History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Nature of Consciousness : The Structure of Reality: Theory of Everything Equation Revealed : Scientific Verification and Proof of Logic God Is

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The Real Deal
A life changing experience??
Should be Required Reading for everyone
A Very Important Book
Illuminating!!!

The Nature of Consciousness : The Structure of Reality: Theory of Everything Equation Revealed : Scientific Verification and Proof of Logic God Is
Jerry Davidson Wheatley
Manufacturer: Research Scientific Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0970316100

Book Description

This book describes how understanding the structure of reality leads to the Theory of Everything Equation. The equation unifies the forces of nature and enables the merging of relativity with quantum theory. The book explains the big bang theory and everything else.

Customer Reviews:

The Real Deal.......2006-09-25

Although Mr. Wheatley is a little verbose in sections, his documentation of Zen Buddhistic Principles found throughout the disciplines of Mathematics, Physics, Theology, etc. forms a nice reference guide for anyone tuned into that wavelength. In particular, his explanation of how Godel's Theorem and Cantor's "Confusion" shed great light on the difference between GOD's Logic and Man's Logic should be a revelation to any undergraduate level math students who encounter these ideas for the first time. Curiously, Mr. Wheatley makes many misstatements about both Zen Buddhism Principles and the Bible, however. For example, by accepting the false biblical teaching of Original Sin, he misses the point that eating the proverbial apple gave Adam and Eve the ability to make Moral Discernments in fulfillment of GOD'S PERFECT PLAN. As proof, read Genesis 1 which states that Man and Woman were made in GOD's Image. Genesis 4 shows that Adam and Eve weren't the first humans on Earth at all, there were plenty of others by then. The allegorical meaning of the story of Eden, then, isn't that Adam and Eve were the first humans on Earth, but they were the first humans with the ability to make Moral Discernments (in GOD's Image). In fact, Moral Discernment is God's Unique Gift to Man, which is the basis of consciousness, not some Math Formula. But because the wages of the resulting, unavoidable sin are Death, many people foolishly try to return to Eden by: (1) living a sinless Life (2) by removing choice altogether by passing and enforcing strict Laws (3) by attempting to do away with Moral Discernment and the resulting consequences for our actions altogether by trying to remove Shame from Shameful actions. GOD is not some ethereal Man-In-Space, but is simply the Totality of all Real Things, The Set of All Real Sets. GOD's Love manifests itself from the amazing sub-atomic relationships that underly this magic Life all the way to the grandest of Macroscopic Scales, the Interconnected Totality itself. The Zen Buddhism connection can be found by simply superimposing the 0 symbol and the symbol for infinity (8 on its side) in Mr. Wheatley's supposedly "new" formulation that 1 = 0 x infinity. Superimposing them gives you the yin-yang symbol. A potential disadvantage of artificially separating the infinity from the zero, however, is that Mr. Wheatley is able to equate the entire expression to be equal to 1. This potentially might obscure the fact that the deepest meaning of the yin-yang symbol is that it is both 2 and 1 AT THE SAME TIME. His overall equation does preserve that important meaning by utilizing a single element on one side of the equation and two elements on the other side of his final TOE equation. This may be hard to see for some at first, however, which could potentially obscure the richest meaning of this beautiful symbol/equation. A much more GODLY TOE, in my opinion, comes from Euler, who discovered that e ^ (i * pi) - 1 = 0. When someone can explain that relationship, then they can say they know GOD.

A life changing experience??.......2005-06-13

This book is an easy read and does succeed in being somewhat thought-provoking. However, I am a little surprised at the awesome, "life changing" experience it apparently was for many of the readers. Wheatley's conclusions were interesting but nothing really new. All of his material should have passed through the mind of any thinking person without the aid of this book.
The reason I gave this book three stars is because he uses unneccessarily wordy ways of describing simple things. Also, the author and many other reviewers insist that Wheatley makes only one assumption. Wrong-his whole theory is one big assumption.
Overall though it was a very interesting and worthy book.

Should be Required Reading for everyone.......2004-06-26

This book will change your life. You will never think the same way you did before reading it.
I have a degree in chemistry and I think this book should be read by everyone in the sciences. Without a doubt, the best book I've ever read. Why and what are two of our best friends

A Very Important Book.......2004-01-26

I must preface my review by stating that I have never been so excited and moved by a book that I have wanted to contact the author. That is what I found myself doing upon reading this book. This book is just what its title says. The author does not "miss a beat" describing in great detail using practically every aspect of scientific knowledge from atomic structure through logic to quantum theory---we are even given a valuable explanation of Love. This text may be challenging to read for those unfamiliar with scientific terminology. And it can also be difficult for those with a science background, such as myself. However, for me it is well worth the work necessary to strive to understand the unfamiliar terminology. (I am continually learning from this book. I am presently on my third reread).

One of the author's main messages is "not" to believe anything without first verifying it with reality, as we know it. He calls it the "Personal Explanation Principle". He indicates that religions are just such belief systems that we as people "fall" victims of; because we do not verify the beliefs with the facts, as we know them, of reality. He gives a very detailed explanation of how the New Testament can be explored using his methodology.

The author methodically and meticulously walks us through his thought processes, which took 30 years to assimilate, of delineating the structure of reality and the nature of consciousness. Included in the "walk" are many of reality's phenomena made revelatory. An example of that, for me, would be the dual nature of light. It's particle/wave duality, which is explained as "functions". Also, when the author took me on the mental journey of "Setness" an exhilaration of the magnificence of life swelled up in me.

To me this is a very important book that should be read by all that are seekers of truth. It is for all those wanting to gain an understanding of the purpose for their existence, wanting to know where life is headed towards, and wanting to know who God is.

This book will enlighten and develop one's mind substantially. You will discover that this is our objective.

And yes, I contacted the author and he responded openly.

Illuminating!!!.......2002-12-30

This is a really great book. It combines philosophy and science in order to tackle a multitude of existential problems. The author's style of writing is fresh and alive, I recommend ths book to anyone interested in expanding the fronteirs of their understanding. Books I also liked are a Universe in an Nutshell by Steven Hawkings and Descent into Illusions by Paul Omeziri.

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To be read along with his award winning Mind of God
A seeker of wisdon and truth
Modern classic
Credible Answers to the Big Questions
Davies' weakest book?

God and the New Physics
Paul Davies
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671528068

Book Description

How did the universe begin and how will it end?

What is matter?

What is mind, and can it survive death?

What are time and space, and how do they relate to ideas about God?

Is the order of the universe the result of accident or design?

The most profound and age-old questions of existence -- for centuries the focus of religion and philosophy -- may soon be answered through the extraordinary advances of a field of science known as the new physics. In this illuminating work, Paul Davies, author of the acclaimed Other Worlds and The Edge of Infinity, writes that the discoveries of 20th-century physics -- relativity and the quantum theory -- are now pointing the way to a new appreciation of man and his place in the universe. They could, in fact, bring within our grasp a unified description of all creation. Demanding a radical reformulation of the most fundamental aspects of reality and a way of thinking that is in closer accord with mysticism than materialism, the new physics, says Davies, offers a surer path to God than religion.

Described by The Washington Post as "impressive," God and the New Physics is a fascinating look at the impact of science on what were formerly religious issues. Elegantly written, a book for both scholars and lay readers of science, it is, according to the Christian Science Monitor, a "provocative...rewarding intellectual romp."

Customer Reviews:

To be read along with his award winning Mind of God.......2007-07-11

Paul Davies is a deep guy and like all his books this one is fascinating reading for its attempt to synthesize then existing (circa 1983) modern knowledge.

Before reviewing further it does need to be pointed out that about ten years later Davies wrote his award winning Mind of God which recovers and he says more completely the topics and issues raised in this book.

That being said this book is still important reading though admittedly not for its report on the state of scientific knowledge. Happily even the mere ten years between this book and his Mind of God produced developments in choas theory, complexity analysis and scientific observation that enabled him to deepen his thinking on how and why the universe came to be and what makes it tick.

Long story short: In this book, Davies attempts to synthesize the traditional scientific approach of reductionism or analyizing reality by dissecting and examining its components and holism which attempts to, so to speak, see the forrest and not the trees by looking for deeper patterns.

Though in principle holism is dedicated to finding simple rules that by application produce complex results, finding those simple rules -- let alone explaining them -- isn't itself such a simple process.

For the truly interested reader, I would suggest the following books:

1) Professor Hofstadter's Godel Escher Bach (a Pulitzer Prize winner) which discusses the artistry of these simple rules with the reverance it truly deserves;

2) Davies' Mind of God which represents his most contemporary thinking on these holist/reductionist issues;

3) Oxford Professor John Barrow's Incompleteness the Science of Limits and the Limits of Science; and

4) Roger Penrose's Road to Reality which painstakingly traces out the mathematics behind the physics and the way in which both find themselves nested in reality.

This book then fits in as a proper supplement to those listed above. It's representative of a point in Davies' thinking but helps fuel what is an endlessly fascinating inquiry: How and why we came to be.

A seeker of wisdon and truth.......2007-01-10

Typical of Paul Davies, he is relentless in his quest for enlightenment on the ultimate question. Although written in the mid 1980's this is a very worthwhile probe into the nexus of science, religion and philosophy. There can be no doubt that this man is on the vanguard in the search for cosmic understanding.

Modern classic.......2006-08-12

No one in the world of theoretical physics can keep ideas as intriguing or as easy to read as Davies can. God and The New Physics covers many of the most puzzling aspects of existence itself in a brilliant yet layman friendly manner.

Credible Answers to the Big Questions.......2006-01-02

Wow!!

I read this book a few years ago, and recently read it again. It is an exhausting read, but sure worth the ride. You will get the most out of this book, if you have studied physics (through quantum mechanics) and mathematics (through advanced calculus). But even for those with no such background, there is something for you here...don't stop if you run into something you don't understand...keep on reading.

Davies, addresses, among others, each of the following :

- How did the universe come about?
- Could it have been created in another way?
- The purpose of the universe?
- Is God necessary?
- What is the eventual fate of the universe?
- What is mind and soul?
- Could humans have evolved, accidentally from simple laws of physics?

Davies does an amazing job at addressing each using credible reasoning and existing physical theory. Additionally, Davies speculation and posing of questions is stimulating.
To me, it is clear from the presentation that science is much more credible and useful in speculating about answers to such questions than religion -religion avoids the facts/discoveries that might contradict its assertions. Davies presentation of John Conway's discoveries that simple logical "rules" lead to complex phenomena is tremendous proof that maybe humans did evolve from the very simple laws of physics and matter.

You might also supplement with Weinberg's "The First Three Minutes," Feynman's "Lectures on Physics" and Davies additional work "The Mind of God" and "Cosmic Blueprint." Also, refer to Davies additional references in the back of the book. Searching for answers to such questions is a lifetime pursuit for many...including me.

Davies' weakest book?.......2005-02-23

This is one of Davies two or three most noted books but certainly not one of his best. You'll get a better discussion of quantum theory in his volumes 'Superforce', 'The Matter Myth' or 'About Time' and a better treatment of philosophical and theological considerations in his award-winning 'The Mind of God'.
Davies is one of this reader's favorite science writers, but I'll not recommend this volume. Your time will be better spent reading any of the four books that I mentioned above. Developments of the past twenty years have countered some of the cosmology presented here, but this is nothing to hold against the author, it is what happens in science. Rather worse is Davies' understanding of theology, it is strangely uninformed for someone with his apparent interest in the discipline. On several points he is dealing with mere straw men.
One of several problems is Davies treatment of theology's famous 'cosmological argument' which has been variously employed by such thinkers as Aristotle, Leibniz, and Swinburne. In this discussion (third chapter) he appears to accept that Bertrand Russell had succeeded in defeating the general argument through the introduction of his famous "sets of sets" paradox. The argument is this: if the cause-effect relationships within the temporal universe are taken as sets of relationships, then the universe as a whole is the set of these sets. Russell then demonstrated, using the 'library books / catalogs of library books' paradox, that the universe itself need not be subject to the rules of causal relationships that apply within the universe. The reason, Russell argued, that causal relationships should not be applied to the universe (as a set of sets) is that causal relationships within the universe (space/time) must have an aspect of temporal sequence, and that since there can be no temporal quality such as "before" "before" time itself, the universe need not be caused.
That there is no sequence outside of time is hardly arguable. But when Davies goes on to say that we must think in terms of "beyond, not before" the universe, he demonstrates that the supposed problem is simply one of reckless semantics. After all, just as 'before' is a temporal concept, 'beyond' is a spatial concept; perhaps there cannot be a "beyond" the universe either? Davies would (rightly) respond that "beyond" does not necessarily involve a spatial quality, for example we might speak of a concept or understanding being "beyond me." And as Davies later explains, in his consideration of 'mind', ideas (say, the calculus or a Beethoven symphony) do not, in essence, exist spatially (or temporally, the piece of music does not cease to exist when the orchestra finishes), yet certainly do exist "beyond" the concert hall or the notations on paper. Similarly, of the "super-existent Being," the theologian says, "Cause of all existence, and therefore itself transcending existence" (to cite ancient language), causes space-time from "beyond" [or conceptually "above"] space-time, not from temporally "before" it. As Davies concedes, theologians (notably Augustine) discerned this many centuries before Russell attempted to colonize causal language. There are several definitions that logicians have assigned to the concept of causality; Aristotle's most straightforward definition is simply "explanatory factor." Russell's argument based on a temporal baseline presents no clear paradox for a supra-cosmic Mind; most philosophers have rightly rejected his demand that we restrict explanation to his preferred language, and it is unclear why Davies was so uncritical on this point.
Concluding this discussion, Davies says that we can imagine an uncaused universe -- or even a steady-state universe (although the idea fares poorly against observation) -- but eventually concedes that we cannot finally explain such things in any scientific or otherwise rational way: ". . . Swinburne writes: It would be an error to suppose that if the universe is infinitely old, and each state of the universe at each instant of time has a complete explanation in terms of a previous state . . . (and so God is not invoked), that the existence of the universe throughout infinite time has a complete explanation, or even a full explanation. It has not. It has neither. It is totally inexplicable."
Davies later revisits causality from the perspective of quantum uncertainty and the superposition problem. He treats this material better elsewhere. In many ways, Polkinghorne's 'The Quantum World' (written at about the same time) treats this subject better than any I have seen. The ideas in Davies' chapter on Time are treated more extensively in his later volume 'About Time.'
On points Davies strays completely from physics while failing to penetrate philosophy very deeply. A straw characterization of theology's understanding of 'omnipotence' is presented in the consideration of free will versus determinism (chapter 10). Davies cites Hume's argument that God either wills evil (and is therefore not omnibenevolent) or is incapable of eliminating evil (and therefore not omnipotent). Again, the author uncritically accepts Hume's argument, apparently ignorant of the theological response (Hume's argument was not new and some counter arguments had been given two millennia earlier). Davies says, "the power of an omnipotent God is without limit, and such a being is free to have whatever he chooses." Actually the statement cannot be true, omnipotence is logically self-limiting in a way that omnipresence or omniscience, is not. For example, an omnipotent Being cannot be free to terminate his omnipotent self, for if he is "free to have whatever he chooses," in choosing cessation he could neither "have" nor "choose." Logical limits seem inherent to omnipotence, limits imposed by mutual exclusion. Again, consider the question: "is God powerful enough to make a rock so heavy that he is not powerful enough to lift it?" The question is supposed to demand a glitch in God's omnipotence. Ignoring that since Newtonian relativistic physics (let alone its advance via Einsteinian fields), the picture being painted is physically nonsensical, it is also logical nonsense. Further, an omnipotent being is not free to simultaneously provide and deny freedom any more that he could create a three dimensional spherical (1 surface) cube (6 surfaces), because of logical mutual exclusion. Strangely, after arguing otherwise earlier, Davies reaches such a conclusion in chapter 17. For a technical theological consideration of omnipotence and the existence of evil, one should seriously engage so-called 'possible worlds' theory; for a less technical approach, one must consider the substantive, rather that superficial, essence of often misunderstood words like "love" and "freedom" (both are "good", neither is necessarily "nice"). And, like quantum entanglement, freedom is so complex as to be fundamentally mysterious to any human observer who would pretend to be its judge, as certain theologians have variously stated for more than 2500 years.
Much argument is distilled into little in the book's three closing paragraphs (so what was the point?). This is Davies at his worst. He improved with age, read his 'The Mind of God' instead.

God in the Equation : How Einstein Became the Prophet of the New Religious Era

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What Does the Fat Lady Sing? (Or when?)
Wow! A real mind-opener.
A Distorted View of History
a provocative mix of science and philosophy
Reads like a colege student's homework

God in the Equation : How Einstein Became the Prophet of the New Religious Era
Corey Powell
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684863480

Book Description

We are living at a turning point in human spirituality -- akin to when Jesus or Buddha or Mohammed was alive -- and Einstein is its prophet. That is the audacious, provocative, and fascinating argument Corey Powell makes with dazzling eloquence in this extraordinary book. Powell dubs the new faith "sci/religion" and unmasks today's famous battle between science and religion as no more than a myth.

Religion has always been where humanity looked to resolve the big issues -- be they everyday ones about morality or the overarching questions of the universe. Just a few decades ago, Pope Pius XII described the period explained by the scientific theory of the big bang as "the epoch when the cosmos came forth from the Hands of the Creator." Astronomers essentially agreed. This signified a very new relationship between scientists and priests. Indeed, Powell shows how science has completely taken over from theology in answering the overarching questions of the universe. Morality is a secular matter now determined by conversation rather than religious edict. Therefore, Powell contends, sci/religion is the only fully functioning religion now in operation.

For the first time, Powell identifies Einstein as the prophet of this religious revolution. When the most popular genius of the century said "God does not play dice," he wasn't merely being cute, he was creating a new kind of religion. Einstein called God The Old One, and, as Powell shows, he put The Old One into his equations describing his theory of relativity and so bound together two spheres of human thought, the spiritual and the scientific, in a way that had never previously been accomplished. The symbol in the relativity equations that stands for God is Lambda. It is also called the cosmological constant. It was also called Einstein's biggest blunder for a little while. Powell tells the story of how this controversial factor got into the equations, how it was accepted by the scientific community, then rejected, and then accepted again. Recent reports about how the universe is accelerating in its expansion are all based on this same factor, God in the equation.

Einstein and his followers' use of the God factor in science has never before been recognized for what it is. In a tour de force Powell has forever identified it as clear evidence of an entirely new gnostic era, a new step in the history of human spirituality.

Customer Reviews:

What Does the Fat Lady Sing? (Or when?).......2006-08-31

Corey S Powell has written an excellent popular account of a major scientific discovery.

One that if confirmed promises to open up new vistas of investigation and deepen our theoretical understanding of the universe.

To properly tell his story, Powell first backs up a little, and sketches a brief account of the history of observational astronomy and its interplay with theoretical physics - the celestial mechanics of Newton. He then moves forward to the genesis of a new cosmology.

Some readers may be put off by the title. or, more specifically, take issue with the author for introducing "God" into what should be a scientific discussion.

I admit that at times I found Powell's "sci/rel" trope occasionally cloying; e.g., his description of Cecelia Payne-Goposchkin as a "sort of Mary Magdalene in the shadows of the sci/religious miracles" of two cosmological advances affecting first Arthur Eddington, then, later Harlow Shapley (p119).

Nonetheless, I feel that Powell has endeavored to heal a kind of psycho-linguistic breach in our language - and consciousness.

Cosmology had fractured into (a) scientific cosmo-genesis, and into a religious nullity.

The latter having perhaps mythological or "poetic" significance, but otherwise empty of scientific content.

Even if the premises upon which the book is based - the interpretation of the Mauna Kea data, introduced at the start of the book - are shown to be erroneous, the idea of creation - and, our place in it - re-emerges in Powell's book from the obscurity of a secularism that occasionally over-reaches.

The main burden of the text is to lay out the science behind the work of principally two teams of scientific collaborators studying Type Ia supernovae.

The significance of their work was announced in Science's "Biggest Breakthroughs of 1998"
(18 Dec issue).

Powell's careful preparation gently leads the reader to a heightened understanding of the theoretical issues involved. In so doing, he neither tarries too long, nor plunges heedlessly ahead of the lay reader.

One wishes that the author had provided a "further reading" reference to magnetic monopoles directed to a general audience (something along the lines of Scientifc American Frontiers).

Also Powell misconstrues the force of the weak anthropic principle. The latter serves as a simplifying assumption. In that sense it may serve to guide research. It is a crude heuristic - a tool.

Even in its strong "participatory" form it does not (indeed, cannot) "brush aside the flatness problem, the horizon problem, and [questions about] the origin of structure in the universe," as the author suggests on p.193.

Just before picking up "God In the Equation" I happened to read de Santillanna's Crime of Galileo.

Powell alludes briefly to Pius XII's somewhat embarrassing sally into the sci/religious controversy.

When, November 1951, the Pope burbled about the Big Bang, he trespassed onto the reservation of 1893, which officially validated Galileo's assertion that it would be impious to suppose that God
"may have laid pitfalls for men by establishing contradictory [scientific and religious] truths."

Is Mr. Powell himself likewise guilty of trespassing - in this case, onto the religious reservation -
when he talks about the Church of Einstein?

This begs a question: Is knowing the universe the same as knowing God?

Note that this is distinct from the matter of faith.

We take on faith the veracity of "things unseen."

But it is also faith that sees the creation (as it is; as "given") as at once exemplar and indicative
of divinity.

As sublime.

Powell strays perilously close to religious revisionism.
(A revisionism without apologetics, however.)

The author seems to exhibit a mixed mind.
And it may be that this ought not be condemned.

I found myself moved when he wrote about the "spiritual power of Einstein's equations."

And untroubled.

Wow! A real mind-opener........2004-04-30

I can't recall ever reading another book quite
like this one. Most of the books about science and
religion I've seen fall into one of two categories.
They either try to make the case that scientists are
secretly religious people, or else they try to argue
that science leaves no room for faith. Powell takes
the discussion in a very different, more subtle
direction, one that reminds me of some of Daniel
Dennett's ideas. In essence, Powell argues that
spirituality is an integral component of the way
humans process information about the world--even if
the people doing the processing are cosmologists who
openly describe themselves as atheists. That
perspective puts a whole new spin on Albert Einstein's often-puzzling use of the word "God" as something interchangeable with the laws of physics. It also explains why, in his later years, Einstein was so committed to the idea of a cosmic religion.

Alas, Einstein was an idealist and I'm afraid Powell
may be too. His dream that science can reform religion
of its more destructive impulses looks just like
that--a dream. Religion seems to be doing just fine in
the Middle East, not to mention in Mel Gibson's bank
account. But Powell's analysis of how the scientific
process works is both original and eye-opening. I also
really enjoyed his sweeping history of cosmology, full
of clear explanations and surprising details. The
section on the early history of the big bang, in
particular, covers territory that I've never head
about before. (The father of the big bang was an
obscure Russian meteorologist--who knew?) This book
does an amazing job explaining what we know about the
universe and how we know it. If it also helps advance Einstein's pacifist agenda, so much the better. Truly inspirational.

A Distorted View of History.......2003-09-13

With his invention of sci/religion, Powell appears to have abandoned historical reality for a mystical journey of misinterpretation of relativity and the reason Einstein originally thought it necessary to invent the cosmological constant. In my judgement, this book is neither good physics, accurate reporting nor good writing.

a provocative mix of science and philosophy.......2003-01-24

It's hard to get much bigger than the themes in this
book: how did the universe begin, how will it end, and
is there any way to find spiritual satisfaction
through science? Amazingly, this writer pulls it off.
The first part of the book covers historical ideas
about the universe, bringing people like Galileo and
Newton to life as complex, passionate thinkers. The
later chapters get into modern cosmology, covering the
big bang and some of the current far-out ideas about
"dark energy" and other universes.

Reads like a colege student's homework.......2003-01-13

I hold a degree in physics and am currently in the process to become a priest so I read this book with great interest. I was not impressed with Powell's writing. I was put off by the numerous instances of exaggeration and projecting unknown personal motivations on historical characters. Powell's argument flowed like papers I wrote in high school and college with gross shading of facts and very little honest apprasial of opposing viewpoints. I also had a hard time accepting the cumbersome sci/religion as a real word. I hope it never catches on. There are much better texts on the thrilling topic of science and religion than God in the Equation.

God's Whisper; Creation's Thunder: Echoes of Ultimate Reality in the New Physics

Average customer rating:

preaching to the choir
=U N I T Y=
The excellent book for anyone having sceintific background.

God's Whisper; Creation's Thunder: Echoes of Ultimate Reality in the New Physics
Brian Hines
Manufacturer: Threshold Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Science & Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0939660482

Book Description

At the farthest reaches of theoretical physics, the line between science and spirituality becomes increasingly blurred. Most books which deal with that blurring line look at spirituality from the standpoint of cutting-edge science- looks at science from the standpoint of cutting-edge spirituality. Brian Hines envisions a time when religion will be less a matter of faith than of direct evidence that ultimate reality is indeed One and nonmaterial. Well-reasoned and insightful this book points toward a new perception of the reality we all share. Brian Hines has a master's degree in social work and two years of doctoral training in Systems Science. He is an initiate of the path of Surat Shabd Yoga (union of soul and spirit) and an avid student of Shotokan Karate.

Customer Reviews:

preaching to the choir.......2003-03-02

I found myself data mining this book. That is the process of reading in order to collect quotes, to get pieces of information to store or to use in other venues. I don't often fall into this mistake with books, i try to be careful and take the writing in a open spirit and grasp what the author is trying to say. This data mining breaks the connection between an author and a reader, i don't like it. Why it happened is the weakness of the book, it is truely preaching to the choir. It assumes such a relationship with the world that if you are unaware, or unable to practice the author's particular style of spiritual discipline that the book becomes disjoined.

Certainly he is not intending it that way. He tries carefully to set the groundwork for his spiritual practices, but like he says, they are things to be done, not things to be thought. And that's what makes the book an excellent place for data mining. He is aware of much spirituality and sees the interconnection of modern science, especially leading edge physics to this spiritual realm. So that you are able to get much information out of the book, without participating in the author's real desire, his real reason for writing the book.

The author desires, deeply and sensitively, for the reader to follow him into another realm of contemplative spiritual awareness. He has a well written chapter about the need for good competent guides into the field, so he knows a book is not sufficent, but he tries as this is really the only chance he has to help you into his world. And i am sorry to say that this is not enough to help me see or understand the deeper things he proposes in the book.

However that said, it is a good book, tone and stylistically superior to much in the field, dominated as it is by unreadable and unfollowable junk. Maybe it is simply that the spiritual, the comtemplative requires a guide who can interact and see where you are in the journey and tailor the message to you. There are many nuggets and pieces to held in the mind and added to your database of thought. For this alone it is worth the time, knowing that since your aren't a member of his choir you are really missing the true meaning and significance of the book.

thanks for reading this review, i hope you get more out of it than i did, but don't let my failure discourage you from trying. You perhaps are on a journey more like his and his words might very well inflame your contemplative passions, for i can see them in him, i just can't feel the heat of them.

richard williams

=U N I T Y=.......2001-01-09

This is VERY well thought out book about knowing the Ultimate Reality. Mysticism and Physics are both aiming for it, that same Universal Truth. But it can be found through contemplative meditation. This helps me alot in my Baha'i views, not just in uniting God and his religions, but science and religions. They are all varied and vast sides of a mountain with but one peak. That peak is not just some supreme being, but being itself. God is his creation, but not just that. (i.e. not pantheism) True "perfect" mystics all know the same pristine reality that is viewed as something different by the sectarian religions that stem from it. This is also parallel to Baha'i beliefs in the Divine Manifestations all emanating from the one united God. Everything is unity. There are alot of other scientific and philosophical issues looked at by the author. From Quantum Cosmology and the Big Bang to clearing up free will and determinism, at the same time connecting it to Karma. Though this does not answer each and every question you'll have of the Ultimate Truth (it didn't for me atleast, there is stuff that I wish I could ask the author), its perspective is a key to your universal understanding, and that would be: monism. This book is a good choice as your first step back home: divine Light and Unity.

O, yea, and its pages are riddled with beautiful verse from a perfect mystic--Rumi. His message is one that you will find uplifting. =¤)

The excellent book for anyone having sceintific background........1998-07-04

this book is among the best which compares mysticism with science. the logic of correlation is simply superb. the author has done a quite good survey and has very good insight. thanks for writing such an excellent book.

The Voice of the Soul: A Journey Into Wisdom and the Physics of God

Average customer rating:

A Dynamic Dance of the Divine
DO WE THINK?
A wonderful guide for the spiritually perplexed
A book for the explorer of consciousness
Account of personal spiritual growth

The Voice of the Soul: A Journey Into Wisdom and the Physics of God
Judith Pennington
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Personal Transformation | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0759605432

Book Description

If you hunger for something but do not know what it is, this journey of science and spirit could be the most exciting and fulfilling one that you will ever take. It's the true story of Judith Pennington, a busy freelance writer, peace group director and single parent who, at age 38, believes in neither herself nor God, yet picks up pen and paper late one night, listens to an inner voice and records the wisest, most sensible guidance she's ever heard.

Who or what is the source of the lyrical "writings" that beckon her out of darkness into light over the next twelve years? Finding out takes the author into the depths of her own psyche and on life-changing journeys to spiritual centers in Medjugorje, Findhorn and the Celtic isle of Iona, where she walks in the light of beauty and the psychic, and in these expanded senses reaches her destiny and the blossoming of her unique gifts and talents.

This is the universal promise of the soul waiting to be heard in each of us. Its voice whispers in many ways. It sings in the inspired writings composing the second half of this book, a pathway into the wisdom of the Self and the science of spirituality, meditation and God.

In this extraordinary work, the author reaches out to help awaken the voice of every soul, that infinite love may be heard and known by one and all.

Customer Reviews:

A Dynamic Dance of the Divine.......2003-03-02

A heart-warming journey of awakening, this book is an intriguing account of how the soul guides the personality to experience fulfillment with the deepest self-the God-self. The book's power and charm is two-fold. The first is the author's openness in expressing the ups and downs of several marriages entwined with her doubts about the existence of God. Secondly, Judith shares how following signs and synchronicities lead her to the discovery of her unique connection with spirit: inspired writing. Expressing universal wisdom, these writings address many questions of the spiritual seeker from dealing with anger and illness to opening to love again and finding your soul work. There is a profound simplicity and bare honesty to Judith's mystical adventure that invites us to ponder our own path to greater self-awareness. From the mysteries of the sacred places of Medjugorje, Findhorn and the Isle of Iona to everyday worldly challenges, Judith's Dance with the Divine is a daring and pioneering template for healing and renewal.

DO WE THINK?.......2003-01-11

Remember when you were a child and always asked the question "...but why?... Our poor parents and teachers. Most of us lost this curiosity with age. This book discusses a personal journey of thinking and conclusions. Read but keep reminding yourself not to generalize the author's personal beliefs as being some universal, human quality...especially your own. Trust your own confusion, continue the search but fall asleep with a perspective of this book's content.

A wonderful guide for the spiritually perplexed.......2002-12-01

Out of her own personal challenges, Judith Pennington has written a guide for the spiritually perplexed. Beneath the tragedies of life, there is a movement of grace that gives us insights, guidance, and healing when we most need it. Ms. Pennington's book is a wonderful resource for those who are struggling to find divine guidance in their lives. Her book reminds us that even in the darkness, Divine light shines and that God will make a way when we cannot see one lying ahead of us.
Dr. Bruce Epperly, author of "Mending the World: Spiritual Hope for Ourselves and Our Planet" and "God's Touch: Faith, Wholeness, and the Healing Miracles of Jesus."

A book for the explorer of consciousness.......2002-11-28

This book takes you on a journey from belief to disbelief and back again to belief. It's a journey a whole lot of us took in the sixties and seventies when the author was taking it too. I don't find the book anti-religious at all (as one reviewer seemed to do.... did he actually READ it I wonder?) Instead, the book comes full circle back to a fundamental belief in Christianity but without the fundamentalist limitations that prevent a person from obtaining personal communion with God. If Judy Pennington hears voices who say the beautiful, inspiring and thought-provoking statements like the ones she writes about in the book, then I'm ready to accept them as God given. Let's all pray for pinched souls who cannot accept that God can be this big and this personal. Peace.

Account of personal spiritual growth.......2002-09-23

"The Voice of the Soul" is an autobiographical account of the journey of the author, Judith Pennington, from a hostile attitude toward religion to one of acceptance and belief in God. The first part of the book goes through her history and how she developed such an antagonistic attitude toward church and religion. The rest of the book allows the reader to follow her through her growth process. Most of her growth process seems to be based on "writings" where she sits down and just starts to write things that come from deep down in her soul where one's higher self resides.

She stresses that this was her path that she took and that it may be very different for others as we all have our own path to follow. The final portion of the book is a collection of her "writings" organized in the natural order of the growth experience, from "The Call", to "The Path", to "Self-Knowledge", to "The Struggle", to "The Soul's Mountaintop".

Strongly New Age in format, many traditional Christians and other fundamentalists will have a lot of problems with many of the concepts in the book. Others that embrace the possibilities of New Age thought will find it a delightful and inspiring book.

Average customer rating:

Difficult stuff in normal language...

Fun to Read, Great Information, Gives You a New Appreciation for How Things Work

Life, the Universe and Everything: Investigating God and the New Physics
Andy Fletcher
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1411673697

Book Description

The science behind the debate raging in modern physics over the disconcerting and uncomfortable realization that just maybe there is, as astronomer Fred Hoyle put it, some sort of "superintellect that has monkeyed with the physics". Written with the non-scientist in mind, this exploration of Big Bang, Schroedinger's Cat, the Chaos of 9/11, the Complexity of the mimic octopus and the blister beetle, and the strong Anthropic Principle is accessible to anyone bright enough to be interested. Ultimately, tucked in here somewhere is a middle ground between evolution and creation that will leave nobody happy, but everyone intrigued.

Customer Reviews:

Difficult stuff in normal language..........2007-08-17

This was the first book on this particular topic that was written in language I could really understand! Andy Fletcher clearly is very smart but is still able to write for a normal intelligent person to understand. He knew how deep to go, but he also knew when to say "here's the gist of what you need to know, and if you don't understand the details of why that is, no problem!" which I found comforting and helpful. His sense of humor throughout also helped maintain a good tone in the book and got me chuckling a few times. If you are interested in this type of thing - why we are here, how everything is connected, searching for meaning etc etc - I highly recommend this book, especially as a starter to get yourself into it and prepare the way for some of the more difficult concepts out there.

Fun to Read, Great Information, Gives You a New Appreciation for How Things Work.......2007-07-26

This book was incredibly good. It was easy to read, explained complex things with great examples from everyday life. It explains things like the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics in a way that makes you go, "Oh, so THAT'S what it means."
Great book for teenagers especially. Certainly argues for intelligent design at a minimum, and the involvement of God in the universe and the way it works. There's just way too much order out there to think it's all random.

God and the New Physics (Penguin Science)

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God and the New Physics (Penguin Science)
P.C.W. Davies
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

God & the New Physics
Paul Davies
Manufacturer: PENGUIN PUTNAM * TRADE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SH5DKM

Average customer rating:

God and the New Physics
P C W Davies
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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