The Story Of God - Tapa dura

From the tiniest microchip to infection-fighting antibiotics to the information superhighway, the modern world relies upon technology and scientific understanding. Where once we might have consulted a mystic shaman to explain and cure an illness, we now turn to scientists, whose findings are based upon empirical study. But, faith has not withered away. This modern age, so dominated by and dependent upon science, is also the age in which 98 per cent of Americans profess a belief in God. It's an age in which the Prime Minister and the Queen of England both believe openly in an afterlife. Church attendance figures are in a state of decline, yet popular beliefs in various aspects of the supernatural - ghosts and spirits, fortune-telling, and healing - are more vigorous than ever. Whilst Christianity struggles to win new converts, Islam acts as a unifying, energising force for many of the world's most dispossessed people. The "Story Of God" is a ground-breaking book - supported by a prime-time BBC1 television series - that examines this relationship across time, beginning with the primitive worship of our early ancestors, and concluding with a vivid portrait of faith in the modern world. Robert Winston provides a unique perspective; he writes as a respected scientist who is also committed to Judaism and offers a challenging, sometimes startling personal discourse between science and religion. Grand in scope, adventurous in tone, the book will trace a line across continents, cultures, and eras.

Robert Winston is one of the country's best-known scientists. As Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, University of London, and Director of NHS Research and Development and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, he has made advances in fertility medicine and been a leading voice in the debate on genetic engineering. His television series, including Your Life in Their Hands, Making Babies, The Human Body and The Human Mind and have made him a household name across Britain. He became a life peer in 1995.