God Exists But Gawd Does Not
David Ray Griffin
Some Amazon Reviews
A Must-Read! As someone who has read many books attempting to make theism plausible and relevant in the 21st century, I will say that this is the most robust cumulative case for God I have ever seen. . . . The kind of God that Griffin argues for may prove to be not only that magic solution to the perennial problems with theism, such as the problem of evil, but also a way to achieve what neither atheistic naturalism nor traditional theism have ever been able to achieve - the harmony of religion and sciences. This is Griffin's crowning work and is destined to make a great impact on the future of theology and philosophy of religion and even the way we live our lives.
David Ray Griffin has done yet again what he has always done best. But no summary could do justice to the pilgrimage of discovery that awaits the reader in every chapter. . . . The final crescendo of this performance (the "postscript") expresses the author's sense of urgency about the need today for a true understanding and meaningful relationship with "God," and of abandoning the false idol of "Gawd" and the illusion of atheism, in the face of so many global challenges to human survival, especially that of climate change. In the preface of the book, the author confides that he "wrote this book with the hope that it would be the best book on the existence of God ever written." This could well be that book.
A serious and impressive work in philosophical theology. In spite of the seemingly flippant tone of the title, this is a very serious and impressively researched study in philosophical theology. The provocative pairing of terms really helps the sweep of the argument become crystal clear: “Gawd” is dead, and in fact never actually lived. . . . This is a feast to be devoured slowly, and chewed on diligently. Each individual chapter, though a contributing part of the whole, is cogently self-contained. . . . [T]he Postscript alone—on Gawd, God, and the threat of global climate change—is worth the price of admission.
“Gawd is dead and never lived; long live God!” Classical theism’s “Gawd” is the object of atheism’s attack on theism’s deity; however, atheists (both the old and the new ones) either do not know of the panentheistic God or choose to ignore it. After exposing the fatal flaws of belief in “Gawd” and atheistic materialism, Griffin demonstrates the truth of (panen)theistic naturalism.
One of its great merits is that throughout the book Griffin takes doubt seriously. While not terribly long, this book is big in ideas and covers a lot of ground. In his criticism of “Gawd,” Griffin takes us through philosophical arguments regarding the problem of evil, the incompatibility between scientific naturalism and “Gawd,” dubious claims about supernatural miracles, and religious issues raised by evolutionary theory. . . . Equally valuable though is the work that Griffin sets out to do in the second part—namely to show that criticisms of “Gawd” do not lead us to the conclusion that we live in a God-less cosmos.
Profound and clear
David Ray Griffin is a superb writer on A. N. Whitehead; clearly an expert on Whitehead's work he has the additional ability to write about it with exceptional precision and clarity.
Related:
Google Books: Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory by David Ray Griffin
