Review of From The Beginning
Posted: 01 Jan 2024, 03:53
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "From The Beginning" by James A. Madison.]
From The Beginning by James A. Madison looks at the scientific and religious evidence of the beginning of the world. The endless quest to identify the most fundamental particles of matter parallels science's search for explanations about the origins of the universe. Like chasing the vanishing point on the number line nearing zero, the prize perpetually eludes a definitive grasp.
Understanding the beginnings of space and time presents an even more profound challenge. The concept of "singularity," from which all existence emerged, lies at the very fringes of human comprehension. If the empirical scientific method cannot directly observe such an event, does this mean religious teachings on the origin of the universe deserve equal consideration as theoretical possibilities? Faith and biblical scriptures do not rely on tangible proof, yet one must marvel at the prescience in the Bible that resonates with current times. Perhaps science and faith offer complementary windows rather than mutually exclusive explanations about the underpinnings of reality. Pick up this book to find out more about it.
In this book, the author makes an effort to explain various aspects of the Bible. The book starts with the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis, exploring God's instructions to them not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge, God creating man in the image of God, false prophets and priests, death, consequences, our struggle with the Devil, etc. Reading this book made me see the similarities between the biblical and scientific accounts of how the universe was formed through the Big Bang.
One of my highlights of the book was when the author raised the question of which race is actually the image of God since different races look different. It came to my mind that the image of God in which we were made is not just physical attributes and looks, but in the soul. No matter how different races are in skin color, hair, etc., we are all alike in general attributes such as having two hands and legs, soul and body, etc. The author didn't leave me wondering for long, though, as he explained this using Pentecost Day.
I love that the author implores some mathematical principles in this book to explain things and takes the time to explain them in great detail. This method was what initially caught my attention and made me more interested in the book. I was taught mathematics in school, and it was good to refresh my memory. Mathematics is a subject I love so much because, once proven, its principles remain the same. This is a concept I understood early in life that made the subject the easiest for me, unlike some other people. The book is easy to read, and the flow is perfect. I didn't get bored at all, as the author was witty and explained things in the simplest form.
The only thing I disliked about this book is that it does not contain a table of contents. There were times I wanted to go back to some parts I'd read before, but the lack of a table of contents made navigating the book very hard. If this is added to the book, it will go a long way toward making reading the book easier. This negative aspect is, however, minor and does not affect my rating, which is why I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to Christian readers because it is about the Bible; however, other religious readers with an open mind can explore the knowledge it shares. It will be very good for use in teaching and preaching. Even though this book contains a lot of bible passages, those who like reading books about science, especially those interrelated with the origin of the universe, will love it. Finally, I applaud the author for ensuring that the book is professionally edited.
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From The Beginning
View: on Bookshelves
From The Beginning by James A. Madison looks at the scientific and religious evidence of the beginning of the world. The endless quest to identify the most fundamental particles of matter parallels science's search for explanations about the origins of the universe. Like chasing the vanishing point on the number line nearing zero, the prize perpetually eludes a definitive grasp.
Understanding the beginnings of space and time presents an even more profound challenge. The concept of "singularity," from which all existence emerged, lies at the very fringes of human comprehension. If the empirical scientific method cannot directly observe such an event, does this mean religious teachings on the origin of the universe deserve equal consideration as theoretical possibilities? Faith and biblical scriptures do not rely on tangible proof, yet one must marvel at the prescience in the Bible that resonates with current times. Perhaps science and faith offer complementary windows rather than mutually exclusive explanations about the underpinnings of reality. Pick up this book to find out more about it.
In this book, the author makes an effort to explain various aspects of the Bible. The book starts with the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis, exploring God's instructions to them not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge, God creating man in the image of God, false prophets and priests, death, consequences, our struggle with the Devil, etc. Reading this book made me see the similarities between the biblical and scientific accounts of how the universe was formed through the Big Bang.
One of my highlights of the book was when the author raised the question of which race is actually the image of God since different races look different. It came to my mind that the image of God in which we were made is not just physical attributes and looks, but in the soul. No matter how different races are in skin color, hair, etc., we are all alike in general attributes such as having two hands and legs, soul and body, etc. The author didn't leave me wondering for long, though, as he explained this using Pentecost Day.
I love that the author implores some mathematical principles in this book to explain things and takes the time to explain them in great detail. This method was what initially caught my attention and made me more interested in the book. I was taught mathematics in school, and it was good to refresh my memory. Mathematics is a subject I love so much because, once proven, its principles remain the same. This is a concept I understood early in life that made the subject the easiest for me, unlike some other people. The book is easy to read, and the flow is perfect. I didn't get bored at all, as the author was witty and explained things in the simplest form.
The only thing I disliked about this book is that it does not contain a table of contents. There were times I wanted to go back to some parts I'd read before, but the lack of a table of contents made navigating the book very hard. If this is added to the book, it will go a long way toward making reading the book easier. This negative aspect is, however, minor and does not affect my rating, which is why I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to Christian readers because it is about the Bible; however, other religious readers with an open mind can explore the knowledge it shares. It will be very good for use in teaching and preaching. Even though this book contains a lot of bible passages, those who like reading books about science, especially those interrelated with the origin of the universe, will love it. Finally, I applaud the author for ensuring that the book is professionally edited.
******
From The Beginning
View: on Bookshelves