God & Science is an anthology of brief essays by expert mathematician and investigator into East Indian cosmology and spirituality Richard L. Thompson. Addressing the seemingly intractible rift between religious and scientific views by exploring connections between modern science and the Vaishnava tradition of India, a belief system based on monotheistic philosophies that in turn share common traits with Judeo-Christian thought. Each short essay offers a gleam of insight into the old conflict of ideas, from the question of whether [African] Eve existed to the mysteries of consciousness, paradoxes of time and space and more. A fascinating tour of the borders of the mystical and the analytical, offering revelations to both sides.
      —Midwest Book Review, Internet Bookwatch, Volume 14, Number 12, December 2004

Though the majority of science-and-religion books are Judeo-Christian in nature, there has been a recent surge of spokespeople from other traditions — namely, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism — publishing about the harmony of their beliefs with modern science.

God & Science is mathematician Richard Thompson’s well-written collection of essays, showing the connection between science-and-religion and Hinduism. Through the book, Thompson proves himself to be a thoughtful writer with a solid mathematics and physics background. Furthermore, he shows a clear understanding of Hindu and other religious texts and a devotional sympathy for the Vaishnavism, a metaphysically sophisticated form of Hinduism dedicated to the worship of Vishnu, a major Hindu god. Thompson clearly argues that the myths surrounding Vaishnava literature can be meaningfully interpreted in terms of current science — in conjunction with the many-worlds theory, geological time scales or evolution.

The book’s chapter themes range from cosmology to consciousness. It discusses rational mythology; the 1995 milk miracle, in which Hindu statues began “drinking” milk offered to them; the advanced astronomy in works on Hindu sacred history and much more. In the process, God & Science explains, in laymen’s terms, some of the complex ideas of current physics.

Most technical physicists wouldn’t concur with efforts to harness physics into a God-centered worldview, but this book will open readers’ eyes to the richness and multiplicity in human culture. For those who take God as the substratum of the universe, this Vaishnavite version of that conviction will prove both interesting and insightful.

V. V. Raman is an emeritus professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

      —Science & Theology News, April 2005, p. 42