Anyone read "Childhood's End," By Arthur C. Clarke? Although Clarke clearly shows disdain for organized religion in it, I think it is a very spiritual book.
I read it & agree with you. David Bowie's "Starman" from Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars is based on the book too. The problem with discussing it online is that, really, the book comes with a punchline and so you can't say too much without giving it all away.
theoblogger
Posted on: 12/07/2006 23:54
Just had another thought. You there, emmy? There is actually a very progressive undercurrent in this book - weening ourselves from the harmful effects of outmoded texts and belief systems. Hence the "Childhood's End."
jw
Posted on: 12/08/2006 06:03
I've read it and re-read it. I tend to like Clarke's writing.
He does have a thing against religion. The book is really about change, big changes in society. How do they happen, why? etc..
If you like it, I strongly suggest:
Chaulker, Jack "Midnight at the well of souls" This is Chaulker and his eternal search for the nature of good and evil writing at his best. Plus, any person who cannot cry in sympathy for God's problems while reading the final paragraphs simply ... well, those final words make me very very sympathetic to God's problems.
Sawyer, Robert J. "Calculating God" Sawyer is a Canadian writer and this book has some very interesting thoughts in it. Quite well done.
klaatu
Posted on: 12/08/2006 12:19
Theo - I hadn't connected the book with Ziggy Stardust before. Thanks for that idea.
jw - thanks for the references to Jack Chaulker. I'm not familiar with his work - will have to check that out
"Calculating God" was quite interesting.
"Childhood's End" has in fact coloured my "theology" considerably over the years. I've read it about a half dozen times (so far) and loaned it to a few ministers who enjoyed it as well.
For those who haven't read it, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that it is a novel about the ultimate destiny of the human race. It is science fiction because it is set in a (not too distant) future time and features aliens, but it is more speculative than the bug-eyed monster type of SciFi. For a 50+ year old book, it reads surprisingly well, because it does not depend on technology for its impact (Clarke was good at writing timeless SciFi).
Every time I read it, I don't know how to feel in the end - a mixture of wonder and sadness. Like any good spiritual journey, it leaves you with more questions than answers. "We will always envy you" always chokes me up. Again, not giving away anything because you have to understand the context for that to make any sense.
Highly recommended reading.
caledonia
Posted on: 12/10/2006 19:48
Arthur Clarke has written a number of short stories dealing with religion. Two that come immediately to mind are "The Nine Million Names of God" where a computer salesman sells a computer to a Tibetan monastary for a most unusual purpose, and "The Star". The Star is relevant now as it tells of a Jesuit scientest who discovers "the" star with very strong implications for his faith journey.
Comments
theoblogger
Posted on: 12/07/2006 23:49
I read it & agree with you. David Bowie's "Starman" from Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars is based on the book too. The problem with discussing it online is that, really, the book comes with a punchline and so you can't say too much without giving it all away.
theoblogger
Posted on: 12/07/2006 23:54
Just had another thought. You there, emmy? There is actually a very progressive undercurrent in this book - weening ourselves from the harmful effects of outmoded texts and belief systems. Hence the "Childhood's End."
jw
Posted on: 12/08/2006 06:03
I've read it and re-read it. I tend to like Clarke's writing.
He does have a thing against religion. The book is really about change, big changes in society. How do they happen, why? etc..
If you like it, I strongly suggest:
Chaulker, Jack "Midnight at the well of souls" This is Chaulker and his eternal search for the nature of good and evil writing at his best. Plus, any person who cannot cry in sympathy for God's problems while reading the final paragraphs simply ... well, those final words make me very very sympathetic to God's problems.
Sawyer, Robert J. "Calculating God" Sawyer is a Canadian writer and this book has some very interesting thoughts in it. Quite well done.
klaatu
Posted on: 12/08/2006 12:19
Theo - I hadn't connected the book with Ziggy Stardust before. Thanks for that idea.
jw - thanks for the references to Jack Chaulker. I'm not familiar with his work - will have to check that out
"Calculating God" was quite interesting.
"Childhood's End" has in fact coloured my "theology" considerably over the years. I've read it about a half dozen times (so far) and loaned it to a few ministers who enjoyed it as well.
For those who haven't read it, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that it is a novel about the ultimate destiny of the human race. It is science fiction because it is set in a (not too distant) future time and features aliens, but it is more speculative than the bug-eyed monster type of SciFi. For a 50+ year old book, it reads surprisingly well, because it does not depend on technology for its impact (Clarke was good at writing timeless SciFi).
Every time I read it, I don't know how to feel in the end - a mixture of wonder and sadness. Like any good spiritual journey, it leaves you with more questions than answers. "We will always envy you" always chokes me up. Again, not giving away anything because you have to understand the context for that to make any sense.
Highly recommended reading.
caledonia
Posted on: 12/10/2006 19:48
Arthur Clarke has written a number of short stories dealing with religion. Two that come immediately to mind are "The Nine Million Names of God" where a computer salesman sells a computer to a Tibetan monastary for a most unusual purpose, and "The Star". The Star is relevant now as it tells of a Jesuit scientest who discovers "the" star with very strong implications for his faith journey.