Bible and Cosmos

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleБиблия и Космос
3. Language term Bulgarian
4. lemma author Nachev, Ivaylo
5. lemma category Complementarity
6. Publication date 7-2-2019
7. lemma work Гешанов, Христо [Author]. Библия и Космос
8. lemma manifestations Библия и Космос - Sofia: Интеграл Г, 1999.
9. Keywords Bible - interpretations - scientific atheism
10. Lemma body

    1. The book provides an interpretation of the Bible from the perspective of the contemporary world. The author, who describes it as scientific journalism, pointed his wish to share knowledge that was generated during some 40 years of study of sciences, philosophy and religious beliefs.  One of his motives is that contemporary people have faith only in the facts of sciences, while fully neglecting all information related with the Bible.     

        The book aims to pose a number of questions: Are science and religion compatible? Has science proven incorrectness of Biblical stories and conceptions? Is it true that in the age of cosmic explorations and computers there is no place for the faith? Why most prominent scholars in world history have believed in God?  

       An interesting observation  of the author is that the most ardent proponents of the Communist doctrine “scientific atheism”  in communist Bulgaria, didn’t  know the Bible itself, they have read only the textbooks on scientific atheism. On various places in the book the author comments his experiences from the communist period which was dominated by Marxist–Leninist atheism (Given is the example of a scholar, friend of the author, who fully neglect everything related with the Bible as superstitious). So, in spite of the fall of the communist system, a lot has remained unchanged and the author aims to provide correct information to many atheists in Bulgaria who know very little about the Bible itself.

       As main argument of the author serve various examples of Christian scientists (including Max Born who became religious at older age). Many examples were given of prominent people in science and technology, including people in Western space programs, who are at the same time believers (in contrast to the ones in the Soviet bloc who were atheists). In that context the author poses the question is it possible a true atheist to become a believer?

        The book also touches upon limits of contemporary science, like limits of astronomy which despite all technological development observe just a minimal part of the universe. The author says that in contrast to materialism, the Bible does not disregard supernatural phenomena, conceiving these as wonders, signs. The author argues that these phenomena are different than that we call paranormal today.

       In addition to the Christian perspective, the author pointed he is interested in Eastern philosophy and practice yoga (Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued special statements critical statements against yoga ), adding he has never been into the “occult” side of the eastern ideas.