God & the Big Bang: Discovering Harmony Between Science & Spirituality

Rating:
Summary: Pantheism Peeping 'Round the Corner
Review: I intended to buy this book from the Jewish perspective, so I wasn't dissapointed. As a naturalistic Pantheist, a progressive Jew and an avid fan of Carl Sagan, this book is a pretty great mix. It is humanely written, describing the natural beauty surrounding us and using mundane analogies that 'click' with all of us. The only problem with this book is a theological one: the author tries to reconcile a scientific pantheistic outlook (Spinoza's 'God' as another reviewer noted correctly) based on empiricism, with a (panen)theistic outlook of Kabbalah and the traditional theistic outlook of Torah. This is hard to swallow for those not interested in Jewish tradition, but can be considered a noble - albeit not perfect attempt - for those Jews (like me) who seek to reconcile a rational worldview with a spiritual approach.

Getting down the the Nitty Gritty of Pantheism and the history thereof, I recommend Paul Harrison's 'Elements of Pantheism'. Start there and if you're into Judaism, this book makes a good sequel.

Rating:
Summary: A misleading title, not much science.
Review: I must say upfront that this book has very little if anything to do with science besides some obscure inferrences drawn between creation and religion. Considering the title I was certainly disappointed. However, trying to move past the title and the contents one finds a belief that man is essentially evolving past the need for an omnipotent God much less a personal one. To make matters worse, his attempts at Christianity and attempts at reducing Jesus to man with a vision come right out of the late 19th century with more recent vocabulary. This book lands squarely in the Ba'hai faith without much imagination. Drawing some teachings out of Kabbalism, I strongly believe that this book would disappoint even most Kabbalists.

Rating:
Summary: Smart mix
Review: I took Danny Matt's class in "God and the Big Bang" in Berkeley. Matt in person is witty, intelligent and educated. In print, he is even more so. His science is strong, his kabbalah is flawless. There are parallels between this book and Capra's Buddist/science books, but where Capra is trying to prove something, Matt is just pointing out interesting facts. Anyone interested in science or theology would enjoy this book.