After much acclaim and a very successful start to his writing career with the launch of The Shining Ones in 2002, Philip Gardiner followed up rapidly with his next and equally controversial book, Proof - Does God Exist?.
It is the remarkable attempt to try to weigh up all the various pieces of evidence there is for or against the existence of an omnipotent being. Searching through history, archaeology, etymology, philosophy, numerology, science, creation myths and much more, this author leaves no stone unturned and yet makes it easy for the reader to understand. But be warned, it is not a book for the scholar, it is written by a marketing man for the ordinary person to understand, even though it does ask some searching questions.
There will be no religious authority, no leader of the church that will be happy with this book, which the author claims takes away the mystery they try to create. On the other hand, there will be no scientist or believer in evolution who will come away unscathed. There is a lot of information in this book which is seriously lateral to current belief and current ideas - maybe we will all need to take another look at our ideas of who we are and where we came from.
However, there will be dissent. No religion on the planet is left unscarred and many have already attacked this opening up of sacred and secret teachings.
This is not a biased book. It is not a Christian trying to fool you into getting converted or a cult attempting to get into the mainstream. This is an normal, none aligned attempt to find the truth, and anybody who has read The Shining Ones, will know just how much effort this author puts into his research.
At the end of the book the author simply hands the decision of whether God exists over to a jury. A cross section of the UK. They decide whether God exists and the result is surprising.
The author appeared on BBC Radio Lancs recently, up against a Professor and a Bishop. He was called dangerous. Why? Because he said that faith was personal and for each individual. In the end, the phone-ins backed the author and his straight forward approach. The Professor and the Bishop were accused of dumming down the public – the exact same thing Gardiner accuses them of doing.
Available now from www.radikalbooks.com or by phoning 01773 764288 to order your copy. ISBN 1 904126 01 4. Price £6.99.