But who is more ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning, or the man who does not respect its awesome power?

Sometimes a legend that endures for centuries... endures for a reason.

Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed.

Critics have found in the narrative a veneer of erudition that cloaks nothing more than a James Bond-style romp, albeit a highly addictive one. His publisher has described it as 'a thriller for people who don't like thrillers'. One newspaper put it thus: 'It is terribly written, its characters are cardboard cutouts, the dialogue is excruciating in places and, a bit like a computer manual, everything is overstated and repeated - but it is impossible to put the bloody thing down.

Wide acceptance of an idea is not proof of its validity.

Science tells me God must exist. My mind tells me I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to.

The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven. The Bible is the product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.