The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience

Can we know God?

Jacket Flap: Pickover bridges the gulf between logic, spirit, science, and religion in his latest, and arguably best, creation. In exploring the concept of omniscience, Pickover presents startling paradoxes that challenge our deepest notions about God, while revealing both the awesome powers and limitations of omniscient beings.  In Paradox, ideas, thought exercises, experiments, and practical analogies are used to explore what types of relationships we ordinary humans might have with an omniscient God. Pickover asserts that discussions on the supernatural are not beyond the domain of science.This is a groundbreaking notion, one which may forever alter how we think about religion, God, and the universe.

Through an inventive blend of science, history, philosophy, science fiction, and mind-stretching brainteasers, Pickover unfolds the paradoxes of God like no other writer. Ultimately, he provides glimpses into the infinite, allowing us to think big, and have daring, limitless dreams.

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Table of Contents

Clifford A. Pickover is the author of over twenty highly-acclaimed books, such as Time: A Traveler's Guide and Computers, Pattern, Chaos, and Beauty, and has written on diverse topics ranging from computers and creativity, art, mathematics, and astronomy-to human behavior and intelligence, time travel, alien life, and science fiction. Dr. Pickover received his Ph.D. from Yale University and is a prolific inventor. His web site pickover.com has received over a half-million visits.
 

Terms Indexed in The Paradox of God

Aaron, 150, 215
Abdu'l-bahá
        on happiness, 95
Abel, 2, 15
        Cain and Abel's dilemma, 27-38
        Doré illustration, 3
abortion, 168
Abraham, 15, 77, 196
        marriage of, 37
Adam, 15, 16, 36, 221
        cherubim and, 63
        and the Fortunate Fall, 99-100
        and the paradox of Eden, 98-99
        punishment of, 214, 215
"Adam lay ibounden" (medieval hymn), 99-100
Adams, Douglas, 18, 22
Adeodatus, 220
Adler, Felix
        on unique personality and real life, 66
afterlife, 190
        theologians accepting idea of, 102-3
Age of Reason, The (Paine), 213
Ahab, King, 214
Ahern, Dennis, 53
al-Balkhi, Hiwi, 7-8
Alcock, James, 184
algae, parable of, 39-44
Allen, Woody
        on death, 165
        on God, 44
Alward, Joseph Francis, 200, 210
American Pastoral (Roth), 103, 123
Analysis journal, 69-70, 71
Ananias, 212-13
angels
        the bible and, 64
        ranks of, 62
        See also cherubim; seraphim
Anselm, Saint, 155
anthropopatheia, 15
apocalypse, 169-70
Aquinas, Saint Thomas, 23, 56, 58, 155, 218
"Aquinas's God versus Maxwell's Demon" (Poston), 217-18
Ark of the Covenant, 92-93
        and the paradox of Uzzah, 141-44, 144-45
        treatment of, 150
arks, deciding between, 46-52
Armstrong, Karen, 2, 154, 191, 194
        on Milton's God, 58
        on the relevance of religion, 10
        on science and God, 204-5
Arts, The (Van Loon), 121-22
ash-Shaytan, 75
Ashari, Abu al-Hasan ibn Ismail al-, 155
Asimov, Isaac, 52-53
Athanasius, Saint, 154
atheism, 180
        definition of, 2
Augustine, Saint, 56, 122, 220-21

Bacchus
        Christ's similarities with, 90
Baha'i faith, 223
        and God, 2, 7
        and the Prophets of God, 94-95
Bahaullah, 7, 94, 156, 223
Balaam, 213
Balak, King, 213
Ball, W. W. Rouse, 129
Bar-Hillel, Maya, 52, 53
Bar-Jesus of Paphos, 91
Barrow, John, 180
Basil, Saint (Bishop of Caesarea), 154, 171
Bear, David, 188
Becker, Craig, 147
Beelzebub, 74
Begley, Sharon, 203
Belial, 74
"Belief in God: A Game-Theoretic Paradox" (Brams), 85
Bell, Jim, 88
Berkeley, George, 135, 230
        on existence, 66
Bertrand Russell on God and Religion (Seckel), 42-43
Beza, Theodorus, 57
Bible, 202-3
        ethnic cleansing and genocide in, 37-38, 184-85, 207-13
        and God's omniscience, 206-7
        incest in, 196-97
        literal interpretation of, 102, 150, 171-73
        printed as a single unit, 38
        and stories of negotiation
        as the word of God, 10, 15
Bible (New Testament)
        Acts, 90-91, 207, 212, 213, 222
        Colossians, 64
        II Corinthians, 74
        Ecclesiastes, 223
        Hebrews, 36, 186, 200, 206, 206, 207, 223
        I John, vi, 36, 186, 206, 207
        Jude, 64
        Luke, 35, 200, 223
        Mark, 35, 64
        Matthew, 64, 74, 186, 223
        I Peter, 207
        Philippians, 223
        Revelations, 169
        Romans, 43, 185, 201, 207, 215
Bible (Old Testament)
        I Chronicles, 206
        II Chronicles, 208
        Daniel, 215
        Deuteronomy, 38, 209, 214, 216, 222
        Ecclesiastes, 185-86
        Esther, 121
        Exodus, 88-89, 95, 121, 185, 189, 195, 196, 206, 209, 214, 215, 216, 223
        Ezekiel, 63, 206, 209, 214, 215, 217, 219
        Genesis, 15, 16, 17, 36, 96, 97, 102, 103, 172, 181, 185, 196, 205, 209, 214, 215, 216, 219, 221-22, 222, 230
        Isaiah, 62-63, 140, 186, 207, 217, 219
        Jeremiah, 91, 189, 204, 206, 217, 222
        Job, 15, 64, 121, 216
        I John, 206
        Jonah, 205
        Joshua, 37
        Judges, 57, 216, 218, 219
        I Kings, 214
        II Kings, 93, 205, 212, 214, 218
        Leviticus, 215, 216, 217
        Malachi, 54, 64
        Nahum, 219
        Numbers, 17, 57, 150, 210, 212, 214, 217
        Proverbs, 206
        Psalms, 64, 186, 200, 207, 218, 222, 222-23
        I Samuel, 92-93, 142-43, 197, 204, 205
        II Samuel, 185, 214, 215, 215, 219
"Biblical Errancy" (McKinsey), 217
Bierce, Ambrose
        on Heaven, 75
Bjostad, Lou, 173
Black Death
        God and, 129-30
Blumen, Jonathan
        on Jewish resistance against the Nazis, 34-35
Boethius, 225
Boivin, Jacques, 167
Bone, Xyla, 202
Borg, Marcus J., 10, 38, 85, 91, 103
Brams, Steven J., 5, 77, 80, 84, 85-86
Brethren of the Free Spirit, 155
"Bridegroom of Blood," 88-89, 213
British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 52
Broca's Brain (Sagan), 159
bronze snake (Nehushtan), 212
Brooke, John, 87
Brothers Karamazov, The (Dostoyevsky), 177
Browne, Lewis, 189
Buddha, 7, 167
        Bodhisattva paradox, 116-23
        Po Lin Monastery statue, 11-18
        See also Buddhism
Buddhism, 2
        Nirvana, 117-18, 118-19, 120
        and the omniscience of God, 7
        Zen, 119-20
Byron, Lord, 58-59

Cabrini, Mother Francis Xavier, 230
Cage, John, 119
Cain, 2, 15
        Cain and Abel's dilemma, 27-38
        Doré illustration, 3
        family of, 36-37
Cain: A Mystery (Byron), 58-59
Calculating God (Sawyer), 151
Campbell, Stan, 88
cannibalism
        the Bible and, 216, 217
        cannibals and resurrection, 27
carbon as essential element of life, 179-80
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (NYC), 77, 228
Central American gods
        omniscience of, 8
Chemosh (national god of Moab), 93
cherubim, 28
        appearance of, 63
        and the ranks of angels, 62
        See also seraphim
children
        ghost children, 168-69
        God's punishment of, 102, 213-16
        as human sacrifice, 216
Christianity
        and the afterlife, 102-3
        and God, 2
        and God as a male deity, 2, 5
City of God, The (Augustine), 220-21
Clarke, Arthur C., 24
Clement of Alexandria, 154, 171
Closer to Truth (Lawrence), 121
Confessions (Augustine), 220
Contact (Sagan), 24
Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, 143-44, 150
cosmic omniscience and the relativity theory, 131
Craig, William Lane, 53-54
crucified saviors, other examples of, 89
Cuban Missile crisis
        and the paradox of omniscience, 13, 17

da Vinci, Leonardo, 49-50, 64-65
dancing butterflies, schematic diagram of, 59-61
Daniel, 215-16
Dante, 122
Danto, Arthur, 118
Darius, King of Persia, 215
Darwin, Charles, 87
David, King, 142-43, 214, 215
Davies, Paul, 180
Davis, Kenneth, 17, 88
Dawkins, Richard, 22
De consolatione philosophiae (Boethius), 225
De Vries, Peter, vi
Deardorff, James W., 133
Dennett, Daniel, 113, 114
Dershowitz, Alan
        on God's creations, 165
        on God and perfection, 26, 66, 75
        on God's punishment of children, 102
        on justice, 203
        on knowledge, 103, 123
devil
        God's reliance on, 8
        names for, 74-75
        See also Satan
"Devil's Dictionary, The" (Bierce), 75
Devil's Offer, 67-69
        Edward J. Gracely and, 69-70, 71
        infinite sequences and, 70-71
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Adams), 18
Divine Comedy (Dante), 122
        Doré illustration, 123
Doctrine of the Trinity, 35
Don't Know Much About the Bible (Davis), 17
Donaldson, S. R., 170, 231
doomsday predictions, 184
Doré, Gustave, 1-2
        illustrations, 3, 4, 79, 123
Dorfman, Ariel, 104
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, 177, 187
"Dr. Eck," 11-14
        paradox of, 152-54, 158, 162
dreams, God and, 170
Dresher, Melvin, 32-33, 34
Dubos, Rene, 9-10
Dung Beetle Ecology (Haldane), 171
Dunn, Luke, 18
Dyson, Freeman, 169, 170

ear-diver myths, 8
Einstein, Albert, 19-20, 131, 135, 140
        on the subject of time, 61
Einstein and Religion (Jammer), 135
ekpyrotic model (of the universe), 181
Eleazar, 217
Elkin, Stanley
        on omniscience and omnipotence, 27
En-Sof (hidden God), 194
Encyclopedia of Hell (Olson), 66, 115
Enlightened Mind, The (Mitchell), 166
Enoch, 36
epilepsy and religious leaders and prophets, 186-88
Erigena, Scotus, 155
Estes, Clarissa Pinkola, 228
Estling, Ralph
        on design in the universe, 145-46
eternity, Greek philosophy and, 61
"Ethical Philosophy of Life, The" (Adler), 66
Ethical Spectacle journal, 34
ethnic cleansing and genocide in the Bible, 37-38
Euler, Leonhard, 44
Eve, 2, 15, 16, 36, 221
        cherubim and, 63
        and the paradox of Eden, 97-98, 98-99
        punishment of, 214
Everett, Hugh, III, 148, 149
Ezekiel, 208-9

faith
        absolute, 94
        Americans and, 179
        fear and, 183-88
        paradox of, 93
Farabi, Abu Nasr al-, 102
fear and religion, 183-88
Feibleman, James, 98
Ferris, Timothy, 121, 150-51
Fielding, Andy
        on a self-contradictory God, 151
Finno-Ugric gods, omniscience of, 8
Flaubert, Gustave, 187
Flood, Merrill M., 32-33, 34
flood, paradox of, 219
forbidden fruit, premise of, 98-99
Fortunate Fall, Paradox of the, 99-100
Fowles, John, 121, 171
        on human knowledge, 39
free will
        definition of, 56-58
        God's, 149
Freud, Sigmund, 155
Frost, Robert, 169
Fulda, Joseph, 197
Future of the Body, The (Murphy), 167

Galileo, 61
Garden of Eden, 15, 28-39
        cherubim and, 63
        expulsion from, 36
        paradox of, 96-103
        tree of knowledge, 96, 98-99
Gardner, Martin, 22, 52, 54-55, 183
Gates, Bill
        on the efficiency of religion, 26
Gehennah, 74
Genesis of Justice, The (Dershowitz), 26, 66, 75, 102, 103, 123, 165, 203
genocide and ethnic cleansing
        in the Bible, 37-38
ghost children, 168-69
Gibeonites, 215
Giocondo, Francesco del, 65
Glasgow Herald, 220
God
        Americans and, 2, 17, 179
        and angels, 64
        anger and cruelty of, 57, 184-85, 218-19, 222-23
        atrocities committed or encouraged by, 37-38, 184-85, 207-13
        belief in, 85-88
        changeable mind of, 205-6
        children, punishment of, 102, 213-16
        definitions and attributes of, 2-6, 154-57
        evidence of, 42-44
        and evil, 19-26
        evolution of, 76-95
        and genocide, 37-38
        and hypertime, 58-62
        as an imperfect teacher, 26
        Internet opinions and, 22-25, 138-40
        as limited, 175-76, 191-97
        as a male deity, 2, 5
        nonomniscience and fallibility of, 15-16, 221-22
        mathematical proof of, 136-38, 138-40, 140
        revelation gambit and, 77-85
        See also omnipotence; omniscience
God & Golem, Inc. (Wiener), 14
God Within, A (Dubos), 9-10
God's existence, paradox of, 93
God's formula, 44
Gödel, Kurt, 137-38, 140
        mathematical proof of God, 136-38, 138-40, 140
Gödel's Theorem, 24
Gordon, Dennis, 147-48
        on faith, 95
Gould, Stephen J., 22
Gracely, Edward J., 69-70
        on infinite sequences, 70-71
        on Pascal's Wager, 130-31
        on the solution of the Devil's Offer, 71
Grand Dictionnaire Universel (Larousse), 177
Graves, Kersey, 90
Greek gods
        omniscience of, 8
green light/red light experiment, 113-15
"Green Man, The" (Fowles), 39
Gregory I (the Great), Pope, 155
Gregory XI, Pope, 175
Gregory of Nyssa, 154, 167
Grooks (Hein), 1
Guide for the Perplexed (Maimonides), 143
Guide to Objectivism (King), 201-2

Hades, 74
Haldane, J. B. S., 171
Halevi, Judah, 154
Hamidal-Ghazzali, 5
Hananiah, 91
Harper, Micah B, 221
Hasidism, 156
Hawking, Stephen, 167, 180, 188
Heaven, 75
Hein, Piet, 1
Heinlein, Robert, 148
hell, names for, 74
henotheism, 189
Henry VI (Shakespeare), 69
Hercules
        Christ's similarities with, 90
Hermes
        Christ's similarities with, 90
Hezekiah, King, 205
Hinduism
        and the nature of God, 7
History of God, A (Armstrong), 2, 10, 154, 191, 194, 204-5
History of Mathematics in America Before 1900, A (Smith), 44
History of Western Philosophy, A (Russell), 77
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Adams), 22
holocaust, God and, 191-93, 203
How We Believe (Shermer), 184
Hoyle, Sir Fred
        on atheism, 180
Human Use of Human Beings, The (Wiener), 199-200
hyperspace, as final refuge, 149-50
Hyperspace (Kaku), 129, 149
hypertime
        God and, 58-62

I Am My Husband's Hippocampus (Bone), 202
Iblis, 75
"IBM's Deep Stew" and prediction, 55-56
incest in the Bible, 196-97
Indeterminacy (Cage CD), 119
Innumeracy (Paulos), 219
International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion, 98
Internet
        and belief in God, 22-25
Isaiah, 62-63
Islam
        and Allah, 5
        Allah as a male deity, 2, 5
        Allah, names of, 7
        and the afterlife, 102-3
        See also Muslim religion
Islamic Hadith, 152
Ismailis, 121

Jackson, Shirley, 170
James, William, 187-88
Jammer, Max, 135
Jastrow, Robert, 180
Jehovah's Witnesses, 184
Jennings, Peter, 232
Jeremiah, 189
Jesus
        on the existence of angels, 64
        on the Light of the Father, 85
        omniscience and, 35-35
        similarities with pagan gods, 90
Jews
        God's continual punishment of, 57
        and resistance against the Nazis, 34-35
Job, 15, 81, 195
        Doré illustration, 82
Jonas, Hans, 191-93
        on God, 192-93
Joshu (Zen master), 119, 120
Joshua, 2
        and the conquest of Canaan, 37
Judaism, 189
        and the afterlife, 102-3
        and God, 2
        and God as a male deity, 2, 5
Judas, 90
Jung, Carl, 195

Kabbalah, Lurianic, 8, 193-94
Kaku, Michio, 129, 149
Kalinda and the cubical grid of stars, 25-26
Kant, Immanuel, 155
Kaplan, Eric, 163-64
Kasner, Edward, 44
Kennedy, John F., 13
Keys to Heaven, The (Kolakowski), 11, 164
Khrushchev, Nikita, 13
King, David, 201-2
Kinsbourne, Marcel, 113, 114
Kirby, Peter, 224
"Knots" (Laing), 122
koans, 119-20
Kolakowski, Leszek, 11, 164
Kolers, Paul, 113
Kotzk, Menahem Mendelof, 166
Krauthammer, Charles, vi

La Croix, Richard, 98, 162
"La Croix's Paradox: An Analysis" (Podet), 98
"La Gioconda." See Mola Lisa
Laing, R. D., 122
Lao-Kung, 122
LaPlante, Eve, 188
Larousse, Pierre
        on truth, 177
Last Word, The (Nagel), 93
Lawrence, Robert, 121
Labyrinths of Reason (Poundstone), 56
Led Zeppelin, paradox of, 160-61, 164, 164-65
Lewis, C. S., 87-88, 226
Libet, Benjamin, 113
Linde, Andrei, 183
Living End, The (Elkin), 27
Logical Journey, A (Wang), 138, 140
Lord-Wolff, Peter, ix, 45
Lot, 196
Lovejoy, Arthur O., 99, 101
Lucifer, 74
Luria, Isaac ben Solomon, 155, 193-94

McColley, Diane, 101
McGuire, Berry, 131
Mackerel Plaza, The (De Vries), vi
McKinsey, Dennis, 217
Magus, The (Fowles), 121, 171
Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon), 56
        on knowing God, 141
Manifold journal, 217
Marcion, 154
Margalit, Avishai, 52, 53
Martin, Robert, 43, 91
Mascara (Dorfman), 104
Masson, David, 60
"Mathematical Games" column (Gardner), 52
"Mathematical Pull of Temptation, The," (Fulda), 197
Mathematics and the Imagination (Kasner/Newman), 44
"Meier Case and Its Spirituality, The" (Deardorff), 133
Melchizedek, 77
Memnoch the Devil (Rice), vi, 59
Mere Christianity (Lewis), 226
Mesha, King of Moab, 93
"Metatheism" (La Croix), 162
Milton, John, 57-58, 100-102, 155
mind
        green light/red light experiment, 113-15
        playing tricks on time, 104-13, 113-15
Miriam, 57
"Miss Muxdröözol"
        and the Ark of Covenant, 141-44, 144-45
        and Belief vs. Unbelief, 128
        and the brain collection, 104-13
        and the fish tank, 40-42
        and the Garden of Eden, 28-29
        and God's desire for goodness, 20-21
        and Pascal, 125-28
Mitchell, Stephen, 166
Mithras
        Christ's similarities with, 90
Moab, kingdom of, 93
Molech, 74
Mollenkott, Virginia, 101-2
Mona Lisa (da Vinci)
        and deciding between arks, 46-52
        history of, 64-65
        various versions of, 65
Monica, 220
monotheism, 91-92, 189-90
Moses, 2, 57, 77, 78, 81, 83, 92, 150, 187, 189, 195-96, 209, 210, 215, 217
        and the "Bridegroom of Blood," 88-89, 213
        and the "bronze snake," 212
        Doré illustration, 3, 79
        myth echoing life of, 89
Mote in God's Eye, The (Niven/Pournelle), 76
Muhammad, 187
Murphy, Michael, 167
Muslim religion, 2, 5, 154
        and the afterlife, 102-3
        Iblis and ash-Shaytan, 75
        Ismailis, 121
        See also Islam
Mysterious Stranger, The (Twain), 1

Naboth, 214
Nagel, Thomas, 93
Napoleon, 64
Narveson, Jan, 131
Nazism, 203
        Jewish resistance against, 34-35
Neanderthals, 17-18
        funeral practices of, 9
Nehushtan (bronze snake), 212
Nephilim
        as a term, 17
"Nephilim" (paradox of omniscience), 11-14
Newcomb, William A., 52
Newcomb's paradox, 52-54
        and divine foreknowledge, 46-66
        superpredictors, 54-55
Newman, James, 44
Newsweek magazine, 17, 203
Newton, Isaac, 61, 156-57
Nienhuys, Jan Willem
        on God as a concept, 177
Night (Wiesel), 203
Nirvana, 117-18, 118-19, 120
Niven, Larry, 76
Noah, 2, 209, 223 , 231
Noah's ark, 171-73
North American Indian gods
        omniscience of, 8
Nostradamus, 184
Nozick, Robert, 52, 53
Number of the Beast, The (Heinlein), 148
numbers, religious significance of, 174-75

Obligations to Future Generations (Narveson), 131
Odd Index, The (Spignesi), 90
Olson, Martin, 115
        on cosmic omniscience and the relativity theory, 131
        on the Cosmos and loneliness, 66
omnipotence, vi, 1, 2, 6, 7-8
        Stanley Elkin on, 27
        suffering and, 190-91
        See also God
omniscience, 7-8, 54-55, 115, 200-203, 224-27
        conditional,176-77
        Doctrine of the Trinity and, 35-36
        Stanley Elkin on, 27
        John Fowles on, 39
        and free will, 56-58
        limited, 175-76, 191-97
        paradox of, 11-18
        science of, 8-10
        suffering and, 190-91
        See also God
Onan, 185
Ormazd (Ahura Mazda), 7
Osiris
        Christ's similarities with, 90
Out of My Later Years (Einstein), 19-20

pagan gods, Christ's similarities with, 90
Page, Jimmy, 161
Paine, Thomas, 213
Pakudah, Bahya ibn, 5
Paradise Lost (Milton), 57-58
        and the Fortunate Fall, 100-102
"Paradox of Eden, The" (La Croix), 98-99
parallel worlds, 148-50, 181
Pascal, Blaise, 11, 124, 125, 128
Pascal's Wager, 124-28, 128-30, 130-131
Patricius, 220
Paul, Saint, 91, 187
Paulos, John, 219
Penfield, Wilder, 113
Pensées (Pascal), 11, 124, 125, 128
Perseus
        Christ's similarities with, 90
Persinger, Michael, 188
Perugia, Vincenzo
        and the theft of the Mona Lisa, 64-65
Peter, 212
Phenomenon of Life, The (Jonas), 192-93
Physics of Immortality, The (Tipler), 27, 136
Pierce, Benjamin, 44
Pirsig, Robert, 116
Plane, Robert, 161
Plato, 221
Platt, Dan, 202-3
"Playing Games with Eternity: The Devil's Offer" (Gracely), 69-70
Plotinus, 122
Podet, Allen, 98
poisoner's dilemma, 32-34
        RAND Corporation and, 34
Poisoner's Dilemma, The (Poundstone), 32
polytheism, 91-92
Porter, J. R., 88
Poston, Tim, 217-18
Poundstone, William, 32
        on the poisoner's dilemma, 32, 34
        on predetermination, 56
Pournelle, Jerry, 76
predetermination, 56-58
Principia Mathematica (Newton), 157
Principles of Human Knowledge, The (Berkeley), 66
"Problem of Evil & Some Varieties of Atheism, The," (Rowe), 190
Prometheus
        Christ's similarities with, 90
pseudo-Dionysius, 62

Randi, James
        on the Bible, 232
Ranters (Christian sect), 155-56
rape, the Bible and, 216, 217
Reading the Bible Again for the First Time (Borg), 10, 85, 91
"red" trial/"black" trial, 197-98
Reflection on Kurt Gödel (Wang), 138
Rehad and the King of Jericho, 35
Reimarus, Samuel, 155
"Relative State Formulation of Quantum Mechanics" (Everett), 148
relativity theory, cosmic omniscience and, 131
religion
        Americans and, 179
        the efficiency of, 26
        fear and, 183-88
religion and science, 178-83, 204-5
        mathematical proof of God, 136-38, 138-40, 140
        separation of, 136
resurrection, cannibals and, 27
revelation gambit, 77-85
        belief in God, 85-88
Reviews of Modern Physics, 148
Rice, Anne, vi, 59, 122, 178
Richardson, W. Mark, 132-33
Riemann, Georg Bernhard, 148
Roberts, Jane, 151
Roelofs, C., 113
Roman gods, omniscience of, 8
Roth, Philip, 103, 123
Rowe, William L.
        on suffering, 190
Rucker, Rudy, 183
Rumi (Persian poet), 231
Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music (Walser), 165
Russell, Bertrand, 42-43, 77

Saddiq, Joseph ibn, 154
Sagan, Carl, 24, 159
Sakyamuni, 7
        See also Buddha
Samuel, 197
Sapphira, 212-13
Sarah, 215
Sargon of Akkad, 89
Satan
        and God, 15
        See also Devil
Saul, 197, 215
Sawyer, Robert, 151
Scandinavian gods, omniscience of, 8
Schlesinger, George, 53
Scholl, Valeska, 146
Schroeder, Gerald
        on energy and matter, 151
Schuerzinger, J. Theodore, 73
Schwartz, Lillian, 65
science and religion, 178-83, 204-5
        Gödel's proof of God, 136-38, 138-40, 140
        separation of, 136
"Science Finds God" (Newsweek article), 203
Science of God, The (Schroeder), 151
Scientific American magazine, 52
Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, The (Wagner), 98
Sebastian, John, 165
Seckel, Al, 42-43
Seife, Charles, 181
seraphim
        mystery of, 62-64
        and the ranks of angels, 62
        See also cherubim
Sermon on the Mount, 186
Seth, 37
Shakespeare, William, 69
Sheol, 74, 190
Shermer, Michael, 7, 184
Short Account of the History of Mathematics, A (Ball), 129
silence, 121
        as a poem, 121, 171
        and truth, 121
Silence in Heaven, The (Lord-Wolff), ix, 45
Silesius, Angelus, 61
Simon Peter on women, 65
Single Heart Field Theory, The (Boivin), 167
Skeptic, 177, 232
Skeptic's Sense of Wonder, A (Richardson), 132-33
Skeptical Inquirer, The (Estling), 145-46
slavery and the Bible, 216
Slavic gods
        omniscience of, 8
slide with ten holes, 71-74
Smith, David Eugene, 44
Sodom and Gomorrah, 196, 209
Solomon, the judgement of, 35
South American gods
        omniscience of, 8
Spignesi, Stephen, 90
Spinoza, Baruch, 155
Spinrad, Norman, 60
spirituality, questions to ponder, 227-32
"Stairway to Heaven" (Led Zeppelin), 160, 161-62, 164, 164-65
        playing lyrics backward, 164
Stars of Heaven, The (Pickover), 87
Stephan, Ralf, 172-73
Strange Brains and Genius (Pickover), 187
Summa Contra Gentilla (Aquinas), 218
Summa Theologica (Aquinas), 23
Superior Beings (Brams), 77, 85
Suzuki, D. T., 119
Symons, Donald, 5

Tale of the Body Thief (Rice), 122, 178
Ten Commandments, 102
Theology of Culture (Tillich), 86-87
There Are Two Errors in the the Title of This Book (Martin), 43
Theudas, 90
This Believing World: A Simple Account of the Great Religions of Mankind (Browne), 189
Thomas, Gospel of, 77-78
        Jesus on the Light of the Father, 85
        on Simon Peter and women, 65, 76
Thorn, Anton, 185
        on human reason, 201
Tillich, Paul, 86-87, 93-94
time
        Albert Einstein and, 61
        green light/red light experiment, 113-15
        legends of time-distortion, 61-62
        mind playing tricks on, 104-13, 113-15
        scientific study of, 61
Time: A Traveler's Guide (Pickover), 113
"Time and the Observer: The Where and When of Consciousness in the Brain" (Dennett/Kinsbourne), 114
TIME magazine, vi, 26
Tipler, Frank, 180
        on cannibals and resurrection, 27
        on separation of science and religion, 136
Tophet, 74
Tower of Babel, 221-22
"Traveler's Rest" (Masson), 60
Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge (Berkeley), 135
Tucker, Albert W. 32
Twain, Mark, 1
"Twas Brillig..." (Randi), 232
two universes, 132-35
Tzu, Chuang, 119

Understanding Philosophy (Feibleman), 98
universe
        as a computer program, 147
        design in the, 145-46
        parallel worlds, 148-50
Urantia Book, The, 174
Urantia religion, 174
Uzzah, 141-44, 144-45, 150, 185

van der Waals, H., 113
van Harskamp, Anton, 195
Van Loon, Hendrik Willem, 121-22
Vernon Collection, 65
Voltaire, 203
von Grünau, Michael, 113

Wagner, Jane, 98
Walser, Robert, 165
Wang, Hao, 138, 140
"Weed of Time, The" (Spinrad), 60
Weisinger, Herbert, 99
Whole Shebang, The (Ferris), 121, 150-51
Why We Believe (Shermer), 7
Wiener, Norbert, 14, 199-200
Wierenga, Edward, 225-26
Wiesel, Elie, 203
Without Feathers (Allen), 44, 165
Wolf, Fred Alan, 170
Wolf, Rainer, 113
women
        rape and the Bible, 216, 217
        Simon Peter on, 65
World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors, or Christianity Before Christ, The (Graves), 90

Zen, 119
        koans, 119-20
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Pirsig), 116
Zipporah, 88-89
Zoroastrianism
        and the omniscience of God, 7