God is doing pretty well these days, at least judging by the bestseller list. God figures prominently in non-fiction books claiming that He is fiction (e.g., The God Delusion), but also in fictional books that assert He is non-fiction (e.g., the sixteen novels in the Left Behind series). There are even several God-oriented cookbooks available for inquiring minds.
Honestly, I don’t see the point in reading most of these works. Usually the title tells you everything you will find inside. Once you see the dust jacket proclaiming God is Not Great or God’s Guide to Dating, do you really have any doubts about what these pages hold in store? To my mind, most books on God seem to be preaching to the choir, whether they are written by believers or atheists.
Then celebrated novelist Julian Barnes (author of Flaubert's Parrot, A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, and Arthur & George) comes along and delivers a different take on the deity. Barnes opens his book Nothing to Be Frightened Of with this interesting admission: “I don’t believe in God, but I miss Him.” In a polarized world, Barnes is that rare author willing to explore the nebulous area between blind faith and defiant materialism. Hollywood probably won’t be rushing to snap up movie rights here. But readers may find solace — or at least enjoy a diversion from their own thanatological musings — in this frank and erudite look at secular nostalgia for a prime mover.
Here is an author who is willing to consider all of the options. Barnes doesn’t just debate whether God exists, but also suggests many other scenarios. These include: (1) God used to exist, but doesn’t anymore; (2) God does exist, but has abandoned us; (3) God did exists and will exist again, but doesn’t exist at the moment; (4) There is no God, but there is eternal life; (5) God could grant us eternal life if he wanted to, but won’t because we aren’t really worthy of it... And so on.
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