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The God Desire

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Though this insight only occurred to me after completion of it, on giving an impromptu resume of my initial considerations. From the bestselling author of Jews Don’t Count ‘ A hugely heartfelt, funny, kind, fascinating, human and clever book ’ ALAIN DE BOTTON Mark Twain put it more optimistically: “I was dead for billions of years before I was born and never suffered the smallest inconvenience.”

And while conceding that it is “completely illogical to be frightened of death, because, as I have often heard atheists say, you won’t know you’re dead”, Baddiel goes on to describe this point as “true, but not very human. Because we can only imagine death… from the point of view of being alive and, really, life seems a lot better.” Furthermore, with the kind of unsparing self-analysis familiar from his comedy routines, he can’t help wondering whether his “own sense of godlessness is not macho… but masochistic. After all, I find God’s non-existence deeply depressing.” This is such a fabulous book. Honest, powerful, moving. Can’t remember ever liking a book 'in praise of atheism' as much as this. Many atheists don’t really get religion. David Baddiel absolutely does.” - Giles Fraser After studying at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree, he read English at King's College, Cambridge and graduated with a double first. He began studies for a PhD in English at University College London, but did not complete it. I am not sure if I would describe the author and his way of writing in this book as self-indulgent. What he appears to be is very self-confident, or appearing to be, in saying “I am who I am and I believe this”. Maybe this seems out of place to me when moral relativism can seem too often nowadays to be a fashionable reason for standing for nothing. But at times I did wonder; do you have enough self-reflection and a healthy amount of self-doubt about you? The author is emphatic, without yelling at the reader like Richard Dawkins (whose 2006 book has a similar title) or AC GraylingHe writes about sobbing at the end of Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt, a play about a Jewish family fleeing persecution, noting: “Jewish culture and traditions have strongly influenced me, and nothing can change the facts of my predominantly Jewish heritage.” Now the Book Review, this is the first book of his that I have ever read, and I am totally unfamiliar with any of his subsequent literature. In the unlikely event that I ever receive any of them, as presents then I'll review them. Growing up with typical football “fans” yet not having the sporting ability or the natural physique to truly fulfil either the position of “a player” or a “hooligan.” Baddiel was the example I could emulate. Funny, intelligent, confident and straight talking. I have admired his work ever since and in some weird way I have grown up with him. I last saw Baddiel at the Hay Festival being interviewed by Simon Schama on his book “Jews don’t count.” A masterful treatment on the antisemitism of the progressive left. A mindset change is needed whereby we no longer view those who do not come to services as lazy or bad Jews, but recognise that it can be out of a conviction that needs to be respected, even if it is not endorsed. Given how fast our understanding of the universe evolves, to rule out the possibility of evidence for God seems unscientific – doubly so when it is done on a hunch. Baddiel, a crusader for verity, is uncom­fortable with people insisting that they have a right to their own truth. But if he is correct that we cannot prove God because he exists outside reason and logic, then nor can Baddiel prove the Almighty doesn’t exist – and by constantly insisting it is a fact that he doesn’t, the author engages in the very demand for personal truthiness he claims to dislike.

The Kalam cosmological argument: Everything which begins to exist has a cause, and an intelligent cause is the best explanation for the universe’s existence. At one point, I talk about God being the ultimate parent figure, because He is both providing and can sort out your life for you but He’s also sometimes angry and whatever. I used to say – and I’ve had a lot of therapy – that if you asked me why I felt the need to get up on stage, it would be because my mother’s favourite child was my younger brother, Dan. I don’t think I’m angry about that at all, but I think somewhere deep in me was a need to say: ‘But me! Over here, me, me! You’re not noticing me!’ That’s a psychoanalytical parental thing, but if you expand it, yeah: God definitely provides a witness. With fame, you feel witnessed.” Baddiel’s book is a masterclass critique of today’s cultural Christianity that is both fictional, misunderstood and far removed from Jesus’ life and teaching. Baddiel asks questions of God that those who claim to be Christian should be asking themselves to purge the Church of any phantasm conjured up to combat our mutual fear of nothingness.

Podcast

One has to ask why any publisher would bankroll so slim a volume on such an enormous subject? In his defence, Baddiel is very funny; he’s certainly provocative. And on name recognition alone, The God Desire will be discussed on a thousand podcasts – after all, the BBC recently sent Judge Rinder to the Holy Land.

Baddiel sidesteps the questions such as "what would happen to our morality without religion", since his point is that God doesn't exist, period. And even if everyone admitting this would lead to a global catastrophe, that wouldn't change that basic fact. Even if to avoid this hypothetical catastrophe we will all have to pretend that there is God, God would still continue not to exist.His essential belief is that we have created God because we want a ‘superhero dad to chase off death’. He makes the case that there is something too great about god, too great to be true. His arguments revolve around the central tenants of belief that he feels underpin his ‘fundamentalist atheism’. It is very short, but could've been even shorter, since there is basically one idea: humanity desires God, mainly as a cure for mortality, and for other reasons as well, and if something is desired, but there's no evidence of its existence, then it follows that that something doesn't exist. A refutation of God's non-existence, according to Baddiel, would be someone earnestly believing that there is God, but wishing that there wasn't one. That would be a belief freed from desire (mind and senses purified etc.), and it would've at least put a chink into an atheist's armor, if not destroyed it completely. I'm not so sure about the last argument, as I can imagine some people believing in God, and yet being angry at him (there are plenty of reasons) with enough ferocity to wish him into the non-existence. But other than that, yes, sure, God is the projection of our fear of death and chaos. And, on top of everything, it doesn't work! As Baddiel points out, even at the peak of religiosity (let's say Europe in middle ages), people, devout believers as they were, still didn't want to die and considered death, their own and their loved ones', to be the ultimate calamity.

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