ABOUT THE BOOK
Fifty Questions About Faith, Belief, and the Search for Ultimate Truth: A Journey of Inquiry and Discovery invites readers to explore some of humanity’s oldest, deepest, and most persistent questions. Does God exist? Why do people believe—or not believe? How did the world’s religions develop? Can faith and science coexist? Where does morality come from? What can we know about life after death? And how have religious beliefs shaped our cultures, our politics, our conflicts, and our understanding of one another?
Through fifty concise essays, the Dr. Tierney examines these and other questions from multiple perspectives—religious, philosophical, historical, scientific, and humanistic. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other traditions are considered alongside questions of faith and doubt, sacred texts, science and evolution, morality, religious authority, violence and peace, and the continuing human search for ultimate truth.
This is not a book that tells readers what to believe. Nor does it argue for or against religion. It approaches religion and belief as subjects of inquiry inviting readers to consider different perspectives, examine evidence, question assumptions, and reach their own conclusions. In short, it is not a religious book; it's a book about religion.
The fifty questions may be read from beginning to end as a journey, or individually according to a reader’s particular interests. They are also designed to encourage conversation, making the book suitable for individual reading, classrooms, lifelong-learning programs, book groups, faith communities, and discussion groups.
Above all, the book is an invitation to remain curious, to ask difficult questions, listen seriously to different answers, and continue the search for understanding.