When God Is Gone Everything Is Holy: The Making of a Religious Naturalist

"In what he describes as a "late-life credo," Raymo traces a half-century Catholicism to scientific agnosticism. The point of religion, he asserts, is to celebrate the unfathomable mystery of creation. Thus, he believes, "My work as a teacher and writer has been to discover glimmers of the Absolute in every particular, and praise what I find." Raymo takes the reader on a tour de force of science, philosophy, theology, and literature as he gathers together the rich array of voices of his many traveling companions. With wonderfully detailed anecdotes, Raymo brings to life a diverse cadre of mentors such as Gerard Manley Hopkins, Charles Darwin, and Teilhard de Chardin. Whether exploring the connection of the human body to the stars or the meaning of prayer of the heart, these challenging reflections will cause believers and agnostics alike to pause and pay attention"--Dust jacket flap.