Publisher's Synopsis
Is it right to hold religious beliefs without ever questioning them? And if asking questions about them is fair and proper, what questions should be asked? Matthew Luke is in his early twenties, and a tragic event has led him to rethink his faith. He starts wondering about what have always seemed to be firmly established certainties. Is God always good and fair? Does God listen when a sincere believer speaks to him? Should a committed Christian expect reciprocity from God? Who exactly is God? The small town where Matthew Luke has lived all his young life is predominantly religious, and doubting is seen as incompatible with true faith. But he feels compelled to seek answers to his questions. He feels he is entitled to a new relationship with his faith. A relationship which is more compatible with an adult mind. He hopes God will provide him with answers. He wants to speak to God.He had already got into the habit of spending an hour every weekday evening in an empty little church. The last remaining church of his dying Christian denomination. He had begun to seek refuge there soon after the tragic event that shattered him emotionally happened. Refuge from the world outside and even from his own existence. And there he also finds the ideal setting for his quest for an appointment with God, or at least for some answers, some light in the dark. One evening he realises he is not alone in the little church of his solitary evenings. He sees a stranger sitting by herself on a pew. Someone he had never seen before. A bespectacled young woman with whom he has a slightly awkward time trying to initiate a conversation. After this first encounter, Mathew Luke catches himself thinking obsessively about her. For some unknown reason he associates her with his many questions about his religious beliefs. During this same period he gets the opportunity to meet with a group of atheists, which include a biologist, a physicist and a philosopher. They introduce him to knowledge which further challenges his lifelong beliefs. He learns about the Theory of Evolution. He is introduced to the arguments put forward by philosophers, over the centuries and millennia, for the existence of God, and to possible reasons to dismiss them. This experience will be surprising and illuminating. It also coincides with the final stage of a long grieving process. But Matthew Luke is reluctant to let go of his faith. There are questions still to be answered. And there is also the further question of who the lady he comes across repeatedly in the church is.
