God according to God : a physicist proves we've been wrong about God all along

Having spent the last hundred years or so trying to overthrow God and replace him with the beaker jar, scientists in recent years are now trying to resuscitate him. You'd think they would have better things to do, what with the problems of cancer, oil, the environment, global warming, etc. Yet every week or so it seems another scientist wants to chime in with his own sophomoric concept of Philosophy 101, and comfort us that God is still there, we just didn't realize it until now. In this vein I am reading Gerald Schroeder's latest book, "God According to God: A Physicist Proves We've Been Wrong About God All Along." Well, thank God the proof comes from a physicist because now I can be comforted that we are on the right track. I'd hate to be misled by a Priest, or a Rabbi, or an English teacher. But since it's a physicist, I am in good hands. Or at least that was my perception before I got to the first chapter - "A Few Words About What God is Not". It seems that our Physicist spends a lot of time studying the Old Testament, and it further seems that his concept of God comes from the Old Testament and furthermore, he seems to believe that the words in the Old Testament are tantamount to God's words. Being a mere Clinical Psychologist and biblical scholar, I had always thought that the portrait of God in the Old Testament was more a picture of the people who wrote the document, rather than the word of God, or even the inspired word of God. Schroder moves from this very shaky base to the argument that life itself shows the existence of God's handiwork. Somewhere early on I am reminded of the clocks and David Hume and all that Philosophy 101 stuff. Along the line he mentions Bart Ehrman's terrible book about suffering, and I have to wonder, given all the wonderful books that Bart Ehrman wrote, how Schroeder can glom on to the worst one. But I digress. He moves from here to a discussion of the big bang theory and the immediate minutes and hours following the bang itself. Frankly I didn't know that all this had been worked out. Naively, I thought this was a theory, and I didn't know we had a minute by minute time flow chart available to us. In any event, Schroeder assures us that "that is a cause for wonder" and I'm still wondering what the cause was. From here he deduces that we are "starlight" and I start thinking about the 60s and get very nostalgic. I think he's right, and he may even be right about the big bang - after all, this is a Physicists world. But how this all boils down to God escapes me, and perhaps boiling down is more Chemistry than Physics and there's the rub. Schroeder eventually asks that Philo 101 question - "Could that miraculous flow from inanimate matter to the incredible intricacy of life have been the result of purely random events?" (p. 31). The answer, of course, is "Yes. Absolutely. It could be." Indeed, one always has the proof of the putting. That is, because we can ask this question, we have the proof that it is possible. Had this not happened, we would not be here to ask this question, or review this book on Amazon. Is there an alternative? Of course. Is one of the alternatives a prime mover? Surely. But so is the random conjunction of events. Schroeder dismisses this argument by going to the prime mover. How can there be elements to randomly coalesce unless there is a prime mover? Philosophy 101 again. How can there be a prime mover unless there is a prime mover? We go full circle back to the Old Testament. Thousands of years ago these authors dealt with the same subject, and so they too posited a prime mover and then another prime mover and before you knew it, the monotheistic Jews had a polytheistic God system, assuming you know your Old Testament. Life is a gas (no, not literally, I am speaking figuratively) and no one who observes it, for the past five thousand years, has failed to make this observation and often turned to the explanation of God to satisfy his curiosity and perhaps add some sense of protection and belongingness to his own existence. But the beauty of the blooming buzzing world does not necessarily define God, and we certainly don't need a 21st century Physicist to remind us of this. That's what we have Philosophy 101 for!

In this groundbreaking exploration, a biblical scholar and M.I.T.-trained physicist combines decades of research to change the debate between religion and science, presenting a new paradigm of how to understand God.

Gerald Schroeder has spent his career revealing the hand of God in the intricate discoveries of physics. Now, for the first time, he turns his attention to this force, examining both the Bible and the physical world to discover the true nature of God—God according to God.

Schroeder argues that we have ignored those traits of God we find unappealing, replacing them with our personal desire for the all-knowing, all-loving, never-changing deity that so many worship today. This leads to the age-old problem: How can there be such a God when the world is filled with tragedy? Yet Schroeder reveals that this troubling juxtaposition is really smoke and mirrors. The God revealed in the Bible is 100 percent compatible with the world as we know it today. It is our misconception of God that causes the disparity. In fact, the concept of God that atheists rail against and that believers defend is inaccurate.

In God According to God, Schroeder presents a compelling case for the true God, a dynamic God who is still learning how to relate to creation. The key to God's action in the world, according to Schroeder, can be found in a well-known verse in Exodus that is typically translated "I am that which I am." Schroeder's correction that it should be translated "I will be that which I will be" reveals a God that changes to fit the ever-changing world.

This opens our eyes to other characteristics of God that we have long overlooked despite their being present in some of the most popular stories in the Bible—a God who regrets (the flood of Noah), a God who wants us to argue with Him (Jacob wrestling with God in the desert), and thus a God who changes His mind (Moses convinces God to spare the Israelite people), and a God who allowed nature, and the creation itself, from the very start, to rebel (Adam's and Eve's betrayal in Eden).

With riveting chapters on the origins of life, a scientist's view of creation, and the unique place of our planet in the galaxy, God According to God offers a radical paradigm shift that will forever change how we understand God.

With a revolutionary approach combining Biblical study and scientific inquiry, renowned physicist Gerald Schroeder presents the culmination of decades of research to explore the unmoved mover. Schroeder turns his sights on the Force he has never been able to define. Using his scientific approach to look at the facts presented in the world as we know it and God’s own account, the Bible, he tackles straight on the juxtaposition of God as loving and all-powerful with the evil and difficulty that is inherent in our world. He argues that if we look closely at the Bible, the God we find within its pages is 100% compatible with the world as we know it today. It is our misconception of God that causes the disparity. In fact the concept of God that atheists rail against and that believers defend is actually an inaccurate portrait of God.Through in depth examination of the Biblical text as well as a scientific exploration of nature, Schroeder presents the case for a dynamic God, a God that is still learning how to relate to the creation it created. Schroeder retranslates a key verse in Exodus that is typically translated “I am that which I am.” His revelation that it should be “I will be that which I will be,” describes a God that is continually changing, a dynamic presence in our world.With chapters on subjects such as how to understand a God who regrets, why God wants us to argue with him, why nature rebels, and much more, we ultimately learn how to become partners with God in his creation.Sure to provoke much controversy and debate, God According to God offers a radical paradigm shift in the ongoing debate between science and religion. A few words about what God is not The origins of life : one reason I know there is a God The unlikely planet Earth : finding a friendly home in a challenging universe Nature rebels : God grants nature a mind of its own A repentant God? How to understand a God that has regrets Arguing with God : we are partners with God and partners can disagree In defense of God : understanding God through the book of Job Life and death : two perspectives on one reality The desert tabernacle : a model for a universe built of love Knowing truth in your heart : a tale of love Understanding the merciful God of the Bible : golden apples in a silver dish Partners with God : working with a God that will be. This is as important a book on this subject as I recall ever having read. Huston Smith Brilliant.... Schroeders book demands the attention of anyone who wonders if God must be exiled from the modern, enlightened mind. David J. Wolpe, author of Why Faith Matters In his first book since 2002s acclaimed The Hidden Face of God , popular scientist Gerald Schroeder combines decades of scientific research and biblical study to present a groundbreaking new paradigm of how to understand God. Readers of Jack Miles A Biography , Francis Collinss The Language of God , and Richard Friedmans Who Wrote the Bible will find much to contemplate in God According to God . A renowned scientist and author combines decades of scientific research and biblical study to present a groundbreaking new paradigm of how to understand God. Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 23, 2009).