do not, count for much in my book. As a student mathematician and budding scientist I was, and still am, looking for, if not proof, then at least a smidgeon of hard evidence. “You need to have faith” they said, but that seemed to me to be a cop out. Faith is nothing but a belief without evidence . . . or wishful thinking . . . a tenet that will not hold credibility in any scientific discussion, or in any court of law for that matter. It seemed to me that faith is more of a comforting ‘teddy bear’ to hold onto in the absence of any facts.
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About the Book
Troubled by 70 years of vague and unsupported assertions by the church, together with unanswered questions about God and man’s place in the universe, Malcolm Smith embarks on a down-to-earth, no nonsense study and seeks for himself any evidence for a God or ‘Intelligent Designer.’ The result is this concise volume on the merits or otherwise of religion; on the grandeur of the universe; the incredibly elegant simplicity of evolution; and on man’s place in it all. The book is both easy and fascinating to read. No college degree is required, just a healthy dose of common sense (a rare commodity these days); an open mind would be a plus. “The down-to-earth style and occasional dash of humor helps avoid the dryness which often plagues similar works.” “Rarely does a work of this nature, in a single slim volume, treat the subject in such an everyday manner. The absence of vague, long-winded religious ‘theo-speak’ and absence of technical jargon that goes with most scientific works, makes this book a pleasure to read.” “This book is for all those looking for a little help in sorting out, at least to their satisfaction, what religion is all about, and whether it has any place in their future? That the reader will gain a basic insight into the workings of the universe and evolution, is an added bonus.” “Is there any scientifically acceptable evidence for the existence of a God?” The author’s finding was a reluctant “no” but ironically led to a surprising realization that more than compensates for any perceived spiritual loss, and left him far happier than he had hoped. If the reader is moved to do his/her own thinking and reasoning, even in dissent, then the author will have succeeded. “It was an easy, enjoyable read, void of ‘filler’ and left me with much thinking to do,” was a typical comment.
About the Author
MALCOLM SMITH was raised in England and holds a B.Sc. with Honors in mathematics and a M.Sc. for research in shock and blast waves at the University of Manchester. Immigrated to the USA in 1962, he is a US citizen and holds Professional Engineering licenses in Pennsylvania and Canada. He spent most of his career in the design and manufacture of large industrial refrigeration systems in such diverse fields as the Alaska pipeline and the Florida citrus industry. Now retired and with two sons, two grandsons and two dogs, he makes his home in west central Florida. He can be reached at ‘malsmith@tampabay.rr.com’